PH fashion brands merge

Homegrown apparel brands Bayo and UnicaHija have agreed to merge their businesses to increase operational efficiency, accelerate customer and product expansion, and price their offers more competitively for the Philippine market.

The two brands made the announcement late Thursday, as they also disclosed their decision to partner with Filipino clothing merchandise provider Power Fashion Inc., which will be in charge of accrediting local subcontractors to support the two brands.

Tapping Power Fashion will enable Bayo and UnicaHija to further “enhance the speed of material development and production,” and consequently, allow both brands to concentrate on their core retail business without having to contend with issues of production management.

For Power Fashion, this partnership will allow it to expand its current production unit, invest in more factory space and generate more employment. It currently has an independent garments factory in Rizal, which employs about 400 workers.

“We will use our vast experience to increase manufacturing efficiency of our subcontractors so that we can produce high quality ready-to-wear clothes that can compete with global brands,” said Power Fashion CEO Leo Lagon.

This strategic partnership was also deemed as a deliberate and conscious move for all parties to invest in Philippine manufacturing, which is regarded as a boon to the local economy.

“The expansion of the manufacturing plants and the improvement of the quality of work by the subcontractors would surely benefit the labor sector. This will show the partners’ confidence in the local economy, going against current industry trend to source merchandise made from other countries,” Lagon explained.