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By Perry Gil S. Mallari
UPFRONT, he may not be your
typical fashionista. Low key but self-driven, Russel Coronel Torres
once occupied a desk job in a government office but his passion for
fashion was already taking its roots. “I would volunteer to make
my female officemates’ uniforms and design their gowns for special
occasions,” he recalls.
Earlier in his college years, he
would buy the materials and make the costumes for the actors of the
San Beda Dance Theater where he was a member, or the gowns of the
candidates in the school’s annual Lion Queen beauty pageant.
It was his stint at Sari-sari
where he learned the ropes of fashion merchandising and got exposed
to the constantly changing fashion trends and customer preferences.
Confident of the hands-on
experience in fashion designing and merchandising, he established
Fashion 1520 . “I believe that experience is the best teacher,
even better than getting formal schooling in fashion design,” he
says.
Today, he is now a sought-after
fashion designer of a wide stable of clientele who, like him,
remains low-key and very private.
Despite his success, he remains
grounded and humble. “I do not chose my clients, they choose
me,” he adds with sincere humility, “I just want to create
clothes for my cleints to look good and feel confident about
themselves.”
Behind Torres’s quiet success
is his inspiration—his grandmother. “My lola was the
quintessential fashionista and she inspired me to one day make every
woman as fashionable as she was during her heyday.”
The debut of Torres at this
year’s Philippine Fashion Week earned raves and respect. His
collection showcased the old Hollywood era when Audrey Hepburn,
Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor set the benchmark for fashion,
elegance and sophistication. He drew inspiration from the designs of
his role models Inno Sotto and Joe Salazar to create original pieces
that fused the old and the new in a creative mix of colors and
textures.
Fashion 1520 is at 179 Pasig
Boulevard, Pasig City, Philippines. For inquiries, call phone
667-5075, (0916) 387-4011, or e-mail jan17_russel@yahoo.com.
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