Back in August 2020, one dream from our checklist has been reached. Just like any small business owner, having their first flagship store is a dream come true. Building the store is such a great experience, from designs, improvement, and overall vibe.
Not until the pandemic hits us hard.
The location of our store was perfect and students are one of our largest markets. However, since there has been no face-to-face class, we have been struggling to keep our flagship store situated in Angeles City, Pampanga since we opened it. Although it's heart-breaking, we have decided to close it after one and half years.
These events didn't stop us from pushing forward.
Whenever shi* happens, our mindset has always been "one step backward, two step forward". This means that if there has been one negative thing or bad move that happened to us, we just need to make a positive move or decision that will make up for it PLUS ONE.
Since our flagship store has ceased to exist, we have decided to partner up with different streetwear stores so people can still see, feel, and buy our product offline.
Fortunately, we now partnered up with not just one, but currently two more partner stores in Angeles City, the place where our previous flagship store was located.
For our full list of distributors, you may visit our Stockists page.
Having partner stores are great but this move comes with a few cons, especially as a brand that has limited stock per design and value exclusivity.
That's why for every new design drop, we'll make sure to pre-order them only via our official website for at least five days. After that, the majority of our stocks will be distributed to our official partners. We'll also try our best to increase our quantities per design slowly. This will only be for our graphic tees.
We have been partnered with LBC for the past few years and they have done a great job. However, there are indeed areas that they can't reach and some of our customers aren't able to get their purchase as fast as we want to. So, we now we're moving to J&T as our main courier.
Soon, you'll also be able to buy Senpai Products via Shopee. One of our official distributors is permitted to do this.
An official link to the Shopee Distributor will be provided soon.
Be reminded however that there will be a markup price on Shopee items since their platform gets a few percentages from sales.
Two Step Forward
These past few days, months, or even a year have been a roller coaster ride. But as we always say, there is no other place to go but up.
If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Thank you for always supporting us.
]]>Every once in a while, you find stories from other people that can spark and lit the fire inside you. This time, we found it to one of our collectors.
Wolf’s Blade Shop - Philippines has been always in our Facebook Page notification, always mentioning the page. Upon checking, they always mentioned us whenever they use some of our tees as background in their amazing products. At first glance and reading few posts, you'll definitely feel his passion in each post he makes for his products.
So, we tried contacting the owner, Jean, if he is interested in an interview.
In this article, let's not talk about us. We're putting the spotlight on one of our collectors. Learn more about his story and inspiring hustle.
Wolf’s Blade Shop albeit having the term “blade” in it (“blade” refers to all different types/classes of sharpened steel or the flat cutting edge of a knife from a dictionary’s perspective) was a Japanese-styled/themed sword/blade shop and I say “was” because given that most of my wares come from Thailand we’ve ventured on to also create and sell traditional Thai weapons.
By background, I am a human resources professional, I worked myself to the bone over the years, and due to the recent pandemic which shifted our normal 9-5/in-office setup to a work-from-home arrangement, the extra time I gained daily made me reconnect with my old passion of blade collecting and turned it into what is now my beloved shop.
When I started envisioning the business, I only had the goals set in place, the basic know-how, and a high level for doing self-research however I lacked the most important bit which was the actual forging and production skills so to account for this I joined countless international and local online forums then used my skills in partnering and stakeholder management to build a network of senior enthusiasts that could help me in my journey.
It took close to 6-7 months for me to locate my current partners internationally through various interactions and all I can say is, I’m lucky to be in their care, and based on their feedback about how they find working with me, I’m happy to hear that we share the same views and are on the same wavelength.
My father, though born and raised in the USA, spent a long time in Japan, living roughly 15-20 years there during and after his service in the US Air Force. Though most of his traits were still that of a proud American, I grew up in a household that was a melting pot of multiple cultures, so to sum it up, I would say I have the will of a robust American living with the virtues of an upright Japanese whilst still having a soft, tender heart of a Filipino.
With said upbringing, my father always had so many colorful stories to tell, though many years later, I’ve realized most of them were actually of his time spent in Japan. This heavily affected my interests leaving me to study more of the culture and vast lore they had.
The catch to knowing so much about the culture, stories, and ways of Japan was, as a non-designer, it really is hard for me to pinpoint what I exactly want with my releases in a physical design-sense.
I can easily dream up what I want and describe it, though having someone else actually make a draft for it is way harder especially if you account for the usual challenges with international partnerships (ie. Language barrier, design sense, differences in understanding topics, etc.) so for these cases, being that this scene is not particularly new locally or internationally, we’d go with variations from readily available sources online.
We’d get a base design and just ramp up the build from there while adding our own twists and variations. As sword-making has an incredibly long history spanning thousands of years, it’s really hard to say that any of our designs are “original” or “one-of-a-kind” though the many little quirks we do introduce somehow manage to at least leave a semblance of each build being original in our eyes which we hope others can see as we release them.
Whenever I meet someone new, I usually get slapped with the “you must like to party” vibe or once they get to know my hobby of blade collecting then the next thought trail would be the “you must do martial arts” one.
Unfortunately, I’m neither.
