Stepping Up

Designer collaboration brings Parisian up another notch

MANILA, Philippines — This season, sleek sophistication specialist Rajo Laurel joins forces with SM not on clothes but on footwear, because as he aptly puts it, “Shoemart is Shoemart because of shoes.” The resulting Rajo! for Parisian line has the trappings of retail readiness taken up a notch.

And that’s “Rajo!” with an exclamation point, as the exclusive capsule collection includes only 14 styles with around 200 pairs per color for each style. The designer keeps on-trend with wedges, chunky heels  and spike heels in suede, satin or both, in a rich color palette that includes plum, teal and red. There are flat sandal versions of three heels for added options.

The mood boards for the collection, teased on blogs a month before the launch at the SMDC Grand Showroom at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, show “architecture and contemporary art” as Laurel’s ultra-modern inspirations. These yield varying degrees of fashion-forwardness, from basic strappies to some standout cloven-hoof (a.k.a. heelless-but-not) wedges.

Laurel shares that his collaboration with Parisian was a “challenging” year’s worth of designing and manufacturing, “almost like sculpting.” But it was also, in a way, decades in the making: his first fashion job was as an illustrator for SM at age 15. And he knows the draw of shoes, “the most addicting thing a woman can have!” he declares.

The Rajo! for Parisian collection will be available at seven premiere SM Department stores starting November 11 —SM Makati, SM Cubao, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM Mall of Asia and SM Cebu.his season, sleek sophistication specialist Rajo Laurel joins forces with SM not on clothes but on footwear, because as he aptly puts it, “Shoemart is Shoemart because of shoes.” The resulting Rajo! for Parisian line has the trappings of retail readiness taken up a notch.

And that’s “Rajo!” with an exclamation point, as the exclusive capsule collection includes only 14 styles with around 200 pairs per color for each style. The designer keeps on-trend with wedges, chunky heels  and spike heels in suede, satin or both, in a rich color palette that includes plum, teal and red. There are flat sandal versions of three heels for added options.

The mood boards for the collection, teased on blogs a month before the launch at the SMDC Grand Showroom at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, show “architecture and contemporary art” as Laurel’s ultra-modern inspirations. These yield varying degrees of fashion-forwardness, from basic strappies to some standout cloven-hoof (a.k.a. heelless-but-not) wedges.

Laurel shares that his collaboration with Parisian was a “challenging” year’s worth of designing and manufacturing, “almost like sculpting.” But it was also, in a way, decades in the making: his first fashion job was as an illustrator for SM at age 15. And he knows the draw of shoes, “the most addicting thing a woman can have!” he declares.

The Rajo! for Parisian collection will be available at seven premiere SM Department stores starting November 11 —SM Makati, SM Cubao, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM Mall of Asia and SM Cebu.