Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Hongkie-fied

The past month or so, I've noticed that the similarities between Manila and Hong Kong are increasing in number. This leads me to the observation that we're slowly being Hongkie-fied.

Maybe it's because of the proximity, or maybe it's because a lot of Filipinos are able to fly in and out of Hong Kong, but a lot of familiar sights and attitudes from that shopping mecca have been manifesting themselves here.

Among them are:
- Clothes disappearing from stores within a few hours. There was this article of clothing at The Landmark which I saw at night but didn't buy. When I came back for it in the afternoon of the next day, it was gone!
- People mobbing Zara and Mango the same day the SALE sign has been put up. When I dropped by Zara a couple of days ago, it looked like there was a mob war inside.
- Brands that Pinoys go to HKG to buy are now in Manila. Among them are Royce, Giordano Concepts, BlueStar Exchange, and even Foccacino! (The little Italian place that I frequented in Miramar Complex apparently has a branch in MOA.)
- When I passed through Megamall Atrium a few days ago, I also saw this:


This was one of my favorite clothes brands when I was starting out in HKG. They've got a lot of Japanese-inspired streetwear at prices that are on the cheap.

Now that HKG brands are on a roll here in good ole' Manila, I wonder who and when they'll bring in Cafe de Coral and MX? If that day comes, I'll definitely be first in line when they open.

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