oXygen masters Minimalism at the Philippine Fashion Week

By Sai

Photo courtesy of Azrael  Coladilla

Day 1 of my Philippine Fashion Week coverage is Oxygen! This is a brand close to my heart since I worked for their mother company in the past. Oxygen is for the yuppies - young, fresh, hip and fashion-forward people. I love Oxygen's minimalistic designs this season. It's not a runway look but your potential everyday look too. Oxygen featured baggy clothes with a twist. Most of their designs are monochromatic, plain black or white, but with a very sophisticated overall look achieved through the flowing layers of their designs. I'll definitely purchase a pair of pants from Oxygen soon! I also got a very nice bag from Oxygen ;)

This year, oXygen proves that less is more by reintroducing sophisticated, minimalist designs at Philippine Fashion Week

"This season, we want to show that the perfect look can be achieved through clean, polished designs," says Jeffrey Bascon, Brand Director. "Instead of focusing on colors, our Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer collections are all about layers and never-before-seen structure in Philippine retail."

Minimal Design, Maximum Impact

Photo courtesy of Azrael Coladilla

At a time when loud, eccentric and cartoon-esque fashion is starting to become acceptable as a form of style, one may find it difficult to opt for something simple. Character is usually associated with flamboyance and theatrics. When the word 'minimalist' comes to mind, 'plain' usually comes after. But oXygen is the anti-thesis to these conceptions.

"A lot of people don't know that the minimalist look is hard to achieve," continues Bascon. "People generally have the perception that just because an outfit does not have various colors, complicated layers and several accessories, it is very easy to design. That's not true at all."

"The challenge for us when we decided to adapt a sophisticated clean look this season was the fact that we had to create stylish and fashion-forward looks while using a limited variety of materials and accessories. We want our outfits to make a design statement and reflect the oXygen character."

oXygen as High Street Fashion

Photo courtesy of Azrael Coladilla

Despite oXygen's decision to go for the minimalist look, its philosophy remains the same: to create head-turning and trendsetting fashion for men and women. "If you have a strong sense of style, you wear oXygen," Jeff explains. "We pride ourselves in being a fashion-forward brand. Global trends come first with us."

For Holiday 2010, the oXygen statement is monochromatic layers; must-have jackets for both men and women, with strong silhouttes that combine edge and easy and result in eye-catching style

For women, oversized jackets, drop-crotch pants in relaxed cuts and dresses that reveal just enough make the collection. For men, zipper vests, drop-crotch bottoms and uniquely-structured jackets push the male fashionistas out of their comfort zone.

The result? Polished and sophisticated streetwear.

For Spring/Summer 2011, oXygen's themes include Cropped, Sheer and Altered

Photo courtesy of Azrael Coladilla

oXygen's cropped designs are about layering key pieces that focus on the right body parts, from shoulder to mid-section. The sheer designs are for those who want to layer while staying cool and minimal. The altered designs are about deconstruction, for those who find symmetry boring and predictable. All of these are guaranteed attention-grabbers, not because hey are loud, but because they are tasteful and stylish.

Fashionably More at Philippine Fashion Week

In the midst of a season of loud colors and bold patterns, oXygen proves that, time and again, less is still more and fashionably best.

With their collections of minimalistic and sophisticated designs, we can only expect more fashion-forward collections from oXygen in the seasons to come.

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