Young Designers Guild (YDG) outgoing president Louis Claparols, he of the Imeldific beaded and silk-screened T-shirt and bolero fame, has recently teamed up with local retail brand Ensembles for a Holiday 2010 collection of lively casual and workwear pieces targeted towards Ensembles' market of young, fashionable career women.
"Collaborating with a local brand was something I was really looking forward to," Louis says, "and luckly I was able to team up with Ensembles. The owner, Sheree [Gotauco], noticed my work ever since I was starting out, and I guess she saw something in them that would work for Ensembles. And since I see myself more as an RTW designer than a couturier, I find this venture very exciting."
Graphic geometric prints, beaded curlicues and architectural details on simple, form-flattering silhouettes define the collection. Louis opted for a rousing color palette of persimmon, magenta, bright blue, and lapiz lazuli to fuse his spirited edginess with Ensembles' signature workaday aesthetics.
He says, "I stuck with classic silhouettes, and did a little graphic work with the cut-out patches in very geometric and Art Deco-ish patterns, giving [the collection] a very modern appeal. We even played with colors to give it a very interesting and eye-catching combination."
Actress Carmina Villaroel-Legaspi is the face of the brand and of the collaboration.
Click on the photo gallery to see the Louis Claparols for Ensembles Holiday 2010 collection.
