Proudrace Fashion

Proudrace is a fashion brand created by Pat Bondoc and Rik Rasos.  The name is indicative of what they believe in, their pride in being Filipino and owning a Filipino company.   The two thought that the menswear selection in Manila was very limited, so they decided to make their own clothes. While wearing their unique pieces around town,  friends showed interest in their designs and soon the two were being commissioned by their friends to design and make clothes. The brand now makes both women's and men's clothing.  Sounds great, doesn't it!

The duo's 2012-2013 Dark Waves Fall Collection is inspired by skaters, punks, goths.  The brand generally offers a black and white pallet with reinterpreted styles from the 90's.  The clothes are completely wearable and sometimes androgynous.  The pants are tight, the t-shirts are slightly oversized, and the jackets are asymmetrical. Below are some samples from their collection:

Hoodie with a longer backside, sleeve detail similar to backside.

Wind breaker with open V-neck colla

T-shirt with rose and shark prints

Bandana/ scarf with rose and shark print

The clothes are currently being sold in Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and to a small market in the U.S. alongside stores in Manila.  I'm hoping this brand becomes big because I just love it.

When I first discovered Proudrace I immediately thought the designers were Filipino American because there's something very American about the clothing: Perhaps its the way they style their clothes or the music they choose for their video campaigns that look American, but I was surprised and delighted to find out that Pat and Rik are homegrown Filipino talent. Having two designers born and raised in the Philippines while being able to capture American street culture and style so accurately brings-up all those ideas I'm interested in- globalization, colonialism, the internet age.

Here is the interview with Pat and Rik on youtube which goes into detail about how they started Proudrace:

The interview shows two playful guys who are just having fun with their talent.  Please support them if you have a chance to buy their clothes.