Ben Chan takes a great leap forward to New York

MANILA, Philippines - A Bench show for New York Fashion Week? 

No, this is not a dream floating in the creative mind of Bench founder Ben Chan. It is happening on Monday, July 11, in New York City. Twenty looks from Bench Body’s spring-summer 2017 collection will be presented before fashion industry spectators and the international press. It will be held at an 8,000-square-foot industrial studio of a 1950s building overlooking the Hudson River. So very NYC, so edgy. 

Nothing but edgy for Ben Chan who gave his Bench stylist and creative assistant Noel Manapat the task of translating what was once just a dream into reality. “The models will be arranged like a live editorial tableau while the audience is free to move around, like they’re watching an exhibit,” explains Manapat. “I wanted the models to be like modern nomads — seeking new destinations and experiences and, along the way, picking up interesting things from around the world and, in particular, from our side of the world.”

The Bench Body collection is inspired by the colors and flavors of island living. The theme is “Forever Summer.”

Chan clarifies that the New York show will be very different from the spectacular and theatrical Bench shows that Manila audiences are used to experiencing every two years. No drama, says Manapat, “but it will be modern, sexy and fun. The look will be editorial but still accessible.”

For this show, Bench is pairing with Cadet, the brand that was famously mentored by Anna Wintour. “We sent Cadet our spring-summer 2017 mood board, and in return, Cadet designed a 12-piece capsule collection to complement the Bench Body spring-summer 2017 theme. You will see a lot of Cadet signature pieces reimagined for Bench Body. The show will combine the DNA of Bench and Cadet,” adds Manapat.

This New York show is the first in a series of dreams by Chan who founded Bench 29 years ago and made it the leading Filipino fashion brand enjoying unprecedented popularity and global acceptance. What dreams were on his mind when he applied for a small store space for Bench at SM Shoemart Makati in 1989? Ben Chan talks about his journey to New York Fashion Week in this interview:

YSTYLE: Your vision for Bench is “to be a recognized world brand among the best world brands.” This has been achieved through your Bench shops in Asia and the Middle East. But with this New York Fashion Week show, you’re going to a different level. How does it feel?

BEN CHAN: NYC has always been one of my favorite cities. I make it a point to travel there at least three to four times a year for many different reasons. One of those reasons is to attend the NY Fashion Week together with a number of trade fairs happening around the city at that time. I thought this would be a good venue to explore the possibility of expanding the brand in this side of the world. 

I feel very excited with the prospect of introducing Bench Body in the East Coast. This is the first time we are making a presentation for the press and buyers in the US. Our presentation during New York Fashion Week is mainly for the press. Our participation in the Liberty Trade Fairs is for prospective buyers.

I remember watching that 2004 show of Bench in Shanghai where we all felt proud of this Filipino brand. To borrow a line from Mao Tse-tung, you are now taking a “great leap forward” from Shanghai to New York. When did you first imagine or dream of bringing Bench to New York Fashion Week?

Opening in China was an emotional experience for me. My parents were both migrants from south China and from them I learned the hardships they underwent, crossing the seas to secure a good future for themselves and their family. 

To establish Bench Body in China was like giving back and paying respect to the land of my parents’ birth.  Manila is my soul and I’m proud to be a Filipino. The values that I have are a combination of the Filipino traits and those traditional values I learned from my family.

NYC is the center of the universe and everything from arts to fashion revolves around there. It represents where I want to take the brand. It is a dream to make it in NYC. I want a slice of the Big Apple. 

What were the events that conspired to make this show happen?

It’s been a string of circumstances.

When we signed up Paolo Roldan for Bench Body, I was fortunate to have been introduced to Filipino photographer Brent Chua who did the shoot with us in New York City. Together, we conceptualized a campaign that would showcase Paolo’s glory as a Filipino international model endorsing a Filipino brand. This was the start of a fruitful relationship together. Through Brent, we met Cadet in our constant search for new brands and creatives to work with us, either in collaboration with Bench or to sell at our multi-brand store Assembly.

As I continuously scout for new merchandise for Assembly, I get to see how so many new brands are introduced to the market and how so many established brands continue to find new ways to re-introduce themselves to new markets. I thought that it’s a good way to present Bench Body to the New York market. One of the best trade fairs we’ve been to is the Liberty Trade Fair. It is a good curation of both new and established brands and I saw it as a fit venue to showcase the brand.

Two years ago, Benchmark traveled to NYC to do several stories about the city. The team assembled a number of Filipino photographers, models, designers with the aim to capture a slice of life of the great NYC vibe. Many of the people we met were encouraging us to do something more in New York City.

It was not an easy road for us to take in coming up with our first presentation for the NYC Fashion Week. We had to comply with a lot of prerequisites to qualify to be part of the show. Most of them were tough, some tricky, but at the end all worked fine. So we’re here to mount our first journey to the NYC Fashion Week.

You are collaborating with Cadet, the brand mentored by Anna Wintour. What makes it a perfect tie-up?

Bench Body is an underwear brand. We wanted to tie up with a fashion brand that shares the same spirit as Bench Body. Cadet is a perfect choice as the brand is a breakthrough — young and exciting yet practical and wearable.

  They were a CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalist in 2015, a Woolmark Prize nominee and NYC Design Enterpreneur winner. Cadet’s design duo, Bradley Schmidt and Raul Arevalo, have extensive experience in menswear while working for international brands, so they understand our plans. And they love pancit and lumpia!

New York is practically your second home. Any encounter with Anna Wintour during your trips?

My only close encounter with Anna Wintour was when we attended a Vogue private forum to launch the exhibit “China: Through The Looking Glass” at the Met Museum where Nicole Kidman was the special guest. It was a gathering of fashion luminaries that included Andrew Bolton and Rupert Murdoch. We were seated behind Anna.

  Amid all the brands showing and selling in NYC, how does Bench hope to make an impact? How will the styling and manner of presentation make a difference?

Our presentation is very modest compared to the fashion shows we do in the Philippines. But underwear presentations will always be fun!

In presentations, models stand like mannequins while the audience moves around. The advantage is that the audience can spend more time examining the looks up-close.

We are excited to see how our audience will react to an unapologetically Philippine-inspired presentation — from our underwear prints to a simple set design. We are proud to present Bench Body as a brand born and bred in the Philippines.

Will NYC be a difficult market to penetrate?  Where do you visualize Bench being sold and what are your specific targets?

New York is a very difficult market to penetrate. Brands both established and new compete for space in the world’s most expensive retail space. Bench may be celebrating 30 years in the Philippine market next year, but is still a newborn brand in North America when we launch it next week. We will take it one step at a time.

Any kwento to share? How’s your New York sched?

We arrive in New York City midnight of July 8. We will do fitting on July 9. We open our trade show on July 10. We do our show on July 11. We need all your good luck and well-wishes!