I can say that I’m a really huge geek and I spend most of my days reading and researching helpful articles to expand my knowledge and to lessen my stress, I read a lot of manga/manhwa/manhua (and yes, I do read ones from all three nations – Japan/Korea/China) and when I have extra time to sit around and really want to find some new inspiration, then watching some anime helps though I barely watch the animated versions of what I read mainly due to knowing what will happen, and hey, your imagination makes the images move better than any animator can ever do (anime-only/non-manga reader fans out there, fight me! Lol, just kidding, I love you all).
Then during days when I really have a lot of free time, I just while away at my PS4 as I’m a huge Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku fanboy.
With that into account, the remaining hours in my day are usually spent on my day job or just doing light exercise. The funny thing about “light exercise” is most often than not, I usually get stereotyped as being a Kendo/Kenjutsu/Iaido practitioner due to the nature of my shop, but sadly, I only know the basics through the knowledge passed on to me by my Japanese half-brothers (now this is a story for another time) but my “martial arts” background is not really tied to any one form or system as I mainly train the CQC (close-quarters combat) routines my father passed on to me along with a few other practical hand-to-hand arts that I can call upon during extreme situations such as Muay Thai and Jiujutsu.
Many months back, I was in need to spruce up my clothing selection and through the “magical” ways of social media, the algorithm gods presented the Senpai shop page to me one fortunate day.
I was first drawn in by the Mobile Suit collab piece however, at the time, had my reservations simply due to having one too many black shirts, then a few days went by and the real magic happened when the Kami Series I was released.
True beauty on a shirt as the canvas. I knew I had to have them and the rest is now history. Hardcore fan through and through. 😊
Any newbies interested to start their collection or veterans interested to expand theirs can easily search my page “Wolf’s Blade Shop” or via Facebook.
If looking for a more formal way to reach me they can also send me an email at their convenience at this e-address: jeanclaudewolf03@gmail.com.
Being an estranged father to one very amazing daughter, this question really hits home.
If such a dire scenario were to happen to me my final words to her would be:
“Love and respect your mother like no other as she has been there for you since day one and never ever lose sight of your passion no matter what happens. Always keep moving forward.”
--
All photos used courtesy of Wolf’s Blade Shop - Philippines
]]>We've been humbled and grateful to all the people who have purchased our first drop this year, it was a blast. Hachiman and Susanoo Tees are both sold out!
Now come the second month and our surprises never stop. Here are three things you can expect this month.
We've been friends with the people behind The Legend Collective since the first day our brand was born. We treat them like family. This month, we're proud to inform you that our collaboration program with them is finally coming.
The design features our original version of Astroboy. Aside from the original illustration, there are two different things you should be excited about.
First, our products will not just be printed in four colors just like our normal drop, instead, they will be printed in EIGHT colors without increasing our price.
Second, they will be available using our New Premium Tank Top which you'll learn more about below.
Here's a sneak peek of the design, SENPAI x The Legend Collective proudly presents:
This design will be available in three variants - (1) Black Tee, (2) Black Tank Top and (3) White Tank Top.
ETA: Feb. 20, 2021
The people behind our brand love Tank Tops, however, there are just a few things that weren't suited to our taste. This month, we're introducing our very own custom pattern Tank Top.
The fabric is made with durable cotton-blend at 230gsm (the same as our t-shirts) with our sizing and side labels on it. This fabric gets softer over time. It also features a round bottom that you'll never find easily anywhere.
The Senpai Premium Tank Top is also cut and sewn with attention to details that can compete with international standards.
Ryujin is definitely one of the in-demand designs we've released. Unfortunately, all the t-shirts have been sold out.
At first, we don't want to restock the design. However, since Ryujin is one of our entries in the upcoming World Design Rankings. We've decided to create another product for the design instead to celebrate our entry to the competition.
Aside from our Premium Tank Top Debut, we're also releasing another cut and sewn pattern made just for you - The Senpai Premium Long-Sleeve.
Here's a quick look on the Senpai Ryujin Long Sleeve.
ETA: Feb 28, 2021
Although the pandemic is still around and we're still struggling with business, it won't stop us to release something amazing that were tailored for our community.
We're not famous nor rich, the people behind our brand are just artists obsessed on creating unique designs. We also don't have celebrity friends that can help us market our product and we rely solely on our community of good people to spread the word. That's why there's no excuses for us to improve every single day. We never complain, we just focus on the culture and community we're trying to build.
We don't make promises, we only grind. The only thing we could do is to make sure to keep on improving and make you proud for making us your first choice in selecting a designer clothing, not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.
Thank you for always supporting us. If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>Since last year, Adobe has personally invited us to enter the world's largest design award with participants from all countries competing for design excellence to win the coveted A' Design Prize.
With partnership from our design studio Bound to Glory, we'll be submitting entries that include the Senpai Dragon Ryujin, Susanoo, and Hachiman, as well as few mad creation series we've been working on exclusively in the studio.
The lead graphic designer and illustrator of Senpai. He's a self-thought graphic designer and illustrator since 2014. Rom is the man behind Bound to Glory and some of the most amazing designs we've released.
Roel is the founder of Senpai, an award-winning content professional that has helped more than 100+ companies in the world in design, branding, and marketing. He's responsible for the concept, direction, and output of the designs we release.
