As much as Filipinos love to adorn faux pine trees whenever the Yuletide season kicks in, the parol remains as the proud symbol of Christmas in the Philippines. And being a proud local fashion label, Bayo thought it's only logical to offer a holiday collection inspired by the colorful lantern.
“We thought (at Bayo) that we should incorporate Christmas to our merchandise,” Bayo marketing head Mishca Timonera begins. “And since we are Filipino and proud as a brand, we took what symbolizes the Filipino Christmas best and it all boiled down to the parol. We use it in lighting our streets and decorating our houses.”
For the second outing of Bayo's Style Harvest, it partners with no less than the home of giant Christmas lanterns, San Fernando in Pampanga, for its holiday collection aptly dubbed “A Holiday Heritage.” Style Harvest, launched in 2013, promotes Filipino creativity and partners with a cause, a person, or a community to help cultivate Pinoy talent and ingenuity. The first Style Harvest collaboration was with Filip+Inna by designer Len Cabili.
Drawing inspiration from the festive colors and intricate patterns of the parol, the collection features shift dresses and blouses in simple silhouettes and classic cuts adorned with colorful digital prints, along with chic pieces in neutral and bold colors subtly injected with Christmas lantern elements.
“What we intend for the collection is to give a glimpse of how Christmas feels for us Filipinos. The colors, the elements, the festivity, these are just the few things that we wish to convey,” says Bayo creative director and owner Anna Lagon.
Offered in such a festive holiday, many, however, wonder why majority of pieces come in dark colors. Lagon explains, “We used a lot of blacks in this collection because parols are well appreciated during nighttime.” Which allows them to apply the “total personality, usage and appreciation of parol to all our designs.”
And while the pieces are inspired by Christmas lanterns, Lagon assures that the collection transcends seasons, “in that way, you get to use the clothes all-year-round.”
Making sure the designs stay true not only to Bayo's local roots – bayo is an Ilonggo term that means “dress” – the brand also ensures that the wearer can get the most out of each piece, considering the dynamic of Filipino consumers.
“The styles we offer are classic and sophisticated, especially since the Filipino market is very practical – they want to wear their clothes for the longest time, so the clothes should remain fashionable as they can be for the longest time,” shares Lagon.
For the holidays, Bayo partners with the artisans of San Fernando, Pampanga to provide beautifully crafted parols in all of its 38 stores nationwide. Bayo recently opened its latest branch at Solenad in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Bayo also introduces its newest brand endorser, actress Iza Calzado, whom Timonera describes as “the embodiment of Filipina grace and beauty.”
Not only is Calzado an aspirational figure for modern Filipinas, Lagon says she also perfectly personifies the “Bayo Woman.”
“Describing Iza is like describing the brand. She's gorgeous, she's gracious, she's naturally pretty, and she has a good fashion sense,” says Lagon, who's much like Bayo, which caters to “women who appreciate fashion and style, and don't want to worry about putting things together. Each Bayo piece is already styled-up.”
Lagon also admires how Calzado lives a balanced life. “She's an advocate for a fit woman who's conscious not only about her body but her health. Women now are becoming more conscious about getting healthy or getting fit,” she notes.
Speaking of which, does Bayo plan to offer activewear soon? “It's in the pipeline and part of product expansion, but before we go into that, we want to focus on strengthening our Bayo Woman portfolio” that is composed of casual and semi-formal wear for women 22 years old and above.