It's 2023, and the barong is officially a cool-girl must-have. What was once strictly considered as formal menswear has since taken on new silhouettes and designs over the years. A young local designer who's hit the upgrade button on the heritage piece is RJ Santos, the brains behind Randolf Clothing.
With a natural fascination for jusi fabric and translucent textiles in general, RJ was pretty intentional with giving the barong a modern spin when he was developing his Spring/Summer 2018 collection. For the intricate embroidery on his ready-to-wear pieces, the designer pulls inspiration from the tattoos he's hoping to get inked with in the future.
"I really just design by mood and get inspired by the music I listen to. I don't have any tattoos and I've been wanting to get one ever since, but I'm scared I might regret the design," he tells Preview. "So this is where I release my frustration with tattoos. I treated the barong fabric as the skin and the thread as the ink."
RJ believes all clothes are unisex in nature, but he's still pleasantly surprised to see so many ladies rock his barong tops. "Randolf is always about having fun and taking things easy, and I want to translate that into clothing," he expresses.
We're pretty sure that you've come across one or two of his works on your Instagram feeds before. It's been made evident that embroidered barong tops are the new celebrity-approved closet essential. Check out how they style their pieces below!
Local Celebrities Wearing Modern Barongs by Randolf Clothing
Bea Alonzo
To a Pinoy fiesta-themed party, Bea Alonzo threw on a Randolf original over her black tank top and beige mini skirt. She locked in the academia vibes with a pair of Prada loafers and scrunched-up white socks.
Gabbi Garcia
Gabbi Garcia channeled her dalagang Pilipina energy when she tossed a tie-up barong top over a skin-tone bodysuit and pink acid-wash jeans. The color coordination with the floral embroidery was spot-on!
Barbie Forteza
Styled by Steven Coralde, Barbie Forteza posed for Cosmopolitan Philippines' December 2022 spread rocking an oversized jusi top. Teamed with it was a green triangle bikini and dark jeans.
Enticed to cop your very own Randolf barong? Lucky for you, they're available off-the-rack in the men's section of Rustan's EDSA Shangri-la and Makati. You can also shoot them a message on Instagram for customized designs!
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