Push Admin

Pinoy brand Harlan+Holden’s first creative director is former top dog at Gucci and Valentino

Article (news)

Gio Ramon

<p>In just 5 years, the favorite clothing brand of many a working Filipina, Harlan + Holden, has already evolved into a global presence. From a core collection of just 15 pieces to dipping its toes into the F&amp;B industry with their concept cafes, it is now moving headquarters to Seoul to manage their 20 retail stores spread across South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines.</p><p>It’s not difficult to see how the brand was able to reach this much success. President and founder Emmanuel Pineda’s vision was to create a top-of-mind, classic collection that consisted of garments unrestricted by time or trends––a wardrobe that fights against the norms of ready-to-wear fast fashion.</p><h3>You may also like:</h3><ul>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/necessary-style/03/25/19/icons-of-eyewear">Six classic eyewear styles and the men who made them legends</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/necessary-style/07/04/19/ancxclusive-loewe-goes-big-baggy-and-breathable-for-springsummer-2020">ANCXclusive: Loewe goes big, baggy, and breathable for Spring/Summer 2020</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/necessary-style/12/15/19/a-selection-of-sunglasses-from-our-go-to-brand-the-ancx-12-days-of-christmas">A selection of sunglasses from our go-to brand</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/watches/10/23/19/at-la-cit-du-temps-omega-celebrates-history-legacy-and-authenticity">At La Cité du Temps, Omega celebrates history, legacy, and authenticity</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/style/necessary-style/01/22/20/look-omegas-new-line-of-luxury-eyewear-continues-to-honor-its-heritage">Look: Omega’s new line of luxury eyewear continues to honor its heritage</a></li></ul><p>While the brand has built quite a reputation in Asia, Harlan + Holden is practically unknown in the West. But with the recent hiring of its first Creative Director in Alessandra Facchinetti, that’s about to change. “Harlan + Holden has well-funded ambitions to become Asia’s next big contemporary fashion powerhouse,” says the New York Times report. </p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7vhow1qqnj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7vhow1qqnj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7vhow1qqnj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="margin:8px 0 0 0;padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7vhow1qqnj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none;word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">How to say thank you to @nytimes @nytimesfashion for support this new “unaspected”chapter of my career I’m so grateful to all of you especially @vvfriedman and @elizabethcpaton who has been the perfect voice for sign this new beginning. Thanks to the great team I’m working with @harlanholden @wiedenkennedy #aintgotimeforthat #manifesto#alessandrafacchinetti#harlanholden #newyorktimes</a></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alessandrafacchinetti/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Alessandra Facchinetti</a> (@alessandrafacchinetti) on <time dateTime="2020-01-25T12:26:44+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Jan 25, 2020 at 4:26am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><h3> </h3><h3>Alessandra who? </h3><p>The Italian designer is backed by an impressive resume: spending 7 years under Miuccia Prada, taking over Creative Director duties from Tom Ford after his tenure at Gucci, and was famously heir to the throne of the mononymous Valentino himself. More recently, she was heading Tod’s before venturing off to create her own consulting studio in Milan.</p><p>Although she has left an impression with each company, not every stint can be considered an outright triumph. Facchinetti spent one year with Gucci and left due to a “disagreement in management.” She was similarly let go from Valentino a year after taking the helm; her designs reportedly didn’t draw enough inspiration from the house’s previous collections.</p><p>But her work has left her under the fashion world’s spotlight for over a decade, with critics and fans alike scrutinizing each new collection and career move with fervor. While her professional reputation remains spotty, her design sensibilities have always skewed towards a keen attention to tailoring and craftsmanship. It’s this signature creative vision that has allowed Facchinetti to remain an influence and an irresistible resource in the industry.</p><div> </div><h3>What we think Eman saw</h3><p>We can only speculate, but one collection of Facchinetti’s in particular must have sparked Pineda’s interest in tapping her for the Creative Director position. In 2011, Facchinetti collaborated with Italian hybrid high/fast-fashion brand Pinko to create the Uniqueness label, which aimed to make waves with a fittingly unique concept. A season-less collection of lighter all-climate fabrics would walk the runways, and a day later be made available for purchase on the internet and delivered worldwide. No need to wait months on end for release. </p><p>Needless to say, it didn’t get the recognition it was aiming for. Industry voices praised the attempt, but rightly called it ahead of its time. Nearly a decade later and this concept seems to be more feasible, and with the original idea aligned with Harlan + Holden’s goals and aesthetics, Facchinetti has an opportunity to see this iteration through.</p><div> </div><h3>Pineda x Fachinetti  </h3><p>There is much to be learned for both founder and creative director. This partnership is Facchinetti’s first foray into the Asian market, and it will be interesting to see how she translates her learnings from renowned design ateliers and make them work for a brand that deals with a larger market. For Pineda, taking a homegrown brand from its roots and bringing it to the global stage is a huge challenge in itself. Thankfully, they can learn from each other.</p><p>Before setting off to create Harlan + Holden, Pineda created the clothing brand Tyler, brought in the German luggage brand Rimowa, and actively developed the luxury retail store Adora before its takeover by Rustan’s –– the luxury department store owned by his grandfather Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. Pineda, known to be a maverick retailer with an eagle eye (apart from being media-shy; it is hard to get him in a photograph), has the blood of pioneers—and this venture comes with the full support of the Tantocos. </p><p>“This amazing development represents a huge shift in our family’s retail legacy,” wrote cousin and Rustan’s Commercial Corp. president Donnie Tantoco on his personal Instagram account. “May you be one of very few Filipinos or even Asians to compete and thrive with your own brand in the big leagues of the global fashion world.”</p><p>With a new menswear line in the works, more coffee shops to be set up, and a flagship store to be constructed in Korea’s largest shopping complex, there’s much to do for the two heads of Harlan + Holden. Only time will tell if they can successfully translate their message to audiences beyond the Asian region. </p>

<p>With the entry of Italian designer Alessandra Fachinetti at Harlan+Holden, retail maverick Eman Pineda just changed the game in Philippine fashion retail.</p>

With the entry of Italian designer Alessandra Fachinetti at Harlan+Holden, retail maverick Eman Pineda just changed the game in Philippine fashion retail.