Tokyo fashion with a Pinoy twist: Get a taste of Ube Kendi
Eileen Catherine Ocampo, aka Violet, is a woman of many talents. She’s a hair and makeup artist, model, actress, singer, dancer and the fashion designer behind Ube Kendi.
“Ube Kendi started with me wanting to have cute, unique and vibrant statement clothing that was sustainable. As a maximalist girlie, I had to try making clothes to fit my aesthetic. I love fashion! I love experimenting with what I wear and I love expressing myself through my clothing,” she told Lifestyle.
The brand is a combination of different things she loves: Tokyo fashion, Filipino textiles and art. So while her designs are inspired by the maximalist fashion of Harajuku, Ocampo enjoys using native fabrics and silhouettes in her creations.
“I incorporate Filipino elements, music and art in my designs,” she said. One example would be the denim shorts inspired by the SB19 song “Bazinga” that were worn by singer KZ Tandingan. Another would be the “Laban” jacket she made for Japanese star Alan Shirahama of Generations from Exile Tribe.
Favorite pieces
Some of her pieces are painted by hand. “I was feeling sad when I started painting my Sukuna jacket. It’s one of my favorite pieces! I design by feeling. I know many artists can relate. I will only stop the process when I feel satisfied with my piece.”
Also her favorites are the pieces she created for her sister Marlyn’s “Drag Den” Season 2 run. Like Ocampo, Marlyn is also a makeup artist and she made history as the first Afab (assigned female at birth) queen to compete in “Drag Den.”
Marlyn wore her designs for both challenges in the show’s first episode, including when she performed “Sustah.” “The Harajuku idol-inspired Filipiniana street outfit had a Maria Clara silhouette and a lot of frills, bows, tiny dolls, pearl beading, and pink and gold trimmings. It’s pink because it’s Marlyn’s favorite color.”
The high-fashion bandana and thigh-high boots theme was also a challenge. “I thought, how would I make a bandana extra? Because, of course, all of them will have the same pattern.”
The answer was to make it maximalist, in true Ube Kendi fashion. Ocampo spent a month working on Marlyn’s outfit and the result was stunning. “I was working on the frills, textures, placements, stoning, even the boots I made! If you look closely, the bunnies on Marlyn’s corset are wearing stoned bandanas themselves! It has arm warmers with dolls and tulle placed carefully.”
Ocampo even made a train of bandanas but Marlyn couldn’t wear it in the show because she needed to be able to sing and dance in the outfit. “I call that piece my baby,” Ocampo said, laughing.
Baby designerIt was Marlyn who named her sister’s brand. “We were in a grocery store and I asked her, ‘If I would have a clothing brand, what would the name be? It should reflect me and my style of course.’ She said ‘Ube Kendi.’ Cute, sweet and playful. Ube is me and my works are my ‘kendis.’”
The first Ube Kendi shirt, the one she launched in September 2021, remains her bestseller.
Ocampo calls herself “a baby designer.” “I’m starting and I have a long way to go.”
But people have already fallen in love with her designs. Other people who’ve worn her pieces include Vivoree, Sassa Gurl, Shaira Luna, Jan Elaurza and stylist to the stars Myrrh Lao To. “My customers are mostly artists, stylists, fashionistas and people who appreciate Japanese maximalism like me,” Ocampo said.
They rave about her painted pieces and how cute and colorful her creations are. They love that she creates designs they don’t usually see in the Philippines. Many of her clients wear her clothes when they travel abroad. “They send me pictures!”
While she has pieces ready for ordering, she also welcomes requests for bespoke creations. “I am always open for unique and elaborate pieces! Bring it on!”
And for people who would love to inject a dose of color and cuteness in their wardrobe, she has this to say: “Wear whatever you want. It’s not that serious. People don’t care that much anyway. Be whatever you want to be. Wearing what you like feels freeing.” INQFind @ube_kendi on Instagram and Facebook.
