It was with Royalty’s “Essentials: Primary” when we praised Royalty’s desire to elevate local independent clothing by focusing on the quality of their own garments. More than a year after, the brand seems to veer away from the rest not only through the fabrics that they use but also through their branding.
The brand made waves by showcasing their upcoming “Future Classics” collection with four lookbooks shot by an all-star cast, including four different photographers, namely Cenon Norial III, Ralph Mendoza, Czar Kristoff, and Joseph Pascual. The result? Different perspectives on the same collection lend to the pieces versatility; it shows how each piece can be mixed and matched or viewed in different lenses. And this is what the people behind Royalty want. “Future Classics” is their take on the ready-to-wear, day-to-day attire.
We talked to Carlos Naguit, one of the founders of Royalty, about “Future Classics,” Royalty, and what’s next.
What is Future Classics? Is that the name of the first collection?
After our release last year, we have decided to rebrand and re-evaluate our vision with Royalty. Future Classics is our debut collection that is geared towards introducing our own cut & sew and ready-to-wear garments that would vary in textiles on our future collections. Our new vision is to provide clothing that will become staples in our customer’s wardrobes—be it for casual or work outfits.
Photography: Ralph Mendoza
Styling: Melvin Mojica
Grooming: Pam Robes
Model: Adrian Tongko
I have the feeling that Royalty is up for big changes. But what is Royalty’s core? What has stayed the same since the beginning?
Royalty has always adhered to providing the best quality clothing in the market. In fact, it is the reason why we founded the brand. We are very involved in the whole process of fabrication – from sourcing raw materials to finished goods. Just recently, we formed our in-house manufacturing site in Rizal that produces most of our wearables which we oversee everyday. This is what we want to showcase to begin with: Royalty can excecute clothing that are worth the price.
Photography: Joseph Pascual
Styling: Melvin Mojica
Grooming: Joseph Jiao
Model: Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down
What can people expect in Future Classics?
We are very known for our monochromatic pieces, but with Future Classics, expect the opposite. It is a full-blown collection consisting of wearables from head to toe, with different color variations for each style. We literally went back to basics with our new collection. Our inspiration for it is to provide everyday garments that our customers could wear on any occasion, but still having a Royalty flair to it. Look forward to our flight hoodie and asymmetrical trousers, those are our favorites in Future Classics!
Photography: Cenon Norial III
Styling: Melvin Mojica
Grooming: Pam Robes
Model: Paperboiz
What is Royalty88?
#ROYALTY88 is our new official hashtag that takes inspiration from one of our pieces in the “Groundbreaking Collection” in 2013, the ROYALTY 88 Baseball Tee. It has been our most sought design ever since and has been released in multiple variations in our past collections – and will be remastered most probably in the future. We used number 88 because it symbolizes fortune and good luck in Chinese culture.
Photography: Czar Kristoff
Styling: Melvin Mojica
Model: Assi Abogado
What’s Royalty up to in the next year? Any plans to open a physical store soon?
[Setting up a physical store is] definitely one of our long-term goals, but not around this time. Our top priority for Royalty is to build and gain momentum by having continuous releases after the Future Classics collection. The idea is that the pieces in the Future Classics collection would be available all throughout for as long as possible, then the succeeding “mini-releases” would be in limited quantities. We would also be looking to collaborate with artists, photographers, and brands who share the same passion we have for design, quality, and craftsmanship. Being recognized worldwide is something we are working on as well.