“Character is destiny,” a quote attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, implies that destiny is not a predetermined external force, but that one’s future, or destiny, is determined by one’s own character. And so… this is how it begins.
Marcy Halili’s family may have desperately wanted him to be an accountant, and he obliged for a time, but he had made other plans for himself. Talim, a small island in the middle of Laguna lake surrounded by sea grass and fish pens, was too sad for him, and he was determined to leave.
He left for Germany, where he stayed with friend Louie Cruz before heading out to Paris. He was instantly captivated by the French la vie and decided to stay.
For Marcy, Paris was a fresh, new slate, and here he could make a nice footnote in his destiny. He started working in Nora Daza’s restaurant, Aux Iles Philippines. while learning French at Alliance Francais.
At Alliance Francais he became friends with American model Carole Le Brie, who was married to Gilles Raysse, Kenzo’s first business partner. The affable Marcy, being an easy person to like and befriend, was offered a job in Kenzo’s office by the couple. It may not have been in the design department but for Marcy, it was a toehold on new horizons, a step that would change his bland narrative.
He had stepped into Kenzo’s universe and his small hometown, an island in the middle of a lake, drifted farther and farther away.
Word spread fast. Soon, Marcy’s friends based in Europe heard the news. Marcy Halili was working at Kenzo! Kenzo Takada was the creative genius of the time (‘70s and ‘80s) in Paris—the first Japanese designer to gain a niche in the fashion capital of the world. Kenzo would become an eponymous brand offering a clear message: a new multicultural fashion language and a fresh approach to fashion. Kenzo’s eye-grabbing graphics, jungle prints and vibrant colors would leave their indelible imprint on world fashion.
Marcy was well liked by everyone, especially the designer Kenzo whom he got to know well. He was the mischievous sprite Puck in Kenzo’s head office. In a shoot for Vogue France, the entire Paris staff of Kenzo came together with the designer for a commemorative shot. Marcy had a lion’s mask on, a jester as always.
NIGHTLIFE
Marcy would always give his friends first dibs in all of Kenzo’s pret a porter collections. He knew all the models as well as the inside scoop on designers and the demimonde. He was very close to model Pat Cleveland—a friendship he kept till he passed away.
Art collector Joel Cruz recalls, “Marcy was living in a small studio near the Metro (St.Paul) station in the very unfashionable, then, Le Marais district. Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin lived nearby. By 1972, when I visited Marcy, he was very much settled in Paris, speaking French fluently and living la vie. He used to hang out at Club Sept where everything tres tres a la mode was happening. Kenzo was a regular in this Club with his fellow designer friends like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Here they drank champagne and danced till dawn and made connections. After all to succeed in Paris at that time, it was very important to be part of its nightlife.
“Marcy took us to watch one of Kenzo’s pret a porter shows at La Bourse. It was fall but the collection was for Spring. It was sheer madness outside the Stock Exchange building, hordes were trying to get in. Several fashion magazine editors couldn’t even get in. The largest Swedish fashion magazine editor was bitching because she could not enter. The show’s finale was a very pregnant bride, shocking and outrageous for those days.”
A great source of delight for his Filipino friends studying in Europe at the time was Marcy’s largesse and hilarious humor.
“The finale was a very pregnant bride, shocking and outrageous for those days”
Louie Cruz recalls, “We would visit him in Paris and he would introduce us to all those Adonis-type male model friends he had and best of all, we had the latest clothes from the collections. We would hang out and be seen in historic Parisian cafes like Cafe de Flore, Les Deux Magots, attired in full Kenzo. I myself had accumulated a small collection of Kenzo outfits.”
After working in Paris for about 15 years, Marcy Halili the merry wanderer moved to Manhattan in the early ‘80s where he met up with other New York-based designers, one of them Rusty Lopez who gave Marcy some work in his Manhattan showroom.
He repaid Rusty’s generosity by introducing him to his international fashion connections like Bernie Ozer, the fashion merchandiser and godfather of 7th Avenue (the fashion epicenter of the US), and the editors of WWD (Women’s Wear Daily).
The Big Apple became Marcy’s next narrative, and new horizons opened up once more with stints as a baker, and a short-order cook at Helena Carratala- Mander’s Manhattan restaurant Helena’s. Nights at Studio 54 saw him hanging out with friends Jerry Hall and Bianca Jagger.
In the first decade of the millennium, Marcy decided to slow down; even a sprite eventually gets betrayed by age and its physical afflictions. He came home to the Philippines.
It was a bittersweet reunion of sorts, with some friends gone and others in frail dispositions. But ever the merry one, Marcy enjoyed his last outings with gusto and always in style.
In 2009, he passed away a year after he came back, after a stroke, and was buried in Talim Island by good friends and family on the day typhoon Ondoy raged in the country. Earthly dreams ended, Marcy was on to his next country.
Postscript:
Had Marcy been alive this day, he would have been thrilled to pieces to hear that the LVMH Group is launching Kenzo’s namesake brand in Manila. But on the heels of this exciting development was the heartbreaking news of Kenzo’s death (October 4, 2020). Nothing would have prepared Marcy for this, just as well then.
The obituaries and messages came fast and from all over for Kenzo Takada who thrilled generations of youth and enticed global buyers with his vibrant cross cultural fashion. He liberated catwalks and redefined who fashion was for.
“For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry—always infusing creativity and color into the world. Today, his optimism, zest for life and generosity continue to be pillars of our Maison. He will be greatly missed and always remembered. “—Sylvie Colin, CEO of the Maison.
“It is with great sadness that I have learned the passing away of Mr. Kenzo Takada. His amazing energy, kindness and talent were contagious. His kindred spirit will live forever. Rest in peace Master.”—Felipe Oliveira Baptista, artistic director.
“Kenzo was always forward thinking, a genius with a creative imagination that crossed cultures. Early on, he was already a designer for the world. Bongga was invented for him!”— Marcy Halili, former Kenzo employee, old friend
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