That seems no hollow boast for the man behind Folded and Hung, arguably one of the most popular apparel brands in Philippine fashion today. In recent years, Folded and Hung has become a true fashion force, its increasingly stylish clothes competitive with flash-fashion foreign labels in terms of design, if not in much, much inexpensive prices.

F & H has done this in part by championing local talent. It recently put out a collection by young avant-gardist Ivar Aseron that introduced fancy volume and unusual detailing to a T-shirt-culture mass market. Now, with house designer Robi Lolin, a recognized streetwear specialist, F & H is set to give the wider public an edgier conception of streetwear.

The new streetwear collection, with layer-perfect pieces such as striped knit pullovers and drapey vests with flashes of metallic glitter as well as wide, slouchy slacks for men and pert, ruffled and draped blouses and utility short skirts for women are meant to give consumers the extra oomph in their urban wear choices. And, yet, while each piece is remarkable from a design point of view, they are in no way "difficult" to comprehend, much less to wear. Call them character clothes for the daily slog.

"I’m not afraid to try and introduce new things in the market," says Robi. "Much of my designs are basic but it’s basic with a twist."

As a brand, F & H, Robi likes to think, is "fashion forward" that is also very much acceptable to the market. Ronald agrees. "Robi has a very good understanding of the brand so consistency in design is assured. The clothes that Robi and his team make for F & H represent what the brand stands for and the qualities of our average consumer and that is sexy, clean, strong, versatile, fresh and with impact."

The new streetwear collection of F & H, to be presented tonight at the World Trade Center, is a showcase of what Robi is most at home with. "For 2007, we decided to go for a more casual look since it’s also the summer season," says Ronald. "The inspiration was what ordinary but stylish people from the streets would wear. These clothes have their own personalities and are headturners even in the busiest streets."

Now that F & H has pretty much conquered the streets, the rest of the world is next. "We gave our customers accessibility to designer-cut and styled clothes at retail prices," Ronald enthuses. "Now that we already have 38 stores nationwide, we intend to open, in a couple of years or so, F & H stores in the Asia-Pacific region. It is also noteworthy to say that we have received a lot of promising offers from prospective franchisees in China, Australia and the US, among others. All these things are now under consideration and study."