Regiment Store: A Case for Slow Fashion, Dressing Well, and Authenticity

Written for: PURVEYR, 2017
Photos by: Zaldine Alvaro

On a plush ottoman couch, Anton Miranda — dressed in a crisp shirt and perfectly structured jacket — sits as the sound of 1940s blues plays faintly in the background. For a while, it looked like a scene straight out of Citizen Kane or His Girl Friday. But in reality, we were inside a quiet store in the middle of a bustling city.

As the manager of specialty multi-brand clothing store Regiment, Anton blends right into the nostalgic interiors. Regiment, located in the heart of Legazpi neighborhood, aims to do just that – transport wearers to a time where clothes met style and function, and when blue jeans had a story to tell with every thread. Rooted in the principles of heritage, history, and the spirit of vintage Americana, Regiment is a product of Anton and his partners’ penchant for clothes of way back. “We have a passion for vintage. We like the military and workwear lifestyle, which shows in the clothes we carry,” explains Anton, referencing their store name, which is defined as an affiliation, whether military, school, or sport. “Era-wise, I would say our designs are 1900’s to early 1960’s. We have three main styles: military wear, workwear, and vintage Americana, which is how we relate our clothes to those genres.”

In an industry that is constantly evolving and looking to the next big trend, one might think that drawing inspiration from history and a bygone era is unusual, but Regiment thinks otherwise. “If you look at clothes now, they all started somewhere. We like that. We like classics,” Anton says. Elaborating on the three Regiment principles, he credits the functionality over style purpose for which clothes are made. “Historically, people didn’t just make a jacket to look nice; it had a use. Work jackets were used by actual workers, like coal miners, farmers, and engineers,” he states. “For heritage, we’re very keen on details. A lot of our clothes are actually vintage reproductions,” he boasts. “Instead of going with more innovative, modern pieces that tinker with details, we like to stick to how they made it back in the day for authenticity’s sake.” Their last principle, vintage Americana, may have a completely Western ring to it to the untrained ear, but Regiment owes its foundation more to Japanese culture. “I guess it’s because of their mentality and dedication to craftsmanship,” he quips.

This attention to intricacy and technique guarantees each piece to be top quality and not easily found in other racks. He describes the process of vintage reproduction as extremely careful, making sure that everything – from the fabric and the stitching, down to the cut and silhouette – is done right. “People ask, ‘why spend so much on a pair of jeans?’ If you look at it from the outside, they’re just pants,” he remarked. “But each of them has a different story to tell, and they aren’t just made out of nowhere. They’re studied. People have gone through archives of actual vintage garments and deconstructed them. That takes work. I think this passion for authenticity reflects in the clothes we sell. This is not something you get with fast fashion.”

While the price for slow fashion may raise a few eyebrows faster than you can say ‘sale at Forever 21’, the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ has never rang truer. Every piece of clothing is truly an investment and a toast to timelessness. “Trends are not an option,” stresses Anton. All three core genres of Regiment – military wear, workwear, and vintage Americana – are handpicked from various decades and only the best brands. According to Anton, their clothes are built to last, be beaten up, and worn roughly. “You want pieces that will stay with you and get better with age,” he urges. “Our clothes are classics, and you can never go wrong with them.”

Locally, most Filipinos remain unaware of the case for fast fashion and the downside to the industry, such as poor working conditions and the unsustainability of it all. Thankfully, stores like Regiment are fronting the movement towards a more mindful fashion and clothing community. “The Regiment man and woman is passionate, and has a good mix of grit and soul. He believes in authenticity and hard work,” Anton beams. “She is probably an old soul, loves nostalgia, respects tradition and originality.” More than anything, Regiment represents a way of life beyond cuts of cloth to keep one warm and look pretty.