Ukay -Ukay and the Democratization of Fashion

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
Sidebar: The Economics of Ukay-Ukay

Miguel Paolo Celestial looks very well put together. A production journalist for the Financial Times, he really has to look his best every day. “The corporate world deals with superficials. You have to dress up if you want to get noticed. Confidence is bestowed on those who look like they spent at least an hour deciding on what to wear,” he jokes.

Even if he has to toe a certain fashion line because of his work Paolo, however, is by no means compelled to spend half his paycheck on clothes. “That would be ridiculous and impractical. In the corporate world, the starting, entry-level salary is P12,000 (US$280) to P16,000 (US$372). High end clothes, particularly for men, cost almost that. Imagine shelling out P5,000 (US$116) for a pair of leather dress shoes, then another P2,000 (US$116) for a pair of pants, then at least P1,000 (US$23)for a shirt. And it’s not like you need only one set of clothes,” he says.

Enter Paolo’s almost scientific interest in used clothes and the popularly called ‘ukay-ukay’ industry. Second hand clothes, he says, are a godsend to people who are always under pressure to dress up for their careers.

Beanie and thrifted bomber jacket: both 5cm; tee, cK Calvin Klein; jeans, Calvin Klein Jeans; sandals, Birkenstock; belt, Brave Beltworks; Young Camel satchel and …Property of tote: both thrifted; steel cuff, Hablo; tiger’s eye bracelet from Divisoria (Contributed photo / bulatlat.com)

But buying clothes from ukay-ukay stores are more than just a necessity for Paolo. One could say it’s his hobby, but there’s a dimension to his interest in these second-hand clothes that’s undeniably artistic. How? For starters, he writes about them, and his language and imagery are poetic. It’s not surprising because when he still attended Ateneo University, Paolo used to contribute to the literary anthology Heights. Now he maintains a blog, El Bosquejo, wherein he documents his finds. There he waxes lyrical about shoes, bags and clothes, and reading his entry one can understand how so many consider fashion as an art form.

He started writing about clothes – not just ukay-ukay clothes – five years ago when he began writing for the Hong Kong based WestEast Magazine. “I wrote essays and features about culture – music, fashion, everything that had to do with it. Of course it was unavoidable that I also wrote about clothes. Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest fashion capitals.”

It was then that he started being familiar with various brands, and with the differences in garments, fabrics and styles, and how to wear clothes well.
But writing about expensive clothes and being able to buy and wear them yourself are worlds apart. Paolo then began applying his newfound knowledge to his ukay-ukay visits.
“The most important principle to remember when buying clothes from the ukay ukay is don’t buy something if you’re not really happy with it. Otherwise, you did not really save money on your purchase. Ukay-ukay gives us ordinary people the chance to buy high-end clothes at ridiculously low prices. You just have to be conscious about brands, quality and make. You can really get good buys,” he says.

He himself has managed to find clothes that are ‘timeless in style’ 

“You’d be surprised how many high end brands can be found in your typical ukay-ukay store, but it’s not good to buy clothes that are part of a fashion trend because trends come and go. The ukay-ukay clothes from Hong Kong, for instance, are often the products of trends that ended, that’s why their owners discarded them soon after. Fashion changes fast, he explains..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/04/18/ukay-ukay-and-the-democratization-of-fashion/