Terrie: A Woman’s Paradise
When in Manila, I’d like you to meet Terrie.
Throughout the many events in my school where parents, students, and teachers gathered, there’s one mom whose sense of style always caught my eye. Her name is Terrie Mariposa, the owner of the clothing line Terrie. Terrie now has three branches in the Philippines and celebrates its 27th birthday this September. Because of this, I went to one of their branches and chatted with Terrie, who told me more about the story behind her shop.
Terrie was founded on September 1986, when she was still newly married. They had their first branch in Viramall and later transferred to the Greenhills Shoppesville branch, which is the one that I visited. Terrie now has a total of three branches: Greenhills Shoppesville, Glorietta, and Alabang Town Center.
She shared that the clothing line is an extension of her own style, which she described as “fashionable and practical”. Because the target market of Terrie are the moms and young professionals, the clothes they offer are “smart-casual, outstanding, but never outlandish.”
True enough, the pants they offered had a good variety. Some pants were plain, but some pants were printed with interesting patterns. The pants were unique, but still wearable.
Terrie is most well-known for the pants that they sell. In Terrie’s own words, their pants “hide what needs to be hidden.” According to her, mothers have to cover some imperfections, so it becomes difficult for some moms to look for pants with the perfect fit. Pants nowadays are usually two inches below the navel, which are unflattering to them.
Terrie proudly shared that because she believes in the products she sells, she wears Terrie clothes from head to toe—“Ay head to pants lang pala, kasi wala kaming shoes!”, she said with a laugh. Will they sell shoes in the future? She said that there are no plans for now, but they used to sell shoes in the past. And speaking of past, how has Terrie evolved over the past 27 years?
“It used to be a hodgepodge of everything.” They even sold items for male customers and kids. But now, they concentrated on items for mothers, for those young at heart, and for young professionals.
The tagline of Terrie is “A Woman’s Paradise,” and she shares that when a customer enters, there are so many products to choose from aside from those on display. There are a lot of items in stock like belts, wallets, scarves, fine quality jewelry. “Madaming nakatago. Parang magician who pulls out a rabbit out of a hat.”
Because of this, I thought that the staff would be really important—they have to be trained well to know where the items are and how to assist customers who are looking for different products. I asked her about the training of her staff, and she shared that the salesladies have been with them for a very long time. They have the benefit of experience. “They’re very much part of the family already,” Terrie shared. “Hindi ako nananiwala dun sa five months lang. Walang stability. Walang pakialam ang tao nun kapag five months lang sila, tatanggalin mo na. Kaya sila, I give them a challenge to look for new customers everyday, and to give them the best service.”
In the spirit of the Chinese New Year, I asked Terrie what her vision is for 2014. She wants to have new loyal customers and have the new generation of moms and young professionals become her customers, too.
“Although Terrie has been around for almost three decades, it is not passé,” she shared. The looks are updated by her two daughters, Anne and Michelle—also young fashionistas who are very much involved in Terrie. (Anne now owns her own clothing line which I’m excited to visit soon!)
Michelle enjoys helping her mom and assisting customers in their shop.
When in Manila, it’s always a pleasure to discover and re-discover shops that continuously provide old favorites and new discoveries to its customers. With the fast-paced trends in the fashion industry, it’s really a blessing to have brands like Terrie that incorporate being practical and fashionable through the changing times. Terrie really is a woman’s paradise.
And it gets better—Terrie is offering a treat to When in Manila readers! One way to be both practical and fashionable is to accessorize. You don’t have to spend much on accessories, but they’re a big help in revamping outfits like a simple polo.
Terrie is giving away 6 scarf necklaces to 6 When in Manila readers: three for each design. Just join the raffle entry below. The winners may claim the items at Terrie’s Shoppesville branch, which is found on the second floor, and choose among the available colors there. I’ll be announcing the winners of the #WIMxTerrie giveaway on Twitter (@rebeccallee), so join the raffle, tag me, and tell me how you plan to wear your scarf necklace! 🙂
When in Manila, remember to be creative in revamping your outfits!
Terrie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrieisonline
Twitter: @TERRIEISONLINE
