At Kamiseta:: Shopping is just a click away

MANILA, Philippines - It was in 2002 when clothing brand Kamiseta changed the landscape of Philippine fashion after portraits of Alicia Silverstone, who at the time was one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood, graced its billboards around the metropolis. As if that wasn’t enough, the Filipino label once again rocked the local fashion industry when it successively introduced its foreign endorsers.

The force was with Kamiseta when Star Wars actress Natalie Portman landed on the brand’s billboards and campaign materials. Kamiseta was not only “almost famous” but claimed its rightful spot in the local retail industry after it launched Kate Hudson as its endorser. When model Petra Nemcova became the brand ambassador, Kamiseta had no other way but up, up, up.

“Every year, Kamiseta as a brand has been growing,” asserts Gunn Roque, Kamiseta president and CEO. Just recently, the brand introduced the newest girl to add to its already remarkable line-up of endorsers. Drum roll please. She’s no less than Russian supermodel and actress Natalia Vodianova.

Natalia, at 15, knew she wanted to be a model so she enrolled in a modeling school. She then moved to Paris and signed with Viva Models at 17. The 5-ft.-9.5-in. supermodel has graced several covers of the US Vogue and as of May 2009, has appeared on the cover of British Vogue seven times. The 27-year-old statuesque beauty also has an incredible list of credentials in the runway department (more than 175 runway shows), fashion editorials and advertising campaigns (Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Chanel and many others). Because of all these achievements, Natalia was ranked 14th in World’s Greatest Supermodels, a TV program in UK in 2005. She was also listed by Forbes magazine as seventh highest earning model worldwide in three time periods.

“Natalia is a top model and we wanted her to be a Kamiseta girl. Many brands offer her (to endorse their products) and they go through the collections if they would be good for her,” narrates Gunn. “It didn’t take us a long time to make them say yes. When they saw our profile and collections, they just asked us who the previous Kamiseta girls were. She loved the clothes and she was more than willing to be the next face of Kamiseta.”

Gunn furthers that he takes pride in the fact that these top fashion personalities are interested in endorsing a purely Filipino brand. He recounts that the photo shoot with Natalia was great. The Kamiseta team flew her in from London (where she now resides) to New York. They specifically chose the Big Apple to be the location of the shoot because the fashion industry in the city is very vibrant. “The glam squad (photographer, stylist, hair and makeup) that we booked were all so cool. Natalia was so professional yet down-to-earth. Because of her exposure to the top brands in the world, I was impressed that she knew quite a bit on the lighting and even gave her own insights on certain angles and on styling as well,” Gunn shares, adding that in between takes, Natalia would talk about her three children and asked about their kids as well. “She would join us in the computer after a few shots to see the initial output and discuss with us if we were happy with her shots.” He also mentions that when the Russian supermodel saw the brand’s current collection, “Natalia couldn’t believe why we were not yet opening in Europe.”

Gunn says that getting Natalia to be Kamiseta’s new face made a big impact because the Filipino fashionistas quickly recognized her. Soon, they were receiving positive feedback and people were writing about it in their blogs and online sites. He acknowledges the help that technological advancement (most specially the Internet) did to help spread the news faster.

The people behind this revolutionary clothing brand have used this realization as a launch pad for more innovative ways to serve their customers — they are now using the power of the cyberspace to meet their clientele’s fashion needs and wants through www.kamiseta.com. “There have been numerous requests to have online shopping for quite some time. In other countries, e-commerce makes up a big share in a retailer’s sales,” declares Gunn. Retail giants Ralph Lauren, Gap and Macy’s have long realized the power of e-commerce. Ralph Lauren expanded its commitment to the Internet and e-commerce after its web sales grew by 28 percent in the second quarter of 2007. In 2006, Gap Inc. posted a solid gain in its second quarter e-commerce sales. Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren also said in a retail conference last year that “the power of e-commerce extends far beyond the keyboard and onto the sales floor.” These labels have recognized that their customers have evolved and changed the way they shop and so, they also have to change with them.

Back here, Kamiseta, the pioneering brand that it has always been, has also decided to rack up its sales through foraying into e-commerce. Launching its online shopping program last month was another way for the brand to go global, especially that there is a clamor from Filipinos living abroad to be able to purchase items from the label’s extensive collections of tops, tees, dresses, jackets, knits, bottoms, intimates and accessories. “In the Philippines where we have more than 7,000 islands, I can also understand why our customers have been asking for this. I think this is a step forward for us. We have been lucky to have such loyal customers from way back and it is our pleasure to give in to their requests and suggestions,” he shares.

He goes on to discuss the details of Kamiseta’s online shopping: “It’s basically the same as shopping in our stores. The stocks are new and fresh. Delivery will be on their choice of courier, which we listed down in the website together with their corresponding quotes and delivery times. Returns will also be accepted and the guidelines are all explained there.” With just over a month after its launch, Gunn proudly notes that people have already been buying and judging by both the feedback and sales, e-commerce is here to stay. If online shopping is your thing, you can already say goodbye to hassles in parking, long lines in counters and crowded malls.

So Natalia — and the millions of girls here and around the globe — need not worry anymore that Kamiseta hasn’t opened in Europe (or in any other parts of the globe) yet. With online shopping, getting their favorite Kamiseta items into their (online) shopping bag is just a click away.