Van Laack is finally in Manila!

Marked by a presentation of Spring-Summer 2012 collection, Van Laack formally had its Philippine launch at the Greenbelt 5 Fashion Walk in Makati City.

Heinrich van Laack established the brand in 1881 with the sole vision of manufacturing the world’s most luxurious shirts characterized by impeccable workmanship. Known for its made-to-measure shirts, Van Laack allows its clients to choose from a wide range of fabric swatches and combinations, the width and breadth of the body and even the cuff size — tailor-fitted to one’s personal taste and body type.

When I had a shirt made, it took me over an hour choosing from the several wonderful collars, cuffs, fabrics, cuts and monograms presented to me! It was a long but pleasurable experience having a bespoke shirt made. There are also ready-to-wear shorts that can be bought and may be altered as well. The shirts are not only for men, the brand has a beautiful selection for women as well.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Van Laack CEO Christian von Daniels, German Ambassador Dr. Joachim Heidorn, Van Laack Philippine partner Marilou Peña-Koa, marketing director Johnlu Koa, Singapore retail manager Jason Low and sales director for Asia Pacific Andreas Lerchbaumer. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres made by The French Baker as well as free-flowing Van Laack champagne. Johnlu acted as the night’s host. An audio-visual presentation was played on screen to introduce the brand. STAR’s Johnny Litton also talked about the EJ Litton Foundation, a beneficiary of Van Laack through a portion of the brand’s sales for February.

Set in a backdrop of flowing water, models walked the runway in Van Laack’s most current pieces. All-white ensembles were sent down the runway, paired with colorful scarves for the women and ties for the men. Among those who walked the catwalk included F. E. Zuellig president Kasigod Jamias, Allure’s Philip Cu-Unjieng, lawyer Rodolfo Ponferrada, Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara, Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) chairman Andy Bautista, Philex Mining Corp.’s Mike Toledo, Obstetrics and Gynecology expert Dr. Gregorio Pastorfide, Mannix Peña, Metro Society editor-in-chief Raul Manzano, Cats Motors president Felix Ang, dentist Dr. Steve Mark Gan, Edmund Lee, actor/director Albert Martinez, Jimmy Napoles, Lester Yao and TV host David Celdran.

(Check out Van Laack located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5 in Makati City.)

Celebrating milestones

Guests and media friends of Nokia gathered for an intimate lunch to celebrate the company’s milestones. The occasion also introduced the company’s new GM, Dharmesh Goshalia.

He said, “This year is going to be another exciting year for Nokia. We look forward to delivering aspirational products that offer choices for consumers, with differentiation on quality and value for money. Nokia has a long-running relationship with Filipino consumers and enjoys a huge gap over competitors in terms of preference, driven by its strong image as a trustworthy brand, meeting customer needs and being easy to use.”

Guests were, of course, treated to phone prizes.

The mobile brand also makes premium applications available for purchase at the Nokia Store through Globe Telecom’s automatic billing. Nokia users can now download paid personalized content like apps, games, ring tones, movie trailers and more without the need for credit card or direct cash payments.

Goshalia added, “Nokia Store provides consumers with mobile content and applications from some of the most recognized developers and publishers from around the world, and we are now thrilled to deliver compelling content to Globe Telecom customers with a payment solution that simplifies access and use.”

Expect more exciting phones and apps from Nokia!