Q&A Alvin Manalo | Saint Augustine Academy Designer
Look into designer Alvin Manalo’s world and fashion label Saint Augustine Academy which concept store is tucked away on a leafy street in Surry Hills but represented in fashion forward retailers in Australia as well as internationally in Singapore, Dublin, San Francisco, New York and Tokyo. The showcase were among our favs at the recent Melbourne Fashion Week and we are not surprised to see strong followers within the indie rock scene such as MGMT, Bloc Party and The Killers. Share some inspiration and other tips with Alvin, e.g. where to go when visiting New York City.
Name: Alvin Manalo
Nick Name: Alvino
Profession: Designer, Saint Augustine Academy
Location: Surry Hills (Sydney), Australia
Passion: Music
How I got my break:
The very first store I got into was a store called Luxe on South Dowling Street. I came with a friend who was shopping at the time, and the shop assistant commented on the jeans I was wearing. I told him it was my own design. He loved them so much, he asked if he could buy a pair from me and by that evening, his boss called me and asked if I can bring some of those jeans into the store the next day. When I came back, I happen to be wearing the jacket in the same collection… That store is now called Capital L.
My 3 top tips for success:
1. Set goals otherwise, there’s nothing to strive for.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you can’t always do everything by yourself.
3. Success can only be measured by your own expectations, so it’s worthwhile really assessing what you value in life. You
could already be there and not even realise it.
My style in a sentence:
Indie-rock-alt-country-goth-mod-new-wave-post-punk-alicious with a touch of Cary Grant
Travel destination and tips:
I ♥ N.Y. It’s pretty cliché but New York City has a buzz that no where else in the world can match. The scale and energy is overwhelming, and it’s easy to feel at home there whoever you are and whatever you want to achieve.
I always think it’s best to stay in an apartment when you are there, especially if it’s downtown. Check out craigslist and there are great deals for short term accommodation, even if it’s only a week. It turns out cheaper than staying in hotels and makes you feel like a local.
Find some of the best stores in the world, including Seven N.Y, Oak, Opening Ceremony, B.Blessing, Friends among Equals and Nom de Guerre. The young designer market on Mott St. in Nolita is really cool and inspiring.
You can never go wrong with starting a night out in a rock club called 151 (near the corner of Clinton and Rivington, Lower East Side). It’s tiny, but drinks are cheap and the girls are cute. It’s also great to end the night at Home Sweet Home (corner of Delancey and Broome, L.E.S.) Find Nadia, she’ll sort you out. 
I bet you didn’t know I can:
Draw comic books. I used to be a comic nerd and use to hold workshops teaching others how to draw in the classic American comic book style.
I get my inspirations from:
Music, Art and friends.
My latest project is about:
A song by Danish band the Raveonettes, called “Do you believe her?”. It is the title and inspiration behind the Spring/Summer 2009-2010 collection.
My last purchase:
A pair of Marsu Homme Jesus boots, they have that Doc Marten’s feel without the chunkiness. They’re all I wear at the moment with cut-off shorts, skinny jeans, genie pants, even trousers.
My current favourite mecho item:
I really love the Casio Databank Retro Watch, I remember having one when I was a kid
Pssstt…..one time I… had to catch the last bus home after I got so wasted at conception day at Macquarie University that I ended up at the bus depot. The bus driver had to drive me home to my own house after his shift…
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NOTE: ARCHIVE ONLY from MAR-09. You may leave a comment but please note Alvin is no longer actively responding to any questions post 30 April-09.
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16 comments
16 Comments Add your own
1.
Zaara | April 1st, 2009 at 5:46 pm
It must feel great making people look that good! Which celebrity are you most proud of having wore your stuff?
2.
CreepY Lawrence Leung | April 2nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Hey Alvin, just wondering how you come up with the name of your label? sounds like a poshie grammar school for rich kids
3.
alvino | April 3rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
Hey Zaara,
Undoubtably, Nick Cave. I was so humbled when I met him. I was privileged enough to also meet his beautiful wife and two of his young children and watch them be a family.
4.
alvino | April 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 am
Hi Lawrence,
Funny you say that. It was actually named after a school I went to as a kid in the Philippines. I was sent to school at my grandparents’ while my parents worked in Manila, the capital.
Saint Augustine Academy was a Catholic school in a little country town called Floridablanca, complete with it’s own cathedral. It was the kind of tradtionalist place where school started at 7.30am and we had to do Callinetics every morning. The nuns would come to check that your fingernails were cut every Monday morning, otherwise you get a slap on the back of the hand with a ruler.
I guess my life there when I was much younger is so removed from what it’s like at the present that it seems a past life rather than part of this one. I use it to symbolise where I go in my head when I design. Get into a headspace of some other time, or place or imagination.
5.
Martina | April 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 am
Aww how Id love to see more boys in Syd dress up in your design, Alvin! How was LMFF? Pics look HOT! XO
6.
alvino | April 4th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Hey Martina,
I actually prepared a whole piece on this year’s LMFF experience. Goes something like this:
RACE TO RUNWAY
“Are you excited?” seamed to be the question everyone asked. To be honest I wasn’t. I didn’t have time to get excited.
THURSDAY 19 APRIL 2009
4.30am. The alarm rings and I jump straight up. There are clothes all over my bed, nearly finished waiting for last minute finishes. Buttons, thread, pins, needles waiting for some attention from the night before. Does it count as the night before when I probably fell asleep at 2am?
6.00am. I rush out the door to beat the morning traffic. I remember the last time I tried to get to Surry Hills from my home at the foot of the mountains by 9 and left by 6.30, I still got there half an hour late. I can’t let that happen this time.
