Designer retail giant Homme et Femme has been making waves in the Philippine fashion industry long before they brought Virgil Abloh’s Off-White to Manila territory, and they’re not about to run out of surprises in the world of menswear as well. Hoodwink, Homme et Femme’s third multi-label concept, has been around for quite some time—five years to be exact, in SM Aura—before making its home in the neighborhood of Legaspi Village, Makati.
To the ostentatious fashion aficionado, it may be difficult to take Hoodwink seriously, from its bright yellow two-floor facade, in-house café—aptly named Hoodwink Kaffee, with coffee prepared by the Curator—down to the cheeky vintage Pac-Man arcade machines installed inside. But Hoodwink doesn’t seek to please this kind of enthusiast, and deliberately sets non-conformity at the center of its branding, carrying collections from Ami, Beams+, Eytys, Drink Beer Save Water, A.P.C. Kid Cudi, just to name a few.
“We like to think of Hoodwink as Homme et Femme’s youngest sibling—the one who gets away with a lot of things,” says Jappy Gonzalez, the President of Homme et Femme. Everything is intentional, including the etymology behind the store’s name, which is “to trick or deceive.” “From its name alone, it blindsides you with its alternate take on what’s considered contemporary,” he added.
It’s easy to mistakenly attribute Hoodwink to streetwear, but think of it as a quirky ingress into designer menswear. “While some elements from its brands—such as Human Made, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Lazy Oaf—may have creed from the streets, these just merely figure in a fun cocktail that the Hoodwink guy may be drinking,” Jappy reiterates.
Photos by Ed Enclona
Menswear in the Philippine retail scene can still come off as cut-and-paste, favoring pieces that may be stylish, but still tend to go gravitate towards the safer side of dressing up. Not very often does a store like Hoodwink enter the scene, tipping the scales toward a more unorthodox take on the modern man. And the challenge? Jappy reveals it quite well, by saying, “For instance, A.P.C. is lauded for its normalcy, but Hoodwink’s slant is to encourage you to jump suit a full animal print from that brand. And still look quite natural.”
Watch what went on during the Hoodwink Housewarming through the video below.
