Three stylish kids behind homegrown fashion brand Charlie

MANILA, Philippines - Charlie may be a fashion retail store but it doesn’t just sell clothes — it sells the idea that you, too, can own one. Eric “JR” Dee, Bea Soriano and Carlo de Guzman are barely in their mid-20s and already on their fifth branch in a year. No strangers to the fashion and business circles, the trio has fortified their brand in such a short span of time; but as I have learned, they are not to be mistaken for a bunch of kids playing Millionaires Game. It’s all part of a grand plan that started early on in their childhood.

Such was the case for JR Dee, who handles operations for Charlie. He does not flinch when I bring up the fact that he is the son of one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs, Enrico “Rikki” Dee, as some heirs or heiresses would probably do, perhaps because he wasn’t brought up as one. “We were raised to be entrepreneurs,” the 24-year-old BS-Management Economics graduate shares. “I remember when me and my brother Chino were still in high school, everyone would be out having fun during summer vacation and we would be at one of our parents’ restos, washing dishes. My dad was like, ‘I’m taking out your allowance; I’m giving you a business.’ I really had to work for it.”

Fashionable trio: Carlo de Guzman, Bea Soriano and Eric “JR” Dee are the partners behind clothing and accessories boutique Charlie Photos by FERNAN NEBRES

Rikki Dee is the president and CEO of Foodlink Group of Companies, which handles numerous fast-food stalls and a chain of restaurants, which includes Mesa, Kai, Cerveseria, Mangan and Ebun. When I asked what he thinks of his son going into retail instead of food, Rikki says, “I’ve always told them to follow their passion, whether that’s food or retail, it’s not really about the industry. It’s more of your attitude towards it.” He adds, “I’ve always told him that if you start early, you have room to fail. And once you’re starving, your work attitude gets better.”

Not one to rest on just one venture, JR still works for his dad “on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays” for their real estate and mall development business. The rest of the week, he handles the business side of Charlie. “It’s our first venture into retail for anyone from our family. I thought, since I am partners with Bea (who is a print, ramp and commercial model), that we would have an advantage when it comes to clothing. I’ve always been interested in retail. It’s a very saturated market, very competitive industry. It will really test you as a businessman to come up with something new and something fresh. Also my dad always encouraged us to go outside of the family business and experience things for ourselves,” says JR.

And what an advantage they have. Well-traveled and style-savvy, the three looked every bit like fashion retailers at the opening of their fifth branch in Robinsons Galleria last July 29. Carlo, who is an architect, designed all of Charlie’s five stores, giving it its “laid-back vibe.

Welcome to Charlie: Take your pick from Charlie's trendy and affordable pieces –– all below a thousand bucks, with branches in SM North EDSA, SM San Lazaro, SM Fairview, Robinsons Place Ermita, and their newest branch in Robinsons Galleria.

” “We didn’t want the store to be intimidating, but we did want it to have a fun, international feel,” he says –– something they’ve no doubt achieved, with Charlie always being mistaken for a franchise. But everything is manufactured here; only their raw materials are outsourced, usually from China, Bangkok and Taiwan.

Bea, who is in charge of merchandising and distribution, definitely has a say when it comes to what items go into Charlie, but her male business partners are just as hands-on. She says, “Even if they’re guys, they have a lot of opinions about women’s clothing! They’d be like, ‘Hmm… I don’t like the sheen of this silk fabric…’” When asked what it’s like to work with someone like JR, who comes from a family of entrepreneurs, she says, “Even if he’s young, JR is my mentor when it comes to business. He teaches me how to do the numbers. I don’t have any entrepreneurial background, but I learn a lot from him.”

The three opened their first branch in April 2011, but the three have been working on the business since early 2010. Charlie, which sells clothing, shoes and accessories for men and women at no more than a thousand bucks, rivals popular high street brands in terms of trends and quality. From casual shirts for ladies –– oversized, cropped, sleeved and not –– to of-the-moment pieces like sheer blouses, exotic prints and night-out-worthy dresses, to flats, sandals and accessories. They also have a full range of jeans and shirts for men. Charlie has branches in SM North EDSA, SM San Lazaro, SM Fairview, Robinsons Place Ermita and Robinsons Galleria.