We're proud and humbled to join the A' Illustration Award and Competition to represent the Philippines in World Design Rankings.
Wish us luck and we hope you'll keep supporting us. Arigatou!
]]>This year has been challenging that it taught us many valuable lessons that we'll forever apply both personally and into our business. Since Christmas and New Year are just around the corner, we're going full blast this November releasing our final three collections and one bottom.
For our Final Graphic Tee drop this year, we're releasing our rework to Tosho Daimos, Mazinger Z, and Voltes V [Encore]. An old-school retro combination that many people will surely love. They'll be all printed in Black Tee.
To avoid delays, we've already started the production for these tees so most of the sizes will be sold-out faster than expected. As usual, we'll only release 100pcs in the world per design.
These tees includes free stickers and phone wallpapers that you can download via the QR code in the hangtag.
Click Here to Pre-Order the Bundle at 11% OFF with FREE SHIPPING
ETA: November 14, 2020
For many months, we've been discussing a release of a basic Tee but with a better impact. This release is a combination of our Senpai Fukuya (sold out for a long time) and Hako Classic Tees.
These tees are made using our Premium Fabric and embroidered directly. The fabric color choices for these tees are Purple, Navy Blue, and Black.
Click Here to Pre-Order the Bundle at 10% OFF with FREE SHIPPING
ETA: November 14, 2020
Bottoms (Short) releases have been on our list since the year started. Since we're releasing it for the first time, our first design will only be available in one color - Black. It features a Senpai™ logo box patch, Similar to Classic Hako Tees, and a premium stretchable fabric.
Unfortunately, it will only be available in a free size that can fit approx 28-34 waist.
ETA: On or before November 30, 2020
In all the discussions we've made since the year 2020 started, Bags release has been one of our goals. This Holiday, it's finally happening.
Aside from the Tees mentioned above, we're also releasing the Senpai™ Sling Bag, Fanny Pack, and Miniature Bags.
Above image are prototypes and this collection is already in production.
ETA: On or before November 28, 2020
Despite the challenging year, we're very humbled and thankful to everyone who supported our brand this year. We hope that you'll keep supporting us for many years to come as we try our hard to be better every day.
We wish you a season filled with warm moments and cherished memories. If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>October has been very challenging to us, from production damages up to sticker supplier delays that resulted in shipment and design drop delays. But, this won't stop us from pushing forward.
This November, we're launching From the Studio. It's a small project operated by us at Senpai™. From the Studio offers customized labels, stickers, and stationery printing services and merchandise.
This launch will mean that you may now expect customized Sticker Pack and Stationery drops from us. However, the initial decision behind this launch is to avoid future free sticker delays, observed quality during production more closely, and to cut costs.
We'll now also get another income source that we can use to sustain our small clothing business through printing services.
We're also introducing Skel-san, the official mascot of this small project. We've spent a lot of time during the character development before having the final design and we're proud to introduce him to you.
We'll be forever humbled and grateful if you can support this project by following From the Studio's Instagram and Facebook Page early.
]]>Minimalism has been part of the culture that we represent.
After releasing our upgraded tee, The Senpai Premium Tee, many people from our community have been requesting to make it available as a plain tee. Guess what? We're granting your request.
Plain Tees
Plain Tees perhaps is the number choice of t-shirts by people anywhere in the world because since they are budget-friendly.
Unlike graphic tees, we are planning to restock the essentials as long as we want to (but will still be limited up to a few restock batches). The first set of our essential Tees features six (6) different colors.
Bottoms
Essentials won't be complete without bottoms. Thus, we're also releasing our tailored shorts in three (3) colorways, very soon. Since last year, this has been requested a lot by our community.
Diffix is another brand from Pampanga. Since we approached them for a collaboration project, we were excited as we see their amazing typography works that could complement our designs.
Ronald, the founder of Diffix, told us that the brand name was derived from the word "Different Mixed". Based on our understanding, it's a brand that values differences with a vision to unites everyone as one on the same goal.
We have come upon a lot of character references for this single design and we picked Shingeki no Kyojin's Armored Titan at the end.
Our design approach for the design would be a Mecha version. Here's a sneak peek on the design, The Senpai x Diffix: Mecha Titan.
Aside from the Essentials product line and Collab Drop, we're also dropping two more designs - Senpai Eva and Antitoxic Daruma.
The Senpai Eva design has been requested a lot since we've started our brand just like the Mobile Suit. One of the unique approach we'll do is to print it on a Dark Purple on a Black Neck combination tee.
The Antitoxic Daruma was designed for pandemic awareness but also have a separate meaning like toxicity from other people in our life. To bring a more positive message, it has a quote that says "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something, not even yourself".
The Mecha Titan, Antitoxic Daruma, and Senpai Eva will be available for separate purchase as well as Bundle on October 1, 2020. The shipment and drop ETA is October 20, 2020.
We're excited.
We hope that these upcoming drops made you excited as we are. As always, thank you so much for supporting our brand.
If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>
However, looking us behind the scenes, we've been struggling with many unclaimed and undelivered items. These things delay our growth and left other people who're willing to get the products instead, really sad.
