Joanna Preysler's dream comes true

Joanna Preysler is one of the country’s loveliest ladies. Believing that Manila deserves a fashion brand that rises to global standards, Joanna, together with her hardworking husband Raul Francisco, opened their first store Carbon, a hip, cutting-edge boutique that caters to fashion-savvy urbanites. Carbon won the Store of the Year award and is a Hall of Fame awardee in store and marketing and design.

The enterprising couple’s second business concept is Tint.  Catering to the luxe resort market, Tint offers breezy caftans, relaxed tunics, jumpers and rompers, sandals, bags, jewelry, scarves and other accessories. Indeed, it is every woman’s dream closet. This jewel box of a store exudes modern glam, effortless chic and elegance at affordable prices.

For Joanna, luxury should be available and accessible to those who want it. And so she opened the Joanna Preysler boutique recently in Greenbelt 5, Makati City. On the shelves are exotic skin handbags, totes and clutches in crocodile skin, ostrich and python; as well as one-of-a-kind accessories and special collections of jewelry, fur, and other vintage items.

Joanna Preysler on the cover of the California-based magazine Gastronomique en Vogue. Photo by Vincent Gotti

 Joanna shared her views on what made her decide to open a boutique carrying her name: “I believe in products of innate value, of quiet and discreet luxury.  It could be an exotic skin with luxurious calf skin lining, or a vintage fur that has withstood the test of time and trends, or a necklace with meaningful charms and lockets.  I like things with a story or a history. All the things we offer at the Joanna Preysler boutique can be passed on, exempt from all trends yet always stylish, fashionable and relevant,” Joanna enthused. “Our bags are the anti- ‘it’ bag — bags that are easily recognizable.  The overly accessorized and over-priced designer bags are exactly what we are not.  I believe in having nice things, quality, over quantity but I don’t like to over-spend on things I will tire of or will be passè when the next season comes around…then you’ll have to wait another 15 years for it to be called ‘vintage’ and be fashionable again,” she added.