Love, Bonito has officially found another home in the Philippines—with plenty to celebrate upon arrival.
Its new store at SM Seaside City Cebu marks the Singaporean label’s first outside Metro Manila, just as Love, Bonito turns sweet sixteen. Co-founder Rachel Lim and CEO Dione Song also flew in for the occasion, so naturally, a party was in order. First came a little sun at The Reef Island Resort Mactan. Coffee and matcha followed at Dosage Coffee, while homegrown brands ANTHILL Fabric Gallery, Shepard, and Bacio made sure there were extra treats for those joining the festivities to enjoy.
Of course, the clothes came out to play, too. Love, Bonito brought its anniversary collection and familiar favorites along for the weekend. Sister activewear brand cheak got in on the fun as well.
Still, we weren’t going to have Lim and Song in the same room and only talk about the festivities. MEGA sat down with the two women to hear what finally brought them to the Visayas and what they’ve come to love about dressing Filipinas.
With Love, Bonito now expanding beyond Metro Manila, what made Cebu feel like the right place to go for your next store?
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LIM: We saw really good traction outside Metro Manila, whether it’s across social media, from our community, or even orders coming through on e-commerce, since we ship across the Philippines. We’re pretty active on Instagram, so we get a lot of comments and feedback. Even at dinner earlier on, there were girls tagging us, saying, “Hey, come to Cebu. Why are you not here yet?” Those are really good signals for us.
We also have a good network and partnerships across the Philippines, so we’re always looking at new locations and what makes sense. For us, Cebu was a no-brainer. There’s also a good population that we know enjoys and appreciates fashion.
SONG: There’s also a gap in the market for a regional brand to expand to Cebu, and that made it exciting. It just felt like the right time for us to come over here. Cebu is also more of a beachy area, where everyone’s really sporty, and we have a sister brand, cheak, which is in the activewear space.
As you’ve gotten to know your Filipino customers, what have you noticed about the way women here approach getting dressed?
LIM: We noticed that the women here, first and foremost, love to head out. On Sundays, they’re usually not at home. They’re out in the malls, doing stuff with their friends and families. That’s why dressing up also plays such an exciting role in their day and in their week.
They generally love colors and prints. They’re very open to that and very willing to try. That’s exciting for us because we also want to do a lot of print collections, and we realize that it really resonates with the community here.
Our petite range also does really well here. Women have told us that they really appreciate how well it fits them. They don’t need to alter their pieces or their pants. These are some of the things we’ve noticed about the Filipino market.
Love, Bonito was built around understanding what Asian women actually need from their clothes. After all these years, what are women asking more of their wardrobes today?
LIM: Women today are getting more discerning. They’re also looking for more mileage. How can one piece be worn for different occasions? It’s like the dress you’re wearing. It’s great for work. It’s great for a dinner date. It’s for an event.
For us, we try not just to design a piece for what it is, but also to share with women how they can pair it and style it differently. With a pair of heels, it’s different. With flats or sandals, it’s also a different thing.
Women are really looking for pieces that can carry them through different occasions in their lives. They’re also getting practical. It has to be fuss-free. It has to be something they can throw on and go, and it has to be comfortable. They don’t have to think too much about it.
Women today are wearing fewer heels and more sneakers or comfortable footwear. It’s not just about looking good while tolerating discomfort and pain. They want to look good and feel good.
That’s where we come in with thoughtfully designed pieces—pieces that move with you and bring you through your everyday life, whether you’re a mom rushing to the grocery store, picking up your kids, rushing to work and meetings, meeting your girlfriends, or going for date night. These are things we pay a lot of attention to when we create for women.
For someone walking into the Cebu store and discovering Love, Bonito for the first time, which piece would you tell her to try on first?
LIM: The BraFree collection. Padded tops, dresses. It’s so convenient.
SONG: I’d say try our pants. I think we’ve done really well in our trousers and pants for the Asian woman, and we’re very proud of them. Specifically, if you have to try either our denim—any of our denim—or our Yuna pants. They’re a hot favorite, so you need to try those.
What do you hope Cebu women eventually come to know Love, Bonito for?
SONG: That we’re not just a fashion brand. We’re very thoughtful in what we do.
LIM: At the end of the day, we really care deeply about women. Looking good is an important part, but it’s just one part of being a woman today. That’s why we put so much time, resources, and effort into hosting and curating certain events where a woman understands not just how to dress, what colors suit her best, or what silhouettes look good on her, but also real-life stuff—relationships, self, financial literacy.
These are really the things that set Love, Bonito apart. We’re women who care for other women, and it’s not just about designing and creating pieces.
Visit Love, Bonito at the Ground Level of SM Seaside City Cebu, Greenbelt 3 in Makati, Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, or TriNoma in Quezon City. Explore more of the brand’s collections at lovebonito.com/ph.
Photographed by GRANT BABIA
Frequently Asked Questions
Love, Bonito opened its newest store at SM Seaside City Cebu, marking the Singaporean label’s first location outside Metro Manila, timed alongside the brand’s 16th anniversary.
Rachel Lim co-founded Love, Bonito, and Dione Song serves as its CEO. Both flew to Cebu for the new store’s opening celebration and spoke with MEGA about the brand’s growth in the Philippines.
Rachel Lim said Cebu showed strong social media traction, community demand, and e-commerce orders, plus a fashion-appreciating population, while Dione Song noted a market gap and Cebu’s active, beachy lifestyle fitting sister brand cheak.
Love, Bonito found that Filipina women frequently go out on weekends, gravitate toward color and print, and respond especially well to the brand’s petite-fit range, which they say fits without needing alterations.
Rachel Lim recommends the BraFree collection, including padded tops and dresses, while Dione Song points to Love, Bonito’s denim and Yuna pants as standout pieces for first-time shoppers.