Since last year, we've found out that COD and COP aren't prioritize that much compared to door-to-door (paid) parcels by the local couriers. It has been verified by most of our customers.
Starting in October 2020, we're saying Goodbye to Cash On Delivery and COP payment options for new customers. Aside from these changes, here are other stuff you need to know.
We have started working with other couriers that could provide very minimal delivery charges such as J&T. Starting October, despite not having a COD and COP option for new customers, we are dropping the shipment fee from ₱180 to ₱100 pesos.
Delivery Method and Couriers
Here are the couriers we'll be using depending on the delivery method of your choice:
Absolutely no. You can still get free shipping when you purchased a total order of at least ₱1,500 on our website.
Door-to-door delivery has been the fastest way to get your items based on our experience. They don't return and rarely get misrouted.
Since COD and COP will be removed from our payment options starting October of this year, we're adding more options aside from BDO Bank Transfer and GCash for flexibility. Paypal and Pampanga Store Pickup is one of them.
There might be ways that you can still try to order via COD and COP. Here's the list on how.
1. Official Partner Stores
One of the way to still purchase our products via COD and COP is through our official partner stores. Please note that some of our partners don't accept COD or COP as well. Also, some partners might have limited products displayed in-store. Make sure to contact them to see if the product you're looking for is available.
2. Returning Customers
Second way is if you're a past customer with zero record of returns, we'll gladly still accept COD as a payment. For new customers, unfortunately, this won't be possible.
3. In-Store Purchase via Friends
The third and last way would be getting some friends in Pampanga to visit us in-store and deliver it for you via COD or COP.
Moving forward
These changes might not be the most desirable to some, but having the product we've worked so hard getting to you faster at lower shipping rates is our priority.
It will also allow us to grow better as a brand and make more arts that you'll surely make you fall in love with. If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>For those of you who didn't know, we started our brand with just plain back and white tee last year and since then, we haven't upgraded the tee we've been using as it received positive feedback from our customers.
Starting this month of September, we'll be upgrading it more to make you even prouder including the meticulous ones.
Here are some of the pictures of our New Premium Tee in Black.
Here are a few things that separate our cut and sewn tee from other brands.
The tee isn't yet perfect as we're still working and adding more improvements as well as colors. But, we're hoping that this upgrade will make you fall in love with our brand more. We will be using this upgraded tee for our prints and designs starting this month.
If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>We came from nothing and just ordinary humans just like everyone else. We believe that the only thing that separates us is our extraordinary determination to connect with everyone that matters and share our creative talent to the world.
With that being said, here are some of the exciting things we've been working hard to prepare for you.
Despite the hard times, the support of our customers and community made it possible for us to secure a small space in Pampanga to open our first flagship store. We might not be able to see you soon as we still recommend everyone to stay home and stay safe. But, if you ever wanted to visit us, we’ll be looking forward to it.
Our store is still at 75% renovation but it's already open every Thursday – Saturday only from 12 pm to 6 pm (temporary store schedule). It’s located at 533 MacArthur Highway Corner D Fajardo St, Angeles City Pampanga (Beside of AUF Sports and Cultural Center).
We're raising the bar by upgrading the way we produce our products starting with the cut and sew.
We'll be having a new fabric, it'll be a little bit thicker but it's firm and gets softer over time. The cut will also be improved as we're going to use an exported pattern that can suit the international (Asian) sizing standards. The sewing will have a big improvement as we're now working with talented tailors who happens to be a team that also makes the products of other big international clothing brands.
We're hopeful that this upgrade will allow our products to better compete both internationally and locally with other brands.
Another good news? We'll have a better product without the need to increase our price.
We have been very grateful for all your positive feedback since we've started releasing our Mecha Series during our first year. For our second year, you can expect to see another one - The Kami Series.
Kami is a Japanese word for a god, spirit, divinity, or deity. For the first batch of these series, we'll be releasing not one, but three designs! It features Raijin (雷神), Fūjin (風神), and Ryūjin ((龍神). Here's the sneak peek of our original designs for this batch.
As always, when we release a new product, they have always been limited pieces. Aside from the fact that we don’t want everyone else wearing the same outfit as I’ll be wearing today, it is also because we can’t afford to produce large quantities at the moment. We aren’t rich and money isn’t our main goal as a brand. For us, it's always been about the culture, community, and creative pursuit.
Each design will be limited to 100pcs. in the world printed in a Black Tee.
Of course, aside from Japanese culture related designs, we will not forget to drop an original illustration of Anime characters. Before the year ends, we'll be dropping our own take/version to some characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Attack on Titan, and more. Here are some of the sketches we're still working on.
We'll give you a sneak peek and update on a separate journal entry for these designs.
We've always been one of the underdogs and despite all these improvements, we never think that we're already halfway to the things we want to do with our brand as we still have a lot of work and plans to execute.
For us, every day is always "day 1".
We never settle and always looking forward to improving and learn more, not only on product development but in the overall streetwear culture as well. We know that there will be days that we'll need to step back once, but, as long as we step forward twice, everything will be well.
We hope that you'll continue to support us for many years to come. If you like this post, don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Arigatou gozaimasu.
