Agape Kulture: a rising movement within the Manila clothing scene
By Ronald Laylo
Agape is a Greek word for undeserving and unconditional love. A love that never fails and will prevail no matter the circumstance—this sentiment became a chosen ideological foundation for a clothing brand owner based in Metro Manila, who proudly upholds these notions through his clothing line in a trendsetting way that aims to redefine the local fashion industry.
Humble beginnings
The Manila clothing scene can be considered a rising culture that has bloomed over the past decade. Many independent clothing lines continue to evolve and reinvent the Filipino clothing culture—bringing about its own unique take on streetwear. The emergence of underground local brands like Don’t Blame the Kids and Support Your Friends that have hit mainstream appeal, are testaments to the new exciting wave of the modern Filipino streetwear culture. Agape Kulture is a Manila based independent clothing brand that aims to establish a community that is loyal to the essence of its name. Aiming to become more than just a brand, Agape also seeks to be a movement of love and acceptance that does not shy from expressing its deep roots in faith and Christianity as a whole.
Its owner, Gio Manlangit, is a freelance dance choreographer and a youth leader of Friday Night Live (FNL) at New Life Main. Early influences of 90s hip-hop culture inspired Manlangit to pursue a career inclined towards art and would motivate him to create clothing apparel that embodied these cultures. Manlangit expresses that he merged his love for hip-hop, rock and modern pop culture with his faith, and created a clothing line that is fashionable, yet at the same time brings about a positive message.
Agape Kulture was birthed within the confines of an office. “Out of my boredom during my shift at work, I began playing around with different concepts for a clothing brand,” says Manlangit. He decided that the 9-5 work routine wasn’t for him, and that there was a much bigger plan that God had prepared for him to do. Manlangit voiced out that he had always wanted to bridge the gap between Christianity and the secular world in terms of fashion, and he did exactly that through the creation of Agape.
Behind the culture
Agape Kulture has released four lookbooks since its establishment in 2017. Each clothing drop highlights an element of the supernatural and unconditional love—an agape kind of love. Agape infuses streetwear culture with gospel church wear, and creates a balance that people from all walks of life can relate to. Manlangit indicated that with each clothing theme, there is a need to exemplify an aspect of this theme, showcased through the concepts of the lookbooks.
When asked about the process of how each clothing drop comes into place, Manlangit expresses that creating new lines of merchandise every year is truly a challenging feat. He oversees and executes each step of the release starting with its design planning, production and finally its distribution. “It is a very demanding job that can sometimes overwhelm me. Although, the ability to live out my dream will always outweigh the negative aspects [Financial hardships],” Manlangit explains. He also pointed out that as the responsibilities and workload piles up, the excitement and anticipation for the future of the brand skyrockets even higher.
Faith in practice
As an independent clothing brand, the capital and funding for the production of the clothing can be difficult to accumulate. Manlangit indicated his struggles gathering capital for releases because of the high income needed in order to sustain the brand’s production.
Despite these sentiments, every year Manlangit articulated how God has never failed him or the people that supported Agape. “Year in and year out, God has always provided for every drop we put out, and it still continues to amaze me,” Manlangit exclaims. He says that his faith has been tried and tested by persisting financial difficulties, but his hope continues to be as strong as ever. Manlangit has learned to rely on God in regards to his finances and as well as the direction of the brand.
A forward community
The Agape Kulture movement has continued to grow in size and can even be considered to be one of the fastest growing clothing brands around the Metro. Agape has been featured in several online pop culture news outlets like Scoutmagph and WheninManila.com, and has had pop-up shop stints at New Life Alabang and De La Salle Santiago Zobel School and has had multiple brand collaborations such as Found Music Festival, the biggest Christian music festival in the Philippines. Agape has also worked with an internationally-renowned Christian youth organization Youth For Christ-Zobel (YFC-Z).
For Manlangit, nothing is more important than upholding the meaning behind the name of the brand. As Manlangit continues to conceptualize new fashion ideas, at the end of the day, he still prioritizes the strengthening of the agape movement in regards to its belief. “Every time a person checks out the brand, in an unintentional way, I am able to share a small anecdote about God’s unconditional love through the themes of the clothing,” says Manlangit.
As Agape continues to reinvent what it means to be a clothing brand and build upon this growing culture, keeping an eye out for this movement is a must.