Our youth is yours

MANILA, Philippines - Picture this: Rik Rasos’ face on a T-shirt. Pat Bondoc has one too. It’s them as kids, and above it, the “TRAGICYOUTH” print in the Thrasher font. You know the one. How tender it is to put faces to the name — in a time where images (including theirs) are consumed by scrolling, swiping, and tapping — and there they are, pre-Internet. It’s rather comforting. 

Proudrace has been in the business of streetwear for a decade now, and it continues to capture the mood of our times. The DNA has been clear from the start — statement shirts, hoodies and jackets. A certain can’t-be-bought swag. And the message? Always deceptively simple. Always young. For those of us who grew up with it, Proudrace is also us at particular points of our lives: when we wore cropped tops, when we were Sad Girls, when we wanted to be heavy metal. When us girls wanted to dress like boys and boys wanted to dress like girls (for the record, it never mattered). 

Now, more mature and refined than ever, they come full-circle, back to youth. Tragic youth, unburdened by the past, is seeing the years strengthen their aesthetic and push them to bolder, more tailored silhouettes. Exaggerated sleeves, leather aprons and wide-leg trousers paired with garrison belts and raincoats, and even slip dresses with a fluted hem. In a time when both individuality and functionality reign, Proudrace is still our number one crush.

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This image is part of BJ Pascual’s collaboration series with GG, to be released this summer.

Photo by BJ PASCUAL

Styling KAREN BOLILIA

Makeup by ANTHEA BUENO

Hair by ETHAN DAVID