Bench is the quintessential Pinoy brand and it just cemented this reputation when it showed T-shirts bearing symbols and words promoting love for different aspects of Pinoy life. “I love Sampaguita,” says one. “I love Rizal,” puts in another. There’s also “I love Manila,” some of them ingeniously shown off by foreign models and “I love OPM,” this time worn by comic singer Elizabeth Ramsey, who none-too-furtively ogled Jake Cuenca as he walked past her down the catwalk. You know these shirts
will fly, as much as the printed shorts with boxer waistband for men, the bowler-style, graphic tees and those ass-loving jeans that Filipinos have — thankfully — learned how to embrace.