MANILA, Philippines - When I found out that the dancers of Ballet Philippines would be on tour to Singapore and other countries, I wanted to make sure that they not only represented our country’s artistry but that they were also dressed to convey the beauty, the form and pleasing visage that are the bragging rights of Filipinos.
I needed help for this and top of mind was to approach Shopwise, my default all-in-one shopping destination which also happens to be run by Donnie Tantoco, husband of longtime friend Crickette. And since both Shopwise and Ballet Philippines have common goals of uncompromising standards in representing the best the country has to offer, a partnership was formed; and our dancers danced at the prestigious opening of the Dali exhibit at the Sands Marina Bay, Singapore and afterwards met the press and other artists garbed in clothes from Shopwise.
Clothes from Shopwise? While it is my favorite shopping destination for groceries, fresh produce and some hard to find items like Negrensen hamonado longganisa and once, even the very out of stock talking helmet of Darth Vader (much needed for my son’s Halloween costume!), I had not thought of purchasing clothes from Shopwise. That was until I attended a dinner in Crickette and Donnie’s beautifully interiored home and saw good friend Malu Fernandez wearing a flaming red free-flowing jersey dress that I instantly coveted. Paris-trained and Shopwise’s in-house designer, she proudly told me that it was part of Basic Essentials, a line of top quality but affordable wear exclusively found in Shopwise.
Never a laggard, I was in Shopwise the next day, looking for that red dress and went home with capri exercise pants, leggings, jersey tank tops and a long, dreamy, flowing black concoction for balmy nights on the beach.
Intrigued, I did a little more prodding and Donnie was happy to oblige.
We wanted to make quality accessible to all, including the working class. We offered a shopping experience that was affordable, but one that was previously reserved only for the rich – wide aisles, comfortable and hygienic surroundings, innovative promotions, and great customer service.”
In terms of fashion, “Shopwise… follows the concept of getting the look for less, without sacrificing the quality of the products that we sell.”
Made for the woman pressed for time (who isn’t nowadays?), Basic Essentials’ products are sourced from countries all around Asia, many of whom are suppliers of large international brands so the line can be aptly compared to popular clothing stores in the region.
At the photo shoot for this collaboration, fashion layering was very evident, with leggings topped by colorful tanks capped with breezy jerseys, then neon tees and candy colored warmers. There were jackets in pink, blue, purple, black and gold hues, pants in varying lengths and pretty much an entire range of comfy yet fashion-forward active, resort, sport, holiday lines.
Not new to the fashion and retail industry, I couldn’t help but think that I was at a shoot for an imported retail chain brand! Kudos to Donnie and the indefatigable Frances Yu, Shopwise’s marketing guru!
It’s a perfect fit…Shopwise’s Basic Essentials and Ballet Philippines. Both are constantly pushing the envelope, raising the standards of performance in the retail world and in the art scene. Partnering for excellence, Donnie said it best:“Excellence is brewed in a cauldron of hardship, discontent and challenge. The biggest enemy of excellence is complacency. To continue to grow, to innovate, and to excite our served markets, I would like to borrow a quote from Steve Jobs who said, ‘Stay hungry. Stay foolish.’”
And Donnie should know! It was under his stewardship that Shopwise pioneered the hypermart all-in-one shopping concept in 1998. He’s trailblazed the way to 10 retail hypermarts since then.
Donnie’s sage advise strikes home. In Ballet Philippines, we are hungry to dance for you. We are foolish. We are foolish and defy the many odds stacked against sustaining a dance repertory of international caliber. We reach for the stars, luring international dance icons to dance on our stage, reinventing dance genres, building one of the widest arsenals of original choreographies in Southeast Asia.
Inpired by our Shopwise, now a P17-billion enterprise, we’re growing too. We channeled Dali in Singapore. We just performed in China. In a few months, we’ll be in Russia where Candice Adea, our female lead, reprises her award-winning role of Kitri from “Don Quixote,” with the Russian Ballet Theatre.
Foolish and hungry. Determined and adamant. Proudly Filipino and world class... Ballet Philippines and Shopwise’s Basic Essentials is a very happy and beautiful fit indeed!
The author is a trustee of the Ballet Philippines Foundation.