502. THE SHOES WE WORE IN THE 1980s-1990s DECADES

BANDOLINO. You're a Step Ahead, 1984 Ad

Along with the fashion crazes of these decades—the Preppy, Oversized, Neon Colors, Streetwear, Baggy—came stylish shoes of  to go along with the hip, cool look. Local shoe stores like Confetti, Cardam’s, and Mendrez carried an array of popular brands that found favor with the young Makati working class. There were Sperry-copy cats, Doc Martens look-alikes, penny loafers a la Bass that could be found in Makati and Greenhills. Here are a few brands and their ads:

BANDOLINO SHOES, 1993 Ad

Bandolino Shoes Philippines was a local shoe store founded in 1983, and not to be confused with the U.S. brand. Now known as BND.

BULLDOG SHOES by Colours, 1993 Ad

Bulldog shoes were carried by Colours Handcrafted Shoes, created  by J.T. Manufacturing inspired by the British originals. 

ITTI Shoes, 1994 Ad

Itti Shoes Corporation was a retail business in the Philippines that sold footwear, clothing, and bags under the Caterpillar trademark. Later, itti was enmeshed  in a lawsuit with Caterpillar over trademark violation issues.

SWATCH SEASIDER, 1994 Ad

Swatch Seasider is the flagship brand of a legacy maker of men's casual and dress footwear in Marikina City, the shoe capital of the Philippines. All of their shoes are handmade using top-grade leather, particularly their signature boat shoes and sandals. Distributed by Trident International Trading, Corp. 

497. HAPPY HOLIDAYS from ESCO SHOES, The Shoe of Quality, 1936

 GIVE SHOES ON CHRISTMAS DAY! Made by pioneer shoe manufacturer of the Philippines, Frank H. Hale (b. Aug. 30, 1872) who was known as “Mang Isko” by millions of Filipinos. They gave him this nickname in appreciation of his contribution to improve the Filipino by replacing the  chinelas with a pair of sturdy, stylish, and affordable shoes. ESCO Shoes were available at the big ESCO SHOE STORE in Escolta. At the peak of Mr. Hale’s business, he employed an all-Filipino workforce that made ESCO Shoes a popular household brand. ESCO Shoes were exported abroad, and Hale became a major contractor of military shoes, as well. By the beginning of World War II, Hale’s shoe plant was the largest shoe manufacturing company in Asia. But it would also augur the end of his business as the Japanese interned him prisoner in UST, confiscated his facilities, and closed down his factories. Hale rebuilt his ESCO business after the birth of the new Republic, scaled it down, but it was never the same again. 

327. BENCH/ International Stores Print Ad, 1996

THE GLOBAL FACES OF BENCH, Print Ad, 1996

By 1996, the country’s premier clothing store, BENCH/ was at enjoying the fruits of its success. It had been established in 1987 by founder Ben Chan, as a t-shirt store with an outlet in SM Department Store. So successful were the t-shirts that it paved the way for Chan to include full clothing lines for men and women, fragrances, fashion accessories, footwear, food, houseware, and other lifestyle products.

In less than a decade, BENCH/ expanded overseas, and by 1996, had branches in Singapore, Riyadh, Al Khobar  (Saudi Arabia) and Yokohama (Japan).

BENCH/ owes part of its success to its  advertising which set new standards of excellence in advertising; its first TV ad in 1991  featured up –and-coming matinee idol Richard Gomez.

In the mid 1990s, BENCH/ engaged the services of a small, but hotshot ad agency, Jimenez DMB&B (formerly Jimenez & Partners, jointly founded by couple Abby Lee Jimenez and Ramon Jimenez Jr., the future Tourism Secretary). The agency continued BENCH/’s winning streak at various editions of the Philippine Advertising Congress, garnering honors in the Araw Creative Awards competitions.

In 1996, the ad agency created for BENCH/its  international stores campaign to flaunt their  latest credential. The components included a billboard (set up in Magallanes), a TVC and a print ad, shown on this page. The ad featured  “citizens” of the countries in which BENCH/ had opened a store, dressed in their native attires but with  various  BENCH/ products (hankies, towels, fashion accessories) incorporated in their look. 

Representing the Philippines was young actor-model Jomari Yllana,  one of the original “Gwapings”, a member of the teenybopper group  that rose to fame in the 1990s ( Mark Anthony Fernandez, Eric Fructuoso, and Jao Mapa completed the group). After his showbiz days, he came a race car driver, councilor, and a businessman. He is formerly married to actress Aiko Melendez, but they remain good friends. 

Another one of the talents in the BENCH/ branch ad who forayed into showbiz was 17 year old Carlo Agassi, who represented the Al Khobar branch. Of Middle-Eastern descent, Carlo (Amir Carlos Damaso Vahidi Agassi, in real life),  became a member of ABS-CBN's stable of  talents called Star Magic. The actor, model, rap artist finished a psychology degree from La Salle, and also ventured into the restaurant business. Agassi continues to appear on TV today.

 After 1996, BENCH/ continued to solidify its image as a world brand by opening other outlets and stores overseas—in the United States (Daly City, California), China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian), Kuwait,  Bahrain and Myanmar.

 CREDITS: 

AGENCY: JIMENEZ DMB&B : WRITER: Abby Lee Jimenez/ ART DIRECTOR: Don Sevilla III / ACCOUNTS: Mio Lejano Chongson / PRODUCER: Paul Suarez

CLIENT: Ben Chan, Suyen Corp.

SOURCES:

Photos; Jomari Yllana (mubi.com), Carlo Agass (imdb.com)

Information: wikimedia.com for Bench/, Jomary Ylana and Carlo Agassi

Many thanks to Don Sevilla III for additional information.