Fashion gets Kenkoy again

MANILA, Philippines - When Solo launched its first-ever Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia featuring Larry Alcala’s Slice of Life last year, it was a showstopper. Many people took a trip down memory lane remembering the comic’s witty and playful characters. Young and old remember their Sundays looking for the iconic caricature of Alcala’s face among his drawings in the Sunday magazine. It is refreshing to see how Alcala’s Pinoy cartoons are being celebrated and reintroduced to today’s youth as part of Filipino pop culture.

Due to insistent demand, Solo presents its second installment of the well-loved Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia series. This time it features no less than the greatest work of the Father of Philippine Cartoons, Tony Velasquez’s Kenkoy.

Antonio Velasquez created Kenkoy way back in 1929. Long before the era of movie stars and showbiz celebrities, there already was a Philippine pop icon named Francisco Harabas, more popularly known as Kenkoy. As Velasquez described him, “He is always pusturyoso”. He was debonair and his trademark fashion sense was Western-influenced, decked out as he was in suspenders, charol shoes, a double-breasted suit, baggy pants, a sailor hat, and a slicked-back hairstyle. 

Kenkoy is considered the most influential comic strip in the Philippines and the most successful because of its wit and humor as well as Kenkoy’s antics, colonial way of thinking and carabao English. Kenkoy gained such a massive following that it was adapted for the movies in the 1950s-60s and a musical act in the early ’90s.

This year, old meets new as Solo Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia takes timeless Kenkoy comic strips and mixes it up in trendy silhouettes and fabrics with different treatments such as foil printing, embroidery, embossed printing, flocking, high-density printing and a washed effect.  

The collection consists of His & Hers graphic tees, polo shirts, woven tops and dresses, men’s long sleeves, shorts and accessories such as stainless necklaces and sling bags, gift sets like watches, vanity sets and lighters, and will hit Solo stores in September. Each Memorabilia Series item will have its own bio-tag of Tony Velasquez as well as its own unique packaging.

Another way Solo is celebrating Kenkoy is by conducting its third online model search in the country. After Solo successfully launched Jaggy Tallada and Jhonna Flor as 2010’s grand winners and Mehran Khaledi and Phoebe Rutaquio as winners in 2011, the search is on for two new faces to be officially unveiled in 2012.

Visit www.solo.com.ph/modelsearch2011 for contest details. Participants wearing any apparel from the Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia featuring Kenkoy are to submit their creative photo entries embedded with graphic elements available for download via the website. Early-bird submissions will be rewarded with special prizes from Solo. Everyone can register to submit entries and/or just vote. This year, Solo gives away prizes to lucky voters as well. Three voters will be randomly picked per month (September-November) to win Solo GCs. The model search will end on Nov. 30. 

For more details, visit http://solo.com.ph and join MySoloOnline on Facebook and Twitter.