A Labour of Love: A Story about LOVE ARMY founder Kenneth Tan

December 2018

It’s been a week since I landed in Manila, Philippines, and I still haven’t adjusted to the heat. With the average temperature somewhere around thirty-one degrees, coupled with a fairly high humidity, wiping sweat off my forehead has become constant habit. There would be no exceptions today; matter-of-fact, today’s weather was fierce. Thirty-seven degrees.

Today, I make my way to the busy suburb of Makati for a quick lunch with LOVE ARMY apparel founder, Kenneth Tan. We’ve planned our lunch in-between the morning and afternoon peak hour traffic. In Manila, affixing an extra thirty minutes to your commute is essential, due to the arbitrary nature of traffic. Today, I’m lucky; traffic is light.  

As I wait outside a tiny café in the middle of a park, surrounded by cinereous tinged office buildings, I recognise Kenneth making his way towards me. He’s not someone you would pick out from a crowd, as he isn’t tall, but he certainly walks with confidence. There’s a smile beaming from his face. I can’t help but return a grin, especially since it has been at least seven years since I last saw him.

I extend an arm for a handshake, but he bypasses that and hugs me, almost lifting me off the ground.

“Do you want to sit inside or outside?” he asks me.

The necessity for comfort only told me to give one answer. “Inside.”

Kenneth nods thankful for my answer, and then leads me into the café. He greets the host, and they exchange in conversation, before she takes us to our table.

“I’ve been here before,” he says.

Our food arrives promptly, and we reminisce on the last time we met, which was before his urban wear brand, LOVE ARMY, was conceived. Currently the LOVE ARMY apparel is an official sponsor for Hip Hop International, and is closely affiliated with the Esports league in the Philippines.

“LOVE ARMY started with me doing some shirt designs for a university, but eventually what they wanted didn’t fit with where I was aiming for creatively. So, I took on something for San Beda, and it really inspired me. I really enjoyed the whole process of designing a print of the medal of St. Benedict, because it was me doing something for my alma mater, but it also pushed me to a new level,” Kenneth answers after I ask him how his business brand began.

LOVE ARMY’s vision: “become a leading street wear brand, and a worldwide icon that instantly conveys passion and drive to take risks, do what you love, and live life,” has led Kenneth to be involved with supporting others, and creating awareness regarding social issues. Of the latter, he used his graphic design skills to create an easy way for people to participate in giving assistance during the series of typhoons that battered Luzon, Philippines in 2012. Then, there’s the hip-hop dance community that he’s been passionate in assisting.

“I’ve seen how talented Filipino dancers are, but I also saw that it wasn’t easy for them to rise above the rest, especially when all the effort goes to their craft, and not the things like videos, and presentation. It’s like seeing someone work so hard, but all that effort goes unnoticed. So, I got in contact with some dancers, shot their videos, edited it for them, and gave them some gear. I did it all for free because I believed in them.” Kenneth says, with the memory still etched in his face. “The relationship was mutual. They wore the gear proudly, and were really big supporters of LOVE ARMY in the beginning.”

Our endeavour in life includes the search for something we are passionate about. Some find it easily, stumbling upon it early; some inherit their passions, while some spend years trying to uncover it. When we do find it, we allow it to take our time, and we willingly spend our resources trying to perfect it. Amidst that difficulty, we persist on pursuing it as a labour of love. With it, we hang our hope of leaving something to be remembered by. But this is why the things we love can never remain in isolation. We always seek others to share our passions with, whether consciously, or subconsciously.

In C.S. Lewis’s book The Four Loves, there is a chapter where he addresses how friendship arises from companionship:

“It is when two such persons discover one another, when, whether with immense difficulties and semi-articulate fumblings or with what would seem to us amazing and elliptical speed, they share their vision--it is then that Friendship is born. And instantly they stand together in an immense solitude.” [1]

The ancient greeks used the word philia for this type of love, one that we try to seek at the toughest of times.   

“What do you find difficult in sustaining a clothing brand?” I ask as we finish our meal.

“It’s easy being creative, but the hard part is the production. I don’t know how to sew…” Kenneth replies, as he shrugs his shoulders. “I’m still learning on getting prints on shirts, and there’s always the cost of labour. So I’m always making sure I find the right people to do the things I can’t. Actually, at the start I was importing products from overseas, but that didn’t work for me. Yes, it was cheaper, but they just didn’t get what I wanted. When I finally found someone locally who shared what I envisioned, everything changed. Now, we make all the shirts, and jackets here in the Philippines, with ethical labour from locals.”

After we settle our bill, there’s a moment of reflection between us; the silence felt satisfying like a cat stretching its back.

“Let’s go around Makati,” Kenneth breaks the silence.

 We cross the street towards one of the many gargantuan shopping centres surrounding us. Luckily, the heat wasn’t as harsh, at least for now.

“Are you happy with where the brand is now?” I ask.

“I’m so proud that LOVE ARMY is produced locally, not just because it’s helping my home country, but more so that it’s still going in such a big market. Your brand can get lost really quick in the urban wear industry.”

We enter a crowded Glorietta 3, where the air conditioning acts as an oasis against the heat.

“What I’m really happy about with LOVE ARMY is the effects of what it embodies, and how some have taken it on: as an individual when you do what you love, your lifestyle progresses around a type of love, and sequentially as a society you build a culture, driven by a passion. There were actually this amazing group of people doing a hashtag movement, which included the name love army who got in contact with me. They asked on the possibility of giving a movement to the name. I was so humbled, actually.”

“What was your answer?” I ask.

“We’re still finalising some things.”

There are many reasons we are timorous with sharing our passions: fear of failure, insignificance, mistrust, and usually uncertainty. But when love drives us, we can’t help but shout out the very thing that we are most passionate about. When we find another person who understands, and shares the thing we love, they too cannot help but support us, and shout with us.  

Imagine two people who share a romantic love staring deep into each other’s eyes; in contrast, we can imagine two people who share the philia type of love stand side by side with their eyes gazing ahead at the same goal, clutching at the same hope for something better.

We ascend through each level of the shopping centre, as Kenneth shows me around. We arrive at a level, where designer brand stores are lined up one after another. I see Kenneth look lost for a moment, looking aimlessly at the space in front of him.

“It’s always interesting to see brands, and how they are usually associated with a sport, or luxury, or even a status, but I haven’t encountered a brand associated with just giving back to others, or simply love. Wouldn’t it be cool to see someone wearing something, and immediately know that they embody love, and helping others?”

I look at the print on his shirt. It reads: LOVE ARMY. Lifestyle Progress. Passion Culture. Do what you love.

[1] Lewis, C.S.. The Four Loves, London: Geoffrey Bles, 1960, p.60

To shop at LOVE ARMY supply visit: www.lovearmysupply.com/shop

To follow Kenneth’s work: LOVE ARMY Supply Blog or @lovearmy

Words and Photos: S.I. Finlayson

Editor: Zoe Knowles @storiesbyzak

With special thanks to: Kenneth Tan