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MANILA, Philippines - Having a Job 2.0 in fashion is more than just managing a slick Instagram feed and producing office-ready #OOTDs. The new school of retail demands an ever-evolving brand identity just to cut through the noise — YStyle meets four brands (and the people behind them) who do more than just their fair share.

Outside of retail and publishing, jobs in fashion used to be few and far in between. But with the rise of homegrown labels with a distinctive voice in the market — such as spectacles purveyor Sunnies Studios; fashion’s favorite beauty source MAC Cosmetics; multi-label concepts such as LCP and Tenant — boutique brands in the city are having a renaissance moment, and with it comes the rise of a new kind of “fashionable” career. Creative directors for a label’s online editorials and published materials; merchandisers and stylists for an in-house brand; graphic designers and copy writers solely devoted to producing Instagrammable content, and much more.

With the continuing rise of digital and mobile, a brand’s “power” is best distilled when they take control of their own platforms — a brand’s message signed, sealed, delivered directly from their own hands. In this YStyle industry special, we look at some of the most exciting boutique brands this side of the Metro for a back-office look at the guys and gals behind the scrim. In the eternal words of Miss Britney Jean Spears, “You better work, bitch.”

Love, Candypie

The newly minted retail space and offline HQ for Love, Candypie (www.shoplcp.com online or @shoplcp on Instagram) presents a certain kind of finish. A glass of rosé between gowns and the dressing room? Custom alterations and special deliveries for the most cherished of clients? LCP and its associates are known for a level of service and a hyper-polished veneer that doesn’t stop at the front of house but extends all the way to the offices at the back.

A slick fashion office with a sea of Apple desktops and a fully-functional photography studio for in-house shoots and product editorials. Think Anne Hathaway’s Brooklyn start-up in The Intern meets The Devil Wears Prada — “But I’m not the devil,” quips LCP founder Pie Alvarez. “I think I’m more sorority house mother hen. I’m more likely to buy them sweets or bring out my girls for drinks after a busy week.”

Pie plays the role of resident girl boss to a 15-odd collection of twentysomething fashion associates and creative directors, all working to power the smooth operation of both the retail space and the e-commerce platform set to debut this month. “There are actually two teams,” shares senior creative associate Andie Javelosa. “The girls who handle the buying and the sourcing, and then there’s us, creatives and social media.”

The office “backstage” vibe is almost frenetic, the brisk energy of a young company on the brink of a tight deadline — employees in crisp leather separates and summer-ready lace playsuits (all wearing LCP brands, natch) weave in and out of racks of new arrivals from Australia and New York; a model flits between shoot layouts in one look after the other. “We should be launching our website sometime this week,” shares junior fashion associate JV Gonzales. “Right now we’re just finalizing our online-only exclusives to create buzz for the brand.” We’ll stay tuned for that.                                         — Martin Yambao

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LCP will be available online at shoplcp.com at 2/F MDI Corporate Center, 10th Ave. cor. 39th St., BGC

Catherine Yu, Nicole Santos, Madge Reyes, Dior Acuzar, Adi Tiam-Lee, Melissa Gatchalian, Jobi Gutierrez, Nikka Cruz

Sunnies Studios

A short flight up cotton candy-colored steps ushers you inside a spiffy retro-cool space, where you’re greeted with mint swivel chairs, pastel storage cabinets, cute eyewear choices, a stack of fashion tomes and glossies, a ‘90s-themed mood board (Sailor Moon and Kate Moss images included) taped on the wall and during my visit, at least Kanye West tunes playing in the background. Sounds like a place Pinterest dreams are made of but for a team of yuppies, it’s simply, well, their office in Quezon City.