]]>Being an entrepreneur is not easy. We all have something to say but most people don't know how much money, time, and energy it takes to have a business.
There will always be people who will doubt you or won't understand your vision until it blows up and even then, what you'll get is envy or jealousy despite working yourself into the ground while being surrounded by negativity and lack of support.
Yet again, we understand that turning a vision into reality isn't easy. Self-doubt whether you're wasting your time or not will appear. The stress, amount of work, and emotional toll of owning a business can also be daunting.
For us, it has always been our dream to have our very own flagship store. So, despite the pandemic issues and slower sale, we're not stopping to make it happen.
After fifteen months since our launch, it was made possible from the never-ending support and love from our community and customers.
Photo of Roel Manarang, one of Senpai Clothing's Co-Founder sitting in our newly acquired store
We're a firm believer in the "Think Big. Start Small." mantra. The store itself isn't big (6 sqm²) literally, but we thought that it was great enough to display our small merchandise and gather amazing people together.
The location choice was in the province of Pampanga. It's near around courier companies like LBC, DHL, J&T, and Lazada Drop Off location to make sure that we can follow up all the online orders as fast as we can and has service options in case we'll need an alternative. It's also near one of the biggest schools in the province, Angeles University Foundation.
📍 533 MacArthur Highway Corner D Fajardo St, Angeles City Pampanga (Beside of AUF Sports and Cultural Center).
Starting on August 1, we'll slowly renovate our humble store with a scheduled trial run. We will announce the store hours and days via Facebook so make sure you're connected. We are looking forward to seeing you soon.
]]>Since last year, we've been skeptical about collaborating on the same industry like ours, a clothing brand. However, we tried to give it a shot and propose it to one of the homegrown brands that we looked up to, INDÛ.
Here's what you need to know about this collaboration.
We're releasing two designs for this collaboration, an original illustration of Mobile Suit Gundam, and the Shugo Tenshi (Guardian Angel).
Since collaboration is merging two ideas or concepts into one, we've tried our best to make the designs speak both for our brands.
It's a design made to celebrate and give meaning to the place where all our dreams started, Angeles City, or what we call City of Angels. Shugo Tenshi means Guardian Angel in Japanese.
This design is a little bit straightforward than the other one and to be printed on INDÛ's best selling Blacktard Tee.
We will be having a delay for this design release due to supply.
ETA: August 10, 2020.
This design is our original take on a Mobile Suit Gundam. Some brothers from INDÛ's team are a fan of Gundam Series and they've been requesting us to release a design about it since last year, long before we even pitch the collaboration. And so, we've decided to make and release it in this collaboration instead.
One of the main features of this original design is the custom cockpit. This version is heavily inspired both by Gundam Wing and Gundam Freedom series. It took us over three months to finish this design.
ETA: July 15, 2020.
This product is a little bit different than our current and past releases since we'll be using INDÛ's Crewneck Tee instead of Senpai's Roundneck Tees.
What's the difference between a crew neck and a round neck t-shirt?
The main difference between the tees is that the crew neck is snug fit while the round neck is generally looser. Here's a photo of INDÛ's Blacktard Crewneck Tee.
Is there an adjustment and difference in size or fit?
Sizing and fit are almost the same as ours with, of course, the exception of the neck fit. One of the things that many people will be happy about is that we'll be offering XS and 3XL's which we don't have on other products.
For a complete size guide of this collaboration tee, you may refer to the image below:
We will have a pre-order stage that will last for two days only via Senpai's Website for each product. Once the pre-order stage closes, the next chance you'll have is the drop date via one of INDÛ's flagship and online store. The tees during the Pre-Order and Drop stages will be offered online and can be shipped nationwide.
If you want to save shipping fee, head over to INDÛ's physical store on the drop date or pre-order the tee via our website with at least P1,500 total order to get our free shipping promo.
The total quantity that we'll be releasing is 100 for Shugo Tenshi and 200 for Mobile Suit, and as always, there'll be no restock. It means that if you own one, you're one of the select few that have it in their collection in the whole world.
Store information:
⛩️ INDÛ Bartmall Angeles City located at Bartmall Bldg 2nd Flr. (In front of Holy Angel University). It's open Monday through Sunday, from 10 am up to 7 pm.
OK, shut up and take my money. How much is it?
You can cop Shugo Tenshi for 650 pesos only and Mobile Suit for 750 pesos only.
If you're on Facebook, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and information on this collaboration drop. Stay safe and much love!
]]>Before the second quarter of 2020 even started, we have been adieu by a few days of uncertainty. Coronavirus has impacted each of us.
During this pandemic, we've learned that sharing and aiming for a single goal can make a big difference no matter how divided our principles may be as individuals.
Just like one of the cultural codes that we've believed in, a strong community that shares a single goal can accomplish something faster and better.
It will be difficult and scary, but we're all on this together and we'll win this. Then, the time will come that we can hug our love ones again.
Just a few weeks from now, we'll be celebrating our first anniversary. Although we've been excited, it's obvious that as a small business, our bottom line has also been hit negatively by this Pandemic. All shipments are paused and sale quotas have never been reached.
However, at the end of the day, the people in our community being healthy and safe is what matters most to us.
