Empire of the Sunnies

MANILA, Philippines - If you think Georgina Wilson, Bea Soriano, Martine Cajucom and Eric Dee Jr. are just pretty and perky, think again.  Their Sunnies Studios, born exactly a year ago, already has 25 stores all over the country and is opening soon in Iloilo, Boracay, Clark plus a few additional stores in North Edsa and Cebu. By the end of 2014, the Fantastic Foursome would have 30 Sunnies Stations. To think that this idea was just hatched over scotch while hanging out, talking about business endlessly and then eureka!

Overflowing with ideas, shuttling around the world and actively engaging consumers on social media, the creative quartet also engaged the services of style maverick Borgy Manotoc, launched their Sunnies Men’s collection earlier this year with about 75 different styles and colours of Sunnies not just for women.  This year also saw them unveiling a Sunnies Specs collection, the better to see you with, my dear.

They’re quite hard to miss. Aside from the IT-girls-gone-good-in-business acumen of the partners, countless IG posts that have endless likes, each Sunnies Station (you won’t miss it in your favourite malls)  would have approximately 150 styles of Sunnies and specs at any given selling point. It’s fast, fashionable and affordable. Just like the presence that these progenitors have established, Sunnies Studios has, through hard work (and yes, they make it look super fun) has achieved ubiquity.

To make it the cooler-than-thou-eyewear brand to beat, Sunnies also recently went on a road trip around America with Georgina and Martine with photographer Emman Montalvan to shoot their latest campaign. All images were shot guerrilla and on film. Each month, new images from a new location are released. Locations include outdoor desert art installations, famous motels and more to come.

Pop culture zeitgeist

This brand seems to have gotten the zeitgeist on what the kids want, what the kids want to be and who they want to be with. The partners as brands unto themselves, bonded together by a common goal to make something bigger than who they are — marketing geniuses, incorporated, I must say.

And did you notice that Sunnies had an official name change? From Sunnies to Sunnies Studio — why is this? “Sunnies Studios communicates our brand’s growth as a retail space and lifestyle concept. It has evolved from being an apparel spin-off to being an umbrella brand that now houses specs, styles for men and many more. Soon to come!” says dynamo Georgina Wilson with a wink. This relentless energy that doesn’t stop till things become perfect is part of the reason for their success.

“I’m stressing out over this party! There are too many details I don’t know how you do it,” says Georgina as we walk towards the gym for a boxing session. It’s for Sunnies First Birthday Party, happening at a pool house near you. Of course, everything will be perfect and everyone will be there, and she knows it. But still, she wants to make sure.

For now, the Sunnies Station crew is taking some time off with the Supreme team to relax and unwind. Sometimes you need to take a few steps back to see things clearer.

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It’s gonna be a Sunnies sunny day at @officialtimyap on Twitter and Instagram.

Photography by MARK NICDAO, Assisted by JAMES BAUTISTA, Produced by RAYMOND GUTIERREZ, Makeup by MAYESA DELOS SANTOS