#51,805 Most Popular
About