With all of these being said and in mind, we're still looking forward to celebrating our anniversary and we can't wait to taste that cake!
Aside from the Mecha Ninja Tee that we'll release as our anniversary drop, we have other exciting plans that we've been working hard since this year started.
Being born in the province of Pampanga, INDÛ is our Aniki (big brother). It has over 8 branches and one of the most successful clothing brands in our province. It's an honor to be one of the first brands that will have a collaboration with them.
We plan to release a small collection of original designs as always. The current concept includes a custom Gundam tee and the Shugo Tenshi (guardian angel) tee. All illustrations will be designed at Senpai's HQ but will be cut, sewn and printed at INDÛ's headquarters.
Photo courtesy of INDÛ
We will be using INDÛ's Crewnecks which has a snug fit and a little bit different with our round neck tees that are generally looser. These crewnecks are widely popular in Pampanga.
We have two designs that are supposed to be released as our Summer Series, however, due to the ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine), the production might not be able to make this happen. Of course, depending on the ECQ and situation, we'll try our best to release them.
This series includes two designs, a summer-themed logo box tie-dye tee, and a back print style tee featuring a custom illustration of Esdeath from Akagame Ga Kill.
The release for these tees is still TBD at the moment.
Ever heard someone that said, "This T-Shirt saved my life"? We did.
It came from one of our customers.
This is one of the things that we're trying to do with some of our products. A tool that can save someone's life indirectly. In our case, our t-shirt and designs.
Many years ago, before the idea of starting Senpai Clothing, I've suffered from depression for two years. Every day, I have been on a state of being hopeful that the day would just end with death. It took a single person to wake me up from that nightmare, sadly, she passed away with Cancer.
Aside from this single story, I've been orphaned at 18 but that would be on another journal piece.
Through art and a few of our product lines, we thrive to give inspiration to the people who've also suffered depression and other struggles in life. Here are some of the things we'll be doing this Q2:
Sayonara Tee Reprint
We rarely restock our old design. For Sayonara, it's a different case. We've been bombarded with a lot of requests for a reprint and just a few months ago, a certain store offered us to display a tee on their 5 branches, Sayonara is the top design on our list that we've thought of using once the deal is signed.
Sayonara has been one of our most successful artwork, it's very simple yet has a lot of emotional punch. From the word itself which means goodbye, Sayonara is a word that sounds great but has so much feel and pain.
Sorrows Tee
We've had a lot of requests for a Kimetsu no Yaiba design and this quarter, we're granting your wish. Unfortunately, it'll be an emotional release as the concept is "Sorrows".
The design features an original illustration of Tanjiro Kamado with a quote, "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living. No matter how devastating the blows may be".
It'll be a very limited logo box tee release on Black and White.
Moving forward
Truly, this quarter is a chapter of struggles and celebrations for us. While we're still on lockdown, we encourage everyone to stay home and safe.
If you're on Facebook, which we're sure you are, you can check the Coronavirus Information Center for updates. Also, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates. Stay safe and much love!
]]>For every wins, we've had more failures. It's true.
When we started the brand, we don't have huge capital. There are days when the vision gets blurry and we've nearly broken down.
However, with the support of our loyal customers and the people who have been with us since day one, we've made it somehow. We've held the vision tighter, drop the excuses, swerve around obstacles, and trust the process.
From 20,000 pesos and a dream, turning it into a single design and two blank shirts, we've come to almost thirty products in ten months.
Truly, it's a roller coaster ride but we're still not that big. We believe, however, that process is the most important part of the journey and we appreciate every bit of it with you.
In this short article, you'll find out the three things we're excited to do for this year moving forward.
One of the things that we've been trying to do is to build a brand that values people and the community more rather than profit. This has easily become one of our culture codes.
To make it happen, we're planning to do more collaborations with different local brands, from caps and bags to cleaning supplies and vintage, to provide a more unique offering.
Recommended article: Senpai x Ethereal Sigil: Unexpected Collab
Collaborations are great and help us explore the different communities as a young brand. It's merging more than one culture and make something unique out of it for the community we're serving.
The best part is we make more friends that raise each other on top rather than bringing each other down.
For the past ten months, our products have received compliments from our customers. Our fabric isn't thick nor thin, we believe that it's perfectly designed for the tropical weather in the Philippines. It's soft, doesn't get fluff, and won't get deformed.
Image submitted by Krielle and Lester
Just a few months ago, we've come across to a small factory that makes clothing for big brands like Dickies and RRJ. These western brands are BIIIGGGG in Japan and of course, they're also popular in the Philippines as well as globally.
Luckily for us, we'll be switching to them to make ours too. This means that we're expecting to improve the quality of our clothing products more than ever while still maintaining the cost.
Just like how streetwear should be, we don't follow trends. Heck, we don't even have a calendar or quarterly drop. We drop when we please without ignoring consistency.
In streetwear, we believe that everything is personal. It's not a trend but a culture. It's about evoking feelings and emotions. This is what we believe and one of the main guiding principles since we started, thus, we're planning to stay strong with it.
This year, we're planning to support more of the communities and the different cultures behind it as much as we can. Skateboarding, Cycling, Cosplay, Dance, Gaming, Design, and Music just to name a few.
