Forging a link between fashion and furniture

Often in collaborations, an established brand will broaden its horizons and market share by tapping a younger, hipper entity to work on a one-off collection that’ll bring buzz to both parties involved. In the case of Bayo and Heima’s partner-ship, the local label has gone where no other womenswear brand has gone before: to the furniture department.

Heima, which means “at home” in Icelandic, began in Cubao X as a little shop that offered upcycled pieces, like older armoires that had been stripped and refinished with a fresh coat of pastel paint and embellished with spots of cheerful chintz, as well as furniture designed by the label’s in-house team. Helmed by Rossy Yabut, an interior designer, and her partner Bong Rojales, the Heima duo met with Bayo owners, sisters Corcor Bitong and Lyn Agustin, when they came upon their second store in LRI Makati. “They dropped by and admired what we had to offer,” says Yabut. “We found a common interest and that’s how it started.”

Home makers: Heima’s Rossy Yabut and Bong Rojales. Photo by RALEENE CABRERA

When the sibling owners began Bayo, they catered to a young market, offering pastel polos, frilly skirts and more than a few button-down shirts. “We’ve always been known as a casual ready-to-wear brand for college to young working women. Today we still cater to the same young group but our clients before who have grown up with us still buy from us. So Bayo’s market has expanded,” explains Bayo president Corcor Bitong. Their legacy of pretty stayed with the consumers who grew up with the label, now professionals with money to burn and starter apartments to furnish.

The furniture collaboration is just a progression for the women who’ve turned to Bayo to complete their wardrobes, from the preppy uniforms of college to corporate-friendly pieces for the office. “It came about when we were looking for accent pieces for some of our stores, and we accidentally came across the Heima store in LRI in Makati,” says Bayo VP for product development Lyn Agustin. “Their pieces are so like Bayo, with a classic framework but exciting and fun twists.”

Lovely: Fabric-covered cutout letters

“They were open to any ideas we had in mind,” Yabut notes. “The furniture collection is just the start and an experiment together for our two brands to develop something new in the local retail market.”

The collection is stamped with what has become known as Heima’s signature: colorful patchworks and vibrant hues adorn tufted chairs, armoires and chests. Ranging from P2,500 for fabric-covered cardboard letter cutouts spelling Love, meant to be perched on a windowsill or propped on a bookshelf, to P16,000 for a secretary desk, a drop leaf desk available in four colors, the selection comes at diverse prices, which Bitong notes is “very affordable for Bayo’s market.”

The unlikely mix of the two works for a number of reasons. Though Heima is a fledging company, they’ve refined their merchandise in a manner that makes them distinctive to the consumers who are aware of them. Just as Bayo is known for their girly aesthetic, their approach share similar sensibilities. Looking pretty is an objective both companies aim for.

“Bayo has a vintage feel,” Yabut says, “so we felt we could introduce the Heima touch to the brand.”

Both parties have received plenty of feedback. Bayo fans get to experience the label not just in their closet but in their living space as well, while Heima gained entry into at least four upscale malls and introduced themselves to a whole new market.

“We really think we found a point of synergy,” Yabut adds, “and it can serve as a model for other local brands to work together.”

“We saw it as a sisterhood of some sort,” she says. “I think we blend well together. It’s like we’re the new kid on the block that wants to play with someone who has been around the neighborhood for a while.”

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Some of the pieces from the collection can be viewed at Bayo Eastwood Mall, Rockwell, Shangri-La Plaza and TriNoma. For more info, visit facebook.com/heimaforbayo.

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E-mail me at jackieoflash@yahoo.com.