Retail.  “Opening our first retail store in Metro Manila was a strategic decision as we are aware of the geographical spread of our customers within the country, as well as their travelling and physical shopping habits.” Filling the gap  The CEO said the company had received overwhelming support from the Filipina community, experiencing 90 per cent year-on-year growth last year solely through online orders.  “Unlike many retailers within our industry, we started out as a digitally-native brand, but soon realised the importance of physical touch points – for customers to have a feel of our fabric, try out the thoughtful features and for us to also heighten our interaction with them,” she said, explaining the need for the physical launch in the Philippines.  “We currently have over 20 physical stores in six key markets, with the Philippines being one of our fastest-growing markets. We know the malling culture is huge in the Philippines and we’re excited to finally put down our roots,” she added.  The 2000sqft store is located inside Makati’s Greenbelt 3 Mall and is home to Love, Bonito’s new retail concept. The store features inclusive design elements, such as an electronic fitting room queue system to minimise waiting time and wheelchair- and pram-friendly aisles. Song disclosed there are plans for more stores underway for the Philippines. However, no current plans for other markets in Southeast Asia.  Challenges and opportunities While Love, Bonito has a solid presence in several Asian countries, entering a new market poses a potential challenge to the label. The challenge is not just about setting up new stores or launching marketing campaigns, but also involves understanding the local consumer behaviour, preferences, and cultural nuances that vary from one country to another. Statista estimates the Philippines’ fashion industry will reach US$1.67 billion this year.  According to Song, international fashion brands have been in the Philippines for a long time and have established a strong customer base and following over the years. Meanwhile, there are also rising homegrown labels that have high cultural relevance and community connection.  “Despite these, our designs that cater to the Asian physique coupled with thoughtful features have given us an edge to compete in the market,” she said. “From the get-go, the goal for Love, Bonito was to create clothing that is accessible to everyday Asian women, with great fit and quality. The founders truly believe that a well-made outfit has immense psychological effects on the way we feel about ourselves.” She added while the brand identity remains consistent regardless of the market, the company works with local teams to ensure that retail strategies take into consideration each country’s culture and demographics. “For example, in Singapore and Hong Kong, our appeal is towards a larger segment of the public versus markets like Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines where we cater primarily to the masstige crowd.” The expansion comes several months after the Southeast Asian omnichannel fashion brand unveiled its new brand identity for the first time in its 13 years of operation, introducing a change in its assortment strategy as part of the campaign.  “The intention of the brand refresh was to reflect the maturity and sophistication of the brand alongside our loyal community,” Song said. “We’ve gotten heartening feedback from customers on how they have identified with our sassier tone of voice, which is showcased across various channels from EDMs [electronic direct mail] to social media.” “It’s still early days to see significant results as we have been leveraging this refresh for the many ground-up activations in markets, and there is still much more yet to be done! We definitely hope that our community is as excited as we are.”