If you're part of these communities and think that Senpai Clothing is the brand for you, you're one of us, feel free to connect with us on Facebook and we can talk about sponsorship or collaborations.
Aside from supporting communities, you can expect that all of our current and future designs have a story on it. As mentioned, we aim to evoke feelings and emotions for each product we release.
Moving forward
We aren't big, we're the underdog. We're David amongst all the Goliath. We're tiny but strong because of the people that always pushes us forward. The past ten months have been a great ride and we'll be forever thankful. We're excited to see the future with you.
If you like this article, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates. Much love!
]]>For the past few months since our first collab, we've been looking for brands that offer unique products. At first, we're looking for something handmade to make it more special.
As we do our day-to-day grind, a fan of our brand sent us a message on Instagram and complimenting our work. Surprisingly, this individual owns a business and his products were amazing. So, we wanted to give a shout-out to Mikhail of Ethereal Sigil.
Ethereal Sigil is a brand that makes wire-wrapped crystals, etched sigils, and rune. The best part is they were hand-made.
After a few days talking and getting infected with his passion for gemstones, we decided to collab with him for our March product drop. Here's what you need to know so far.
Jewels are probably not commonly used for streetwear. So, our initial challenge was to come up with a design that can be used casually. Something that can be worn daily in any attire and doesn't attract too much attention.
Pieces of jewelry that involve stone are probably the hardest to design in our opinion. There are too many gemstones that you can choose, most of them have different shapes too.
So, for this collab, we've chosen a round-shaped gemstone with a size of less than an inch. The aesthetic we've chosen was inspired by Ying and Yang just to make it close to the Asian culture. Here's the prototype.
We've also chosen a wax string so you can use it anywhere even underwater.
100% natural gems are hard to get and takes a long time before they arrived here in our country. All the gems that we'll use to create this amazing pendant will be coming from the UK and India. We've picked the Bloodstone, Moonstone, and Amethyst for this collaboration.
The interesting thing about these gems aside from they are beautiful is that they are associated with healing properties. Below are what charmsoflight.com says about the gems we've picked for this project:
Amethyst
Amethyst is a natural tranquilizer, it relieves stress and strain, soothes irritability, balances mood swings, dispels anger, rage, fear, and anxiety. Alleviates sadness and grief, and dissolves negativity. Amethyst activates spiritual awareness, opens intuition and enhances psychic abilities.
Our reason: Amethyst is the stone for balance which complements the aesthetic we've made, Yin and Yang.
Moonstone
A stone for “new beginnings”, Moonstone is a stone of inner growth and strength. It soothes emotional instability and stress, and stabilizes the emotions, providing calmness. Moonstone enhances intuition, promotes inspiration, success and good fortune in love and business matters.
Our reason: Ethereal Sigil is greatly known for using Moonstone on most of its products.
Bloodstone
Bloodstone is an excellent blood cleanser and a powerful healing stone. It heightens intuition and increases creativity. It is grounding and protecting. Bloodstone draws off negative environmental energy, helping to overcome influences such as geopathic or electromagnetic stress.
Our reason: Since we're dropping this product in March, we've chosen bloodstone which is the birthstone for that month.
Since this is a collaboration, it'll be incomplete without releasing a new design for tees. For this project, we've decided to draw a Priestess to amplify the concept of Healing. We are hoping, however, that the final design would have meaning beyond it for anyone who sees it.
The tee will be released in both Black and White colorways. Here's a sneak peek of our design draft.
Don't miss it
They said that unexpected friendships are the best ones, and we agree.
Senpai x Ethereal Sigil collaboration drop is set on or before March 15, 2020. Pre-orders will be open before the drop. As usual, we'll be releasing these items on limited quantities. So, once they're gone, they won't be coming back.
If you're interested in getting these rare and unique items, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. See you!
]]>Fortunately in this list, you'll be able to find our tees with high-demand which you can still get as of this writing (November 2019) and the stores you should check to get them.
The first graphic tee we've released and designed. Hentai Club tee is still in-demand today with limited sizes left.
Hentai is part of Japanese anime, manga, and video game culture. The word literally means "strange appearance" and can also mean "perverted". Hentai is also the anime version of porn.
We made sure that the t-shirt design is friendly for everyone by not putting too much nudity and adding a Censored Bar. The text we've added makes it a Club Shirt. The Hentai Club believes that having unusual or forbidden sexual desired can't be wrong - only actions can. Make sure to let those stay in your head and never cross the line.
Still available at Online Shop, Merch District QC and Goods Supply Co.
Released on June 18, Ramen Zombies is the first anime-inspired design that we've released.
Infected by an unknown disease from their favorite ramen house, Sasuke and Naruto turned into zombies!
Still available at LUHO, Merch District QC and Goods Supply Co.
Sayonara is the first design that has a front and back print which is both available in Black and White. Upon releasing the original version (White), we've received tons of requests for the black version making it one of our most in-demand tee.
Sayonara means goodbye, a word that sounds great but has so much feel and pain.
Still available at Online Shop and Goods Supply Co.
