Two years in and Pamela Andres has achieved with her label what many startups in fashion only hope for. Her brand Élan Wear has snagged the attention of personalities Heart Evangelista, Issa Pressman, Sofia Andres, Pia Wurtzbach, Bea Alonzo, and Pam Quiñones, just to name a few. It’s gained a sizable, passionate following of women who quickly took to her aesthetic, too.

All this is peppered with several other milestones: getting praise from the press, along with celebrities and influencers hitting “add to cart” whenever Élan Wear drops something new.

At 24, Andres is only getting started. The promising new designer is poised to grow her clientele and present even more covetable pieces soon. Up ahead? Her next major collection (a follow-up to her collaboration with boutique swimwear and loungewear label Amber Swim). While details of the release are largely under wraps, the wait for fashion fans thankfully ends soon. Until then, a chance to better get to know the designer and her brainchild, Élan Wear, straight ahead.

Getting to Know the Namesake Brand

Élan Wear came about when Pamela Andres, simply put, stitched together the end of her first name and the beginning of her last. As much as she herself is her brand, however, the reason Élan Wear took off had a lot to do with her nuanced understanding of the modern woman.

When Andres heads to the drawing board, she knows her clothes have to be flattering when seen through all angles. Every detail here is thoroughly thought of. “I always think of which cut is flattering and what kind of length goes with a certain neckline,” she says. “Finding the right balance between how a certain piece of clothing can be considered sultry yet classic—that’s what I always go for.”

This ties well into defining who the Élan Wear woman is: someone who, as envisioned by Andres, is a “chic, free-spirited, nature-loving confident woman.” She adds: “I want women who slip on Élan Wear to feel comfortable, seductive, confident, and fabulous. An Élan wear woman is not afraid to explore different silhouettes.”

Indeed, what she thinks about, she brings about. Considering her icons led her to create with Bella Hadid, Jacquemus, Versace, and Diane Von Furstenburg on her mood boards. The result, time and time again, are collections that appeal to the complex modern woman. Case in point: one of her favorite parts about running her brand, Andres explains, is seeing whose radars Élan Wear gets on. “I have two absolute favorite parts about running Élan Wear,” the designer begins. “First, when I get inspired and start sketching. Second, when the collection is done and women I look up to get to wear my pieces. In my head, I think: ‘That’s my kind of a woman! She has good taste.’ It truly fulfills my heart and makes what I do worth doing.”

On Learning When to Pivot

Élan Wear today is enjoying its momentum, but Andres is candid about learning her way through the business.

In the early stages, she had to move from creating “everyday wear,” the brand’s initial direction, to focusing on elevated resort wear. This, to her, was a lesson in paying attention to her inner compass. “I had to rethink the whole idea [of everyday wear] since I was a one-man team. I knew it wasn’t going to work out,” she explains. “I paused for two years [and in that time,] I became a content creator, started visiting some islands in the Philippines, and realized my love for them.”

It was here where Andres decided to connect her love for fashion to her newfound love for island life. She shares: “I wanted to create a line [that allowed] women [to] wear chic yet fun pieces when they feel like dressing up. Et voila, Élan Wear was born!”

Elevated Resort Wear—Revisited

With her releases so far, it can be observed that Andres has mastered the contemporary-meets-classic look in the resort wear category. It’s for this reason Élan Wear is fast becoming one of the new local brands to watch out for.

All this is happening for the young fashion designer as she juggles different jobs, a time where being dynamic is a real talent but, she confesses, “can be a headache at the same time.” Still, she perseveres. She constantly challenges herself to stay on top of her game so her brand can expand. “The most challenging part of running my own brand is time constraints,” she reiterates. “I have to attend to every aspect of what my team does: from designing, production, operations, and marketing, up to shipping.”

With all that’s ahead, the young founder/designer is without a doubt staying busy. It’s clear she’s staying as hands-on as ever, too.

This should bode well for her given the full slate for her in 2023. “We’re planning on scaling up: into designing pieces for men as well,” expounds Andres. “There are pieces we have been studying and working on. We’ve been creating solely women’s wear, so this is an exciting time for my team.”

Get in touch with Elan Wear by Pamela Andres thru the following:

Facebook: Élan wear by Pamela Andres
Instagram: elan.wear
Email: Sales@elan-wear.com
Contact no.: 09274497975

—alike.com.ph

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