This December, fashion designer Chynna Mamawal opens her first of many casual stores CASA in Isetann, Recto where her unique design perspective is focused on more fashion-designed casual wear for men and women.
Casa is a Filipino-made clothing brand that offers quality and stylish everyday casa clothing for men and women.
Chynna believes that “Fashion need not be very, very exclusive. I want every Filipino to be fashionable regardless of the price tag. This is why I am launching CASA. CASA is all about casual wear. But mind you, it’s not just casual wear. It’s casual wear with my distinct design aesthetic in it. Normally, clothing stores come up with generic designs for their market. You have no idea who designed them. But the CASA outfits have my distinct aesthetic in them. I want to see my designs being worn by every Filipino and I want us to all look fabulous. After all, it’s all about ‘who’ you wear, ‘how’ you wear it, and ‘why’ you wear it. I want the world to see, “Oh, Filipinos are so fashionable even in casual clothes!”
Currently one of the Philippines’ most influential fashion designers, Chynna Mamawal stands out as a young female entrepreneur who champions the “fashion for all” philosophy. Hers is arguably the defining fashion story of this present generation that has survived even the pandemic. Closing shop was not an option. She continued to design at a very high level of craft despite the odds and the uncertainty of the times.
With the success of her CHYNNA MAMAWAL ATELIER, Chynna wants to be remembered well beyond fashion. Known for her highly exclusive luxurious designs for bridal gowns, bespoke suits, and highly-applauded evening wear ensembles, she now wants to be the boundary breaker in the highly-bordered fashion industry through CASA.
And this is where the high-end style and touch of Chynna Mamawal meld with pragmatic casual clothing.
Casual clothing is now Chynna Mamawal’s latest canvas.
“Design is design. It can cross borders. Design can even go to album covers, can it not? My designs are now in casual clothes through CASA. I also wanted to start a brand that is a hundred percent homegrown and proudly made in the Philippines. From the design, and the concept, to the actual clothing. I want the world to follow my lead—a Filipino designer— when it comes to casual clothing. That’s my vision,” the young female entrepreneur proudly mentions.
Every piece in CASA is Filipino-made. The design node of her practice is that every piece is put together by her incredibly talented team—Filipino master cutters, master sewers, seamstresses; the best clothing craftsmen in the country.
“Every piece that you buy, you’re helping a lot of people—from the fabric suppliers here to our sewers, our packers, our salesladies, the malls,” Chynna reiterates, continuing to push forward her desire to give opportunities to the skillful Filipinos who need it.
By breaking conventions of what an artist and fashion designer is capable of, Chynna’s casual clothes are very functional, comfortable, and affordable.
As Chynna explains, “Because in Chynna Mamawal’s design world; design will always be inter-connected; be it in the blending of high couture fashion with streetwear. So why not my designs in casual wear? I think I belong to a new generation of creatives where I refused to be limited or classified into one job or business title.”
Being “the future” and the masters they are, Chynna aims to connect with the ever-evolving Gen Z, as well as the Millennials and the young professionals through her clothing store.
“I want to connect beyond an age bracket, beyond the sphere of fashion. I really enjoy doing CASA because I get to design a lot of pieces that can be worn by a lot of people. We’re making fashion accessible to everyone,” says Chynna
Proudly Filipino-made, Chynna dreams of bringing the wonders of CASA nationwide with the goal of building 60 stores in the next two years. Eventually, to further showcase the incomparable talents of her kababayans, she aims to share her wonderful affordable collection internationally.
“I think it’s about time that Filipinos appreciate Filpino-made products,” the fashion luminary passionately states. “I want my body of work to be defined by my ability to conquer what could be, and my fearless drive to create, no matter what the canvas is or what it looks like.”
With such a promising goal for both the fashion industry and the people who yearn for stylish yet more affordable clothing, the future of CASA looks promising. Pieces from the clothing brand are now available at Isetann, Recto.