Fresh out of fashion school, Danielle Mangana admits she&rsquo;s not drawn to designing avant-garde pieces. She&rsquo;s more fascinated by classic and well-tailored essentials. By injecting her technical know-how to reinvent wardrobe staples like sharp little black dresses, bright mesh tops, and classic leather jackets, she&rsquo;s able to do what she does best &mdash; take complex ideas and transform them into something anyone can wear.

This story originally appeared in L'Officiel Philippines' December 2021 print issue.
Neat seams, accurately fitted silhouettes, and intricate details are the qualities of a well-tailored garment. But upon hearing &lsquo;well-tailored,&rsquo; the mind is conditioned to think of London, New York, or Milan. Slap the name of these cities on a tag, and many will equate this as an emblem of quality. Yet, when producing great garments comes into question, Danielle Mangana believes that Filipino craftsmanship is just as hardworking.
The young designer doesn&rsquo;t say that without basis. Still in her early 20s, she&rsquo;s completed a fashion degree, attended international fashion conventions, struck up a deal with a Soho-based retailer, and currently schools in London. But until this day, when it comes to clothes to wear, she&rsquo;d rather have them sewn locally. &ldquo;I'm very confident with our craftsmanship at home. I think there's a stigma. When I went to a conference recently, when you say something's made in the Philippines, people automatically think it's handmade or produced very slow,&rdquo; shares Danielle. &ldquo;But no, we can compete in that aspect.&rdquo;

Her confidence in homegrown industries materializes in her clothing brand, D&rsquo;elle. Danielle produces her collections in a studio in Manila, together with two tailors she&rsquo;s worked with since 2017. It's in this space where the brand plans to hold ground.&nbsp;
Polished and easy-to-love creations make up D&rsquo;elle&rsquo;s repertoire. A scroll through the brand&rsquo;s Instagram (@d.ellestudios) produces these results: pretty patent leather jackets, detailed quilted skirts, and delicate mesh tops. Freely admitting that she shines in ready-to-wear, Danielle thinks in terms of both function and form. One of her largest inspirations is Miuccia Prada, who is known for embracing the minimalism of uniform dressing and subverting them to fit the complexities of a modern woman&rsquo;s life.

Drawn to classic silhouettes, Danielle expresses her influences with a play on stories and narratives. D&rsquo;elle&rsquo;s A/W 2020 collection, for example, was inspired by outer space. On the offset, outer space sounds like a campy concept. But Danielle managed to successfully pull off the theme into a ready-to-wear collection through means of creative direction. &ldquo;What I do to make it a little bit more fun is to just have fun with the shoot,&rdquo; shares Danielle. &ldquo;That's where we tell the story,&rdquo;
Although enamored by ready-to-wear, she can also strike up a good avant-garde collection, albeit with some initial hesitation. Her graduate project for SoFA, Prelude, was her first expedition into experimental design.

&ldquo;I'm very self-restricting. You know, I always have these walls around, always trying very hard not to show vulnerability to people. I try my best to come off as someone strong, someone more logical, less emotional,&rdquo; shares the young designer. &ldquo;As I [made] that collection, my aim was to envision myself in power. Like, how do I imagine myself when I'm most at ease with myself?&rdquo; The result of this inquiry are designs that were noticeably different from the colorful and classical styles of D&rsquo;elle.
Prelude showcases designs that are darker, larger, and less risk-averse. Imagine bulbous sleeves, bare-all slips, and beaded garments. They&rsquo;re something you wouldn&rsquo;t wear every day, but they&rsquo;re an exciting shift from Danielle&rsquo;s usual fare.

Interestingly enough, notes of Prelude seeped into D&rsquo;elle&rsquo;s 2021 collection, DREAMGIRL. Still carrying the distinct traits of the brand&mdash;quality and wearability, Danielle created pieces that were more mature and more evocative. She considers it the aftermath of finding herself.
When she&rsquo;s not busy running D&rsquo;elle, Danielle dips into other areas of fashion. Among her experiences are a PR stunt with the athleisure brand RECESS and freelance styling gigs for other creatives. Now, while in London, her goal is to understand retail merchandising. &ldquo;When things get still in specific aspects of my life, I try to get other experiences from other sides of things,&rdquo; shares Danielle. But as her expertise grows, it seems like a few things will always stay the same. The constants are her commitment to quality, function, and design.

What&rsquo;s most striking about her is that she carries a commitment to fashion and an attitude of continuous learning. She hopes to sample it all. On that note, she assures us she&rsquo;s in it for the long haul, &ldquo;Of course, I want to be a designer. I want to keep designing until I die.&rdquo;

School of Function: Danielle Mangana of D'elle Studios

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