Randy O.MAN: Fine & Dandy
In the beginning, Randy Ortiz, more popularly known as “Randy O,” created menswear.
“I started doing menswear when I was just starting in fashion and have had clothes for both men and women ever since,” says Randy, who is celebrating his 40th year in the fashion industry with “Randy O.MAN” at the Peninsula Manila on Thursday, March 19.
“This is a full-circle collection—rebranding my menswear to Randy O.MAN after 40 years in the business,” he explains.
He describes his collection as “an ode to modern Filipino men, giving them an option to embrace a new kind attitude outside their choice of cars, technology, even beauty—including how to dress up to meet today’s ever-changing trends.”
Simply put, “it’s about man and his vanity.”
“I am reinventing and rebooting my brand, bringing it to the retail market and to e-commerce,” says Randy.
Though his brand is designed for the modern Filipino man, he hopes to take it to the global platform.
He believes men nowadays like dressing—or suiting—up.
“They know and appreciate good clothing and dressing up for the right occasion. They find self- expression in trends, without intimidation. This is the era where men are ‘dandified’,” declares Randy.
The Randy O.MAN look “is the typical randy-dandy look,” says Randy.
“The only difference is the fit and length of the outfits. But the juxtaposition of plains, prints, textures and colors is ever present, as it has always been in my history as a menswear designer. This bridges my immediate past, my now and the years to come,” says Randy.
From food to fashion
A Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate of De La Salle, Randy first dabbled in the food business. But he soon realized the ingredient to his happiness and success was in design.
“The typical monthly starting salary then was P2,000, but I soon realized when I first started designing and selling men’s clothes that I could easily earn up to P30,000 a month. I borrowed P30,000 from my sister’s friend as starting capital. Within three months, I was able to return the money to her threefold. My mindset then was purely that of a businessman,” he once shared in an interview with PeopleAsia.
“I started doing collaborations with Bobby Novenario for Mang Ben Farrales’ Moda Maynila fashion series,” he recalls. “After that, I joined retail with SariSari, the number one Filipino multi-brand in the Philippines then, doing menswear. The rest is history.”
Randy’s fame spread further when he created the spaghetti-strapped wedding gown of Lucy Torres when she wed Richard Gomez in 1998. The gown was sprinkled with Swarovski crystals and caviar beads. So many brides of that era started wearing a cut similar to the now iconic wedding gown of Lucy, the present mayor of Ormoc City.
Randy’s mentors are behind the scenes.
“My best mentors are tailors and artisans who have been with me for decades. They taught me the best tricks in tailoring. Till now, I still work closely with them,” he says proudly.
If he could choose a dream model from Hollywood or Hallyuwood (a portmanteau of “Hallyu” and “Hollywood,” used to describe the South Korean film and entertainment industry), who would Randy pick?
“Hyun Bin!” Randy answers readily. “He is perfection.”
He would dress the broad-shouldered South Korean superstar in pastels and beige.
Fine and dandy, indeed.