Interestingly, the Sunnies Studios HQ is already a good indicator of their distinct company culture relaxed (work schedules are flexible so they can come in as late as 1 p.m.), fun (Quirky ideas? Always welcome! The dress code? Come as you stylishly are!), and definitely young (everyone from the creative team is a twentysomething, which explains why the Sunnies brand knows their market so well). But don’t think that the homegrown label measures high on the barometer of cool for no reason. “At Sunnies, it’s really all about team effort. We release new styles every month but it gets especially busy during summers and holidays so we make sure to help each other out,” marketing assistant Nikka shares. To constantly stay ahead of the curve, the team holds what they call creative meetings every week, where they talk about trends, promos and upcoming collections. As for the leadership styles of girl bosses Martine and Georgina? “Since design plays a big role in establishing the Sunnies brand, our team has a close working relationship with them. They’re very hands-on! It’s great that they involve themselves in the whole process, even down to the Instagram posts.”

— MJ Benitez

Anton Lopez, Carla Sison, Camille Peralta, Rich Griner, Paola Catacutan, and Julia Velasquez

Tenant Manila

Barely two months old, Tenant Manila is a skate-and-surf lifestyle store located at the ground floor of a boutique hotel in Makati. Occupying two floors with a coffee shop below and the concept store above, it can be converted into a multi-functional place — just two weeks ago, they hosted rapper Curtismith’s album launch.

The store carries multi-brands like Saturdays NYC, Hill-Side, Kapital, Mollusk, and Quality Peoples. This month, they’re dropping the new collections with additional brands Engineered Garments and a collaboration with Apolis. They also carry custom handmade surfboards from Mandala by California-based Filipino artisan Manny Caro. Surf and photography books can also be found here, together with local lifestyle magazines Grid and Purveyr.

 With interiors inspired by the minimalism of Scandinavian design, wooden tables and shelves accentuate the cemented floor. Potted greens like mini cactus add character and color to the store’s all neutral palette. Music is also a big thing for them; you’ll hear a wide range of tracks from jazz to R&B for their in-store music.

 Owned by Anton Lopez with business partner John Esguerra, Tenant Manila has a tight-knit staff, hence the relaxed and chill vibe of their workspace. The chic and Filipina beauty Carla Sison, who previously worked at a menswear store in Berlin, manages the store and its merchandising. Julia Velasquez and Rich Griner both man the concept store on the second floor, while baristas Camille Peralta and Paola Catacutan take charge of the store’s coffee shop below.                                  — David Milan

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Tenant Manila is located at ground floor, Solace Hotel, Kamagong St., Makati City

Lesley Ann Guevarra, Jaycee Matias, Nicole Tejano, Rizel Magno, Sunshine Dizon, Mikee Raymundo, Emin Ilao, Alfie Tolentino.

Mac Cosmetics

YStyle has always worked the girls from MAC and this time we’re letting you in on what it’s like inside the world of MAC cosmetics. Get to know the faces behind all those Instagram-worthy events because, clearly, they’re more than just an #FOTD.

MAC is home to all types of personalities and the same can be said of the team of ladies who run the show. In the industry of beauty and fashion, more often than not, people have the wrong impression of what it’s actually like working for a brand that’s so dynamic. “People think that in this industry it’s all fun and games but really there’s more to it than that. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and passion from the whole team,” training manager Jaycee Matias shares. “Since I’m the training manager I travel three times a year. Twice for regional and once for global trainings where I constantly update myself with upcoming products, customer service standards and events.”

Now, despite their hard work behind the desk and on the field, these ladies are total beauty addicts. Who could blame them? When you’re given access to preview collections and collaborations six months prior to their release — gratis — plus back products and, on top of all that, product allowances, who wouldn’t end up being obsessed with makeup?

The girls see themselves as more than just a team; more like a family that’s dressed in head-to-toe black. The all-black policy is considered a global guideline and trust that you won’t be seeing them in any other color even down to the shade of their soles. “It’s actually highly encouraged that we play around with our hair every six months and that we stick to metallic accessories only,” says marketing executive Lesley Ann Guevarra. Talk about controlled branding — another reason why MAC continues to be at the forefront of beauty.

— Francine Gacrama