Our first logo box tee on Black was sold out in just 48 hours during the pre-order stage. Yes, it even didn't arrive on the drop date. Fortunately, one more restock has arrived this month. However, in-demand as ever, only a few stocks remain as of this writing.
The t-shirt design speaks simplicity and minimalism with a written Kanji 服屋 (Fukuya) which means Clothing Shop or a Tailor Shop. It's the best representation of our brand.
Still available at Online Shop
With only 25pcs. released, this new logo box design deserves to be on this list. The design features an original illustration of a family computer controller from the '80s and '90s.
Still available at Online Shop
Collect them all
It has been quite an amazing year for us, and we owe it all to you. Thank you so much for the support and we wish you great success in the New Year.
Make sure to get these shirts while they're still available. If you've enjoyed this list, don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates. See you soon!
]]>Rozen which means a "ruler" together with Senpai which means "upperclassman", founders thought that releasing a particular design close both to the meaning of their brand name would be ideal, thus a "King" design concept will be released soon.
This would be the first collaboration that both brands will have and certainly something to look forward to. Senpai x Rozen collaboration won't end on just one tee as they are planning to release more products such as Hats and Accessories in the future.
In the meantime, here's the sneak-peak of the "KING" tee artwork.
The design features a character sitting on a throne with a Trident.
The print will be back and front on five colors. It's estimated to launch on or before December. Unfortunately, both brands have decided to just release 50pcs. in the world for this product.
Of course, this product includes 4 exclusive free stickers for every purchase. Here's a preview:
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more updates. See you soon!
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The creation of each design has been meticulously chosen and made. They were originally crafted by our team and you won’t find them anywhere else.
Our first collection features 6 designs without a certain theme, this is to test our market and see what our customers like best. Fortunately, nothing was wasted and every design was loved. We even experienced more than 2 sold out in just the pre-order stage.
Our second collection features only 3 designs at a total of 5 product variations. The theme is a nostalgic vibe featuring “Sayonara” or saying Goodbye, a Retro gamepad design, and an iconic anime Voltes V.
We haven’t done any marketing since day 1 except awareness campaigns since we don’t have enough inventories to supply the demands. We also do not have a big budget unlike the other established brands in the Philippines both in marketing and production.
Still, it’s crazy to see so many people showing us love and seeing our products Sold Out most of the time.
Our final design for our 2019 collection, Voltes V, has been released a few days ago, and we now have decided to start our marketing preparations especially for the upcoming year.
This is just the beginning...
This is just the beginning and we can’t wait to show you guys more of our designs and new products, crafted with love and only for you. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook. See you soon! 🙏
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P.S. I can't forget the first day where I can only sell blank shirts to friends and family. Most of them supported us while others didn't even bother to look at our products. That may hurt especially for a dreamer who's just starting out a new business. When people ignore you and say "no", you're just talking to a wrong person. Move on, never give up, be humble, and keep huslin'.
]]>Many things have happened since then, most things that we didn't expect.
It all started with the name and logo, and behind the process of what people call a "simple text logo" is a ruthless measurement, they'll never think of.
The brand was dedicated to our mother who passed away more than a decade ago. For someone we looked up to, we thought that Senpai would be the best fit for our brand name.
Unlike other independent streetwear brands in the Philippines, we didn't produce massive inventories since we don't have the budget to do it.
On May 1st, we launched our website and finally shared our brand and products with the world. Our product line-up on our first day was just two Basic Crew Necks (now unavailable) and one Graphic T-Shirt, the Hentai Club Tee.
We are not new to the graphic and art industry. As time goes by, with the help of some fellow artists, we've slowly produced new graphic tees and very proud that today, we've launched the Chapter 1 Collection that showcases six Graphic Tees.
Each design is carefully crafted, original, and delivers positivity to whoever wears them.
Unlike other clothing and apparel brands, we limit our production to 30-100pcs. For our LTD, we release 10-30pcs. at a maximum per designs. We may adjust this in the future, but, one thing for sure, we'll produce lower than the demand.
We believe that there are things in life that we all wanted but not everyone can get it. Senpai Tees are the same. Those who get up, step forward, and act fast are the one who usually wins.
We may not be the smartest, coolest, and best streetwear brand in the Philippines. But our infectious desire for exclusivity and the positive impact that our products can bring is just too strong and exciting to us and our loyal customer base.
The decision to start on retail distribution wasn't easy for us, especially for a brand that believes in Exclusivity. We also didn't expect to scale with retail stores very soon. It was scary, but, we gave it a go.
Chances are, in life, you'll only meet two types of people. The one who'll lift you up and the one that brings you down. Thankfully, our retail partners have never been the latter. They've supported us and have been amazing retail partners to us.
After we hit the second month since launched, you can now secure our products in two amazing retail stores - Goods Supply Co. and LUHO.
Of course, this is just the beginning, as we are exploring more stores to carry our brand.
We just want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us since the first day of our journey, and we can’t wait to share more new products and ideas with you very soon.
Huge shoutout to all the local customers who wore our shirts and sent us a photo. Much love and respect to all who followed us on social media, especially, to all the 11,000+ amazing people on Facebook in our first 90 days.
Stay updated on our upcoming news and events here, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. See you soon! 🙏
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