7.30am. I am going over the Anzac Bridge. Plenty of time. Phew. Wait… I think I forgot to bring the LMFF tickets and I have no time to go back home between the shoot and the airport! Gotta call Candice. She’ll know what to do.
9.00am. Phoebe’s helping me with getting everything into the lifts. New collection, check. Shoes, check. Bull clips, check. Steamer, check. Most of all: outfit list, check. Everyone inside is busy. Bridget and Kristina are setting up the lighting, Caitlin’s getting prepped by Lili. I’m told hair and make up might take a while, so Jonathan went out to get a coffee. He’ll have to wait his turn, his will be easy.
6.30pm. Hareth sees me struggling to get the rack of clothes back to the store. He gives me a hand. I’m so excited about how the shoot went, I immediately have to show it to Adrian and Candice. After a short break for dinner, we go back to the store, where Candice and I edit the range and pack it ready for selling appointments the next day.
10.30pm. Qantas QF497 Sydney-Melbourne
FRIDAY 20 APRIL 2009
1.00am. I arrive at Hannah’s in Richmond, just south of Melbourne. Too tired to burn the cd’s with the shoot we just did. I’ll do it in the morning.
9.30am. Me and Hannah inadvertently dressed in all black, and with her helping me wheel my smaller suitcase, we look like a couple of idiots in matching outfits complete with baggage. She goes off to uni, while I get the rental car ready for the selling adventure for the day.
10am. Fat 4. Fitzroy.
11am. Fat 4. Fitzroy.
12pm. Fat 4. Fitzroy. How do I get to Geelong in half an hour? I’ll have to reschedule for tomorrow. Appointments usually last an hour tops, but the girls love the range and tried on almost everything. Markus has been waiting for me for more than an hour. He’ll keep me company on the road trip for the day.
1.30pm. Digging For Apples. Brunswick. I couldn’t get an appointment, but I thought I’d check out the store. By luck Tarsh, the owner is in. The shop is VERY cool. Tarsh is really nice. After chatting for a bit, she wants to see the range. It’s in the car…
3.30pm. Green With Envy. Melbourne City. The shop is beautiful. The womenswear would fit in here definitely…
6.00pm. Nap.
6.15pm. Shower.
7.00pm. Section 8. Chinatown, Melbourne City. A stone’s throw away from the famous Shanghai Dumplings and Gaylord Indian. Meet up with the crew seeing the show with me. Hannah, Markus, Alana, Chloe, Damon, Tony, Ellen and Nick. “Are you excited?”
It’s such a different experience, LMFF. Compared to running your own show, where it’s you all the way. Involved in everything. Running everything. It’s great to be able to trust someone else to run things. Choose the outfits, the music, the rest they take care of. Applaud Jo Cramer, show producer. Applaud Emily Ward, stylist. Applaud Leigh Irwin, music producer. I haven’t had time to get excited. There’s just so much to do for a smaller designer.
8.30pm Docklands, Melbourne City. L’Oreal Fashion Festival, Independent Runway 2009. The venue is packed. Everyone is excited. It’s the very first show to sell out. We finally sit. Thanks Candice for getting our tickets replaced.
8.45pm “Feel no shame for what you are. Feel no shame for what you are…” Jeff Buckley booms through the speakers. The first look comes out. Our very first dress on the catwalk. It dawns on me that we are showing our very first womenswear. How could I even forget that with all the craziness?
Now I’m excited.
7.
Martina | April 5th, 2009 at 9:28 am
LMAO! I got excited just to read whether you would make it safely to LMFF. Glad to hear you got excited too in the end! XO
8.
Christian | April 6th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Love the homage to Home Sweet Home …. oh the memories.
9.
alvino | April 7th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Yo Nico! Indeed the memories…
The show went really well.
10.
James | April 8th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Hi Alvino, nice stuff. Do you feel like a small fish in a big pond or big fish in a small pond? You seem to have great potential to make it in NY!
11.
alvino | April 8th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hey James,
We are probably even at plankton stage!
The hardest thing to manage at the moment is growth. There certainly are a lot of opportunities that arise that we are not in a position to take advantage of just yet, all to make sure that we can handle things and not become out of our depth.
We’ve had a few stockists in NYC, including Patricia Fields’ (Sex and the City stylist) boutique. But, there is a much wider world there to conquer.
12.
Zaara | April 13th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Awesome, Nick Cave!! Hope you had a Happy Easter by the way? Was bored today but then I remembered your blog and just enjoyed reading your post about LMFF and story behind your label. How long have you lived in Australia? I agree with James about NY… and a few stockists including Patricia Fields doesn’t sound to shabby… I’m watching you!
13.
mecho team | April 27th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Good Luck and have fun at RAFW this week, Alvin! Keep us posted with some personal updates if you have time ok? x
14.
alvino | April 27th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Thanks Team Mecho! Pics as soon I have some. x
15.
Bubba | October 10th, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Alvin,
Bet you didn’t think you’d have someone post 2 years past the last one.
Where do you stock in Melbourne?
16.
mecho crew | November 2nd, 2011 at 11:54 am
Alvin – we are sad about the breaking news that Saint Augustine Academy is closing down after 9 years but totally understand if a break is needed. You seem to still have a lot of fans out there and even someone leaving a post for you here 2 years after your guest blog?
Bubba – we are not sure if you will hear back from Alvin but thanks for your comment.
Hopefully, we will see a new, refreshed and inspired Alvin return in the future.
Love your style,
mecho crew
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