Knits and pieces
MANILA, Philippines - It’s been 31 years since Lulu Tan-Gan launched her namesake brand. She started as a fashion buyer for SM alongside Tessie Sy-Coson and later on became an in-house designer for its department store. As the years went by, she expanded her brand by exporting to Japan, joining fashion fairs abroad, and gaining buyers all over Europe, Australia and the US. Dubbed the country’s “Queen of Knits,” Tan-Gan has established herself in the industry as one of the very few textile-driven brands. Championing knits and the locally made piña, she has committed herself to experimenting and innovating with these sustainable fabrics to keep them relevant and make them both world-class and fashion-forward. In this YStyle exclusive, Tan-Gan debuts a new capsule collection for the younger jetset.
YSTYLE: What is the Tan-Gan vision?
LULU TAN-GAN: We are tied to the aesthetic and technical innovations that have changed the impression of knits into fashion wear. Tan-Gan continues to offer travel-friendly, sustainable fashion for the independent, contemporary, jetset woman.
Tan-Gan innovated and affirmed an unmistakable way of dressing with a colorful collage and melange of geometric patterns of stripes, waves and jacquard in bouclé yarns. Tan-Gan continues to innovate through textile techniques and has positioned relevance in our own local indigenous textile. Our knits have been stretched, molded, remolded and reformed from halters to tunics to bohemian to caftans, from asymmetrical designs to regular knitted tank tops and slip dressing. Women of all ages, sizes and persuasions have worn the functional silhouettes.
What made you decide to create this capsule collection?
We are deeply rooted as a sustainable fashion brand, either by construction or by material use. This group started with taking inspiration from nature: minerals and stones.
Tell us about this new collection?
We call this our “marbled group.” We continue to design our fabrics, this time through manipulation: dyeing and printing. We also wanted to try using another natural material like silk. Visually, it is fluid. I think my life is in this stage right now.
Who is the woman wearing this collection?
The modern, independent, jet-set woman of substance travels with Tan-Gan. She balances work and her private world of space. Efficiency is valuable to her. To her, the meaning of luxury is having the time and space for herself.
What are the fabrics used in this collection?
Silk fabrics and cotton rayon knits.
How is this different from your previous collections?
It is designed for the holidays. It is lightweight and soft in silk, knitwear coordinates that add on functionality.
What’s next for Tan Gan?
More accessibility online. For our loyal clients that look forward to something different from fast fashion, we will have more artisanal, sustainable pieces for next year.
* * *
L Manila/ Tan-Gan is located at Greenbelt5, Ayala Malls. 0918-8031322, for made-to-measure.
Photos by SARA BLACK
Makeup by GERY PENASO
Hair by ETHAN DAVID
Modeled by JESSICA
KIENLE-MAXWELL and
VEL of Elite Manila
