Now, this is sartorial wear

MANILA, Philippines - If there’s one hole that is begging to be filled in the local fashion scene, it’s the one left behind by the need for fashion-forward, ready-to-wear menswear — that’s affordable. While European brands fill in the gap for the elite sartorialist willing to dish out P30,000 for a tailored evening jacket, there is only a choice handful of local RTW labels that can cater to the more practical dresser, one who believes that, in the age of personal taste and discerning fashion, there is an alternative for a tenth of the price of imported brands.

Azur Lapis Lazuli, despite its lofty name (a hazy take on ancient translations of biblical names and an offhand reference to the color blue), is the newest redeemer of Philippines sartorialism. Offering dressy RTW for men, the brand was created in 2007 by Melchor Guinto and Charles Cua, probably the unlikeliest pair to fill the local need for clothing the likes of which made Hedi Slimane’s Dior Homme the standard for great-fitting, tailored menswear. For one thing, neither of them have a background in fashion. Melchor, who heads design, works (“for now”) in IT for a multinational company; while Charles, who oversees production and operations for the brand, is a building architecture graduate. Both present pretty unassuming personas, not the flamboyant, flashy types with sharp haircuts, equally sharp tongues and secret dreams of cannonballing their design careers through reality shows.

How they started out may actually be the trite version for all those who ventured into creating their own labels: a love for clothes and a recognition for the need for really good menswear. “We wanted to give quality with nice design, something that was fashion-forward. Subtle but distinct. Masculine but fashion-forward,” says Cua. “We grabbed the opportunity and just decided to see where it will go.” But clichéd beginnings are often overshadowed by success. And the Azur duo found theirs when customers started praising the well-tailored fit of their jackets and button-down shirts.

To make up for their lack of formal design training, Guinto and Cua fastidiously “reengineer existing pieces” to come up with their own designs. “We study the typical men’s body and tailor-fit our clothes to that figure.” They also try to think broadly — in a more literal sense. Says Cua, “When we have a design, we try think if it will look good on a bigger guy.” So it would be safe to say that bigger men look slimmer in Azur’s jackets.

The brand also works with top-of-the-line sewers who have worked abroad or who used to sew for top designers, and sources most of their fabric abroad — Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand — to create pieces that have glimpses of the tamer collections of D Squared and Diesel, and aspire for the cleaner lines of Dior Homme. “We take these designers’ concept and bring it down to people who can appreciate it,” explains Guinto. So expect military-style button-down shirts with epaulets instead of a stud overload, or jackets with sleek tuxedo lapels instead of overextended collars.

But the main point here is affordability, really one of Azur’s prouder moments. They have great-fitting piqué shirts in high-quality fabric for less than a thousand, “engineered” biker jackets with double zip enclosures and complex button details for less than three thousand, and a slim-fitting, figure-flattering full suit for a fifteenth of the price of a Dior. If you’re practical enough, you can fully appreciate the blues.

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Azur Lapis Lazuli is available at the Crossings at Shangri-La, Landmark TriNoma, and The Ramp at Glorietta.

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