451. Merry Crispa’s! CRISPA REDMANIZED KNITWEAR, 1962

MERRY CRISPA'S!, Print ad, 1962

The best holiday gift that CRISPA brought to the Philippines in 1948 were its “shrunk-to-fit” shirts and underwear that were soon to become the country’s most popular men’s wear in the 1970s-80s decades. The brand CRISPA was derived from the combined names of founders, Pablo and Crisanta Floro, an enterprising husband-and-wife team who sold their cotton products in their shop, and distributed them to leading department stores nationwide.

MERRY CRISPA'S! 1962 Ad

The CRISPA fabric materials were subjected to a unique “Redmanization” process, which made the cotton stable, and shrink-resistant, even after washing. The early products included T-shirts, both round and V-necked;  briefs, with imported waistband, and rib sando.

With its main retail store in Makati, CRISPA became a byword in the 70s, and gained further fame and reputation when the Floro son, Valeriano “Danny” Floro organized a basketball team in 1956 that first participated in the Business Athletic Association, a minor league. The CRISPA Redmanizers would rise to become a multi-titled Filipino basketball team of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1984.

REDMANIZED, SHRUNK-TO-FIT, Print Ad, 1963

By the late 80s, the CRISPA business declined, leading the Floros to stop manufacturing CRISPA knitwear and to the disband the basketball team. In 2020, Danny Floro’s grandchildren revived the Crispa brand with the launch of a new T-shirt line, under VNF and Sons, Inc.

SOURCES:

Crispa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crispa_(clothing_brand)

Crispa Redmanizers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crispa_Redmanizers

252. MAKATI COMMERCIAL CENTER, Print Ads 1970-1971

The retail commercial zone of Makati was put up in 1960, with the inauguration of the spanking new Rizal Theater. The theater was used as a venue mainly for film showing and live performances, and featured a popular restaurant and coffee shop. Rizal Theater was eventually demolished to give way to Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The MAKATI COMMERCIAL CENTER  was rapidly filled up with business, commercial, and lifestyle shops in the 1970s.

 

MCC - EXCITEMENT, print ad 1970

MCC- CONTENTMENT, print ad 1970

Some iconic establishments include the Quad Theater (designed by Arch. Carlos Arguelles), which had four cinemas, and an amusement center with arcade and video games, a first in the country. An outdoor Glorietta, set amidst a landscaped park designed by National Artist for Architecture, Ildefonso Santos, featured a center stage for all kinds of activities and performances.

 

MCC-FUN, print ad 1971

MCC-SURPRISE, print ad 1971

Also notable was the Rustan’s building with its trademark blue triangle mosaic façade. Landmarks that have now gone include Bricktown, Sulo Retaurant, Alemar’s, Erehwon, the Philippine Education Company, Automat Restaurant, and the Love Bus station at the back of Anson’s Arcade. 

MCC-DISCOVERY, print ad 1970

Between 1998-1991, a number of separate shopping arcades and Greenbelt Park were built in an area that would be developed further to cover over 50 hectares of facilities. Today the shopping complex is known as Ayala Center.

SOURCES:

Makati Commercial Center photo: courtesy of Arch Edward delos Santo, pinoykollektor

249. Brand Stories: CINDERELLA Specialty Store, 1956-1984 Print Ads

CINDERELLA LOGO, 1956 to present

The premium fashion specialty store CINDERELLA was started some 70 years ago by an enterprising Kapampangan mother, Mrs.Florencia Guanzon Coronel, who began dressing up her daughter, Therese, with smart fashionable clothes she created herself. An expert dressmaker, her baby clothes and dresses were noteworthy for their intricate sewing and sophisticated design, that soon, she was being asked by friends to design  their children’s wardrobe. This led the enterprising Mrs. Coronel to start her small business of supplying department stores with her stylish children’s dresses.

Early 1956 CINDERELLA Strip Ad

Together with her husband, Eduardo Coronel, they registered their business under the name CINDERELLA Children’s Dresses and opened an office at Rizal Avenue Ext., in Caloocan. CINDERELLA became known for their varity of fashions, churning out shorts, cotton casuals, pedal pushers, pajamas, coats and party dresses. It even produced boys’ suits and sport shirts.

 

CINDERELLA Children's Dresses, 1974

To their surprise, their homegrown business flourished through the 60s and by the 70s, CINDERELLA had stores in Makati, Harrison Plaza, Cubao, Quezon City, Caloocan  and Greenhills. It quickly earned a reputation as an innovative fashion-forward store, especially when it began bringing reputable foreign brands while championing top local talents.

 

CINDERELLA Ali Mall store opening ad, 1980

Things became more exciting in 1984 when Cinderella Marketing Corporation was put up to push the CINDERELLA stores and their lifestyle products, that included children’s wear, men and women’s wear, plus fashion accessories, shoes and gift items. CINDERELLA was known for carrying foreign labels such as Esprit, Clarks, British India, OshKosh B’ Gosh, NafNaf  among others. 

CINDERELLA Seventeen Line, 1984

Under the helm of Therese Coronel-Santos, CINDERELLA had transformed into a one-stop shopping place where one can find both the best in private labels and local designer brands in its  189 stores and affiliate stores nationwide.

 

THE HEROES ARE BACK! Men's Line, 1984

The advent of new giant malls, and the arrival of new global players that began in the new millennium impacted the growth of CINDERELLA, slowing it down, almost to a standstill. 

THE HEROES ARE BACK, Print Ad, 1984

Led by Arthur Coronel, CEO of Cinderella, the retail chain tapped Redgoodss Design Integrity Ltd.  of Hong Kong to redesign the stores in 2013, beginning with its Alabang Town Center branch. CINDERELLA continues to assert its role in the evolution of Philippine’s fashion history as it responds to the imperatives of change in the market and consumer tastes.

 SOURCES:

Cinderella FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/mycinderella.ph/photos/?ref=page_internal

Cinderella Reborn: https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/130491/cinderella-reborn/