The Lius’ family values
When they were younger, Bryan and Brandon Liu enjoyed playing the online game Ragnarok. “I remember Mom and Dad asking us about it, trying to understand what the game was about, and why we were so into it,” Brandon said. “Next thing we knew, Penshoppe had a collaboration with Ragnarok! It was so fascinating to me that they were able to connect our interest—something that seemed so far away from fashion—to what they were doing at work.”
“Mom” and “Dad” are Alice and Bernie Liu, who run Golden ABC Inc., the retail giant behind the brands Penshoppe, Oxgn, ForMe, Memo, Regatta, and Bocu.
As the children of Alice and Bernie, Bryan, Brandon, and their sister Mandy enjoyed having loving, supportive, and present parents, while also getting to witness them growing their company.
Brandon said, “As a new dad myself, I can’t even begin to imagine all the sacrifices my parents had to make just to be there for us growing up. I know the time and effort the fashion retail industry demands and I’m both grateful and in awe of how my parents were able to make time for both growing the business and being there for us as we were growing up.”
Bryan recalls with fondness “going to the old Cebu office and visiting our stores every Sunday after mass … They integrated faith, family, and work in how they lived their lives. They showed us how they ranked their priorities and acted based on that.”
The three siblings all work at Golden ABC, with Bryan as VP for Strategy and Operations, Brandon as brand director for Penshoppe, and Mandy as merchandising manager for Bocu.
Privilege and responsibility
Bryan said, “Our parents didn’t pressure us to join the business, they always gave us a choice and they always framed it by saying that ‘joining the business is a decision,’ and one we shouldn’t take lightly. Being humble and working hard were big parts of our upbringing—and this translated in how we were taught to view the business. It wasn’t a right, but a privilege and a responsibility.”
Brandon said, “Our parents would always say that more than just being willing, we had to be capable. Early on, we understood that joining the family business is a commitment and dedication. I’ve always been inclined to join the business … Fashion was always an interest for me. When my mom would go on buying trips abroad, she’d always get us the latest and most on-trend pieces. That really sparked my interest in fashion and dressing up early on.”
He added, “As a son, I also wanted to join the business because I felt it was my duty to help my mom and dad—to see if there was a way to lighten whatever burdens they had.”
Mandy said, “Our parents were always very supportive of us finding our own passions. For some time, I actually wanted to pursue journalism and become a fashion writer or editor … After some time, I realized that my heart was in fashion so I switched gears and moved to New York to take up merchandising at the Fashion Institute of Technology. My mom said that if it was available during her time, she would have loved to take that same course as her undergrad degree too … It felt very fulfilling to realize that dream for the both of us.”
Their family constitution required that they gain experience outside the company before joining Golden ABC. Bryan worked for a marketing firm, Brandon worked in a financial consultancy firm, and Mandy worked for different fashion brands in New York.
Brandon joined the company first in 2014 as an inventory planner, followed by Bryan a month later in a digital marketing role. “Back then, social media management was just starting to become a part of company operations. The main focus of my role was to grow our social media presence and make it a bigger part of our business,” Bryan said.
Mandy started in 2018 as a product officer for Penshoppe—the entry-level role in the merchandising department. “My parents told me to learn as much as I could. They believed in getting your hands dirty and exposing oneself to the pains, processes, and people that impact not just my role but the business overall.”
She rose through the ranks slowly—from product officer, to product manager, and then eventually merchandise manager.
“I’m grateful for those experiences because they gave me a good foundation,” she said. “I think my experience has also helped me grow as a leader. I understand better the struggles of my team and can better identify how I can help address the challenges they face.”
Servant-leadership
Alice and Bernie had plenty of advice for their kids as they went into the business. Bryan said, “I can sum it up with: Be good business owners and family members. They operated with a servant-leadership mindset, always seeing a bigger purpose for the work they did and the platform this gave them. Not only did they give us advice on how to live by these ideals, they also embodied them.”
He added, “One thing I appreciated about my mom and dad, not just as my parents but also as my bosses, was that they were always on the same page. If my mom taught or told me something, my dad would reinforce it in a later conversation—and vice versa. In many instances, business and work can be a source of tension, sometimes even tearing families up. But working together made us much closer and I have my parents to thank for that.”
Brandon said, “Our founders, my angkong and amah, were very principled people and they instilled in my dad the same values that he and my mom tried to instill in my siblings and me. One of their philosophies was that business was all about people—the employees you work with and the customers you serve. And this is something my parents reminded us a lot … My mom taught me the importance of listening to those you work with. My dad taught me to appreciate how multifaceted our relationships with colleagues can be and how it’s important to take on different lenses when dealing with people.”
Since its birth in 1986, Golden ABC has grown tremendously, now with over 1,000 stores not just in the Philippines but also in other countries in Asia.
Brandon said, “When I think about the company’s humble beginnings of being a small, almost-broke garment business, I am amazed at how our founders grew it into what it is today without compromising their values.”
It’s these values that have helped their elders grow their business, and it’s the same values that will carry the next generation into the future.
“We still have a lot of dreams for the business—whether continuing our parents’ vision or bringing new dreams to life,” said Mandy. “And while it can be daunting to pursue these dreams, I take inspiration from how our parents ran the business with their values intact. They’ve never compromised what they believe in and kept that as our north star.”
