Have you noticed how malls have become a permanent fixture in our lives? We have megamalls, minimalls, outlet malls/yards and a host of other permutations vying for our attention in every part of the country. So, how does one stand out from the hordes of other retailers hawking their wares and begging for the customers’ hard-earned pesos? Enter 7th on Sixth.
Early this year, Hywel Angeles and Tess Valdes found the opportunity to establish their flagship stores, Details Trading and D-Tour respectively, in Glorietta. However, realizing that they had more space than they needed, the two decided to borrow from the incubator concept hatched during the mid-Nineties Internet/e-commerce revolution. Drawing on their experiences, they concluded that entrepreneurs like them, armed with nothing but style, spunk and spirit, would be willing to take their ideas from out of their fiction factories and prove their mettle in the marketplace. After carefully screening and putting together an impressive assemblage of up-and-comers (alongside some seasoned veterans), 7th on Sixth opened last June on the ground floor of Glorietta 2, occupying the space that used to be the old Tokyo Tokyo (between Guess and Replay).
A few months later, 7th on Sixth established a new bastion of fast fashion in tony Makati. Women doing the rounds of Glorietta are immediately drawn into the store that carries smart casual pieces, street wear and avant-garde clothing. There are concessionaires offering shoes, bags, jewelry, fashion accessories and perfumes, designer candles, pillows and furniture. All in all, 7th on Sixth has become a one-stop-shop for today’s trendy, globally aware and value-for-money customer.
7th on Sixth gets its name from New York City’s annual fashion event held in Bryant Park.
To give a quick feel for what lies in store for you, here’s a run through of the store’s labels:
Started in 1999, Details Trading (DT) is the product of several years of experience in the fashion retailing business. Homesick after taking her degree in New York’s F.I.T., DT’s designer decided to come back to Manila. The challenge for her was to change the mentality of Manila’s locals by giving Filipinas a moderately-priced fashionable alternative. It was such a success that she opened five stores in two years.
Its fashion is meant for a customer that is sure of herself and her style. Think along the lines of Jil Sander, Badgley Mischka, Chloe, Miu Miu and one of the designer’s favorites, Marc Jacobs. The clothes are meant for someone who has, over time, identified and developed her look and knows how to build on it. Subtlety and femininity are key words that permeate the Details Trading label.
D-Tour is another young and highly fashionable line started by partners Tess Valdes, her sister Maielles Manimtim and Jen Morales. If we were to liken D-Tour to some of the leading fashion houses, then it would have to be ala Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, and Moschino. Versace and Roberto Cavalli. The D-Tour customer exudes confidence. She is brash and oftentimes bold. A D-Tour customer draws attention by her very nature and is not afraid to get it. The D-Tour line encourages experimentation by giving customers the opportunity to explore every look under the sun, from casual to funky to high-glam.
While it seems that women today are going for simpler, less-studied looks, they spend hours completing the fashion puzzle after having decided on the colors, silhouettes and make-up. Vixen is the line meant to complete the equation. The current shoe line is inspired by Blahniks and Choos while the belt line, as always, is aligned to complement the current season’s styles and cuts. At present, this means obi belts, cinchers and various embroidered pieces in leather, nubuck as well as other specialized fabrics.
Geek Boutique prides itself on its individuality and sense of mystery. This underground label’s proprietors prefer to remain anonymous.
Sort of like the way J.D. Salinger has the right to hole himself away from the prying eyes of the world. Suffice it to say that if you are one who prides yourself on your individuality (e.g. Bjork, Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood), then this is the brand for you: brash, daring, adventurous and full of sparkling wit.
Decking Porcupine’s racks is a fantastic multitude of colors, designs and textures that would make any woman envious. It starts off innocuously enough, with one rack devoted purely to whites. Crisp, cool shirts in a variety of fabrics and textures. But then, just before you come to the conclusion that this is just another one of those run-of-the-mill bores, you notice the loud, brazen hues of red, orange and green. How about the soft, mild mists of yellow, sky and pink. Meanwhile, the stern grays, somber blues and dramatic blacks lurk unobtrusively in the background. Stepping into the shop is like falling into Wonderland amid a great rainfall of polka dots, stars, stripes, checkers and splotches.
fCUK is for cool urban kids, and is the other male clothing label inside 7th on Sixth. Another incarnation of veteran retailer Gus Apostol’s men’s stores, this new venture encourages consumers with a hip, casual and relaxed attitude to check out the label’s wares. fCUK is smart casual clothing for men in their early twenties upwards. fCUK offers a full range of clothing and accessories for men, from casual to semi-formal shirts and trousers, footwear and accessories – all priced very reasonably.
Heureux, as cliched as it seems, was born in a moment of bliss. The bag label is the brainchild of friends and followers of fashion, Allana and Tippie. As has become characteristic of many an Asian woman, Allana has this hobby of collecting bags costing insane amounts of money. And, as has become a favorite pastime of many a woman of leisure, Allana and Tippie would spend many a leisurely afternoon having tea and discussing the latest goings-on.
On one particular afternoon, Tippie was admiring Allana’s latest purchase, a bright red Kate Spade tote bag (question: why is it that women can always seem to remember what they wore during important moments?) Suddenly, a flash of brilliance came to them both! "Why not make their own bags?" They decided to call their bags Heureux, or happy in French.
The bags come in a wide variety of vibrant colors and styles. Fabrics are leather, canvas and satin. The line has bags for both evening and day. As one views the label’s merchandise and the bright, joyful spectrum that the label’s owners employ, one gets the impression that Heureux’s tagline of "happiness is yours..." just speaks of itself.
Noodle Accessories (NAX) is the brainchild of couple Ting Villegas and Jason King. After having experienced the trials and tribulations of the corporate world, the two finally decided to venture into something that they both enjoyed – retailing. Ting, a fashion nut, set the tone for Noodle.
Noodle Accessories offers high-quality fashion accessories such as bracelets, necklaces and rings aside from the aforementioned staples of hairclips and bands. On top of this, NAX also has belts, bags, and the like, made from a host of materials. Its products are sourced from all over the region – Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and India.
Blush is another successful entrepreneurial experiment. It began with Ginger Ignacio‘s desire to further her studies also at New York’s F.I.T. Aside from pursuing a degree in Fashion Merchandising, she decided to take extra courses in fashion design, pattern making and accessory design. Whatever she ending up making she’d then wear when going out with friends. On more than a couple of occasions her friends would end up liking what she wore so much so that they’d ask her to sell it to them. Emboldened by her peers’ acceptance of her designs, by chance, she got to talking to the proponents of 7th on Sixth and decided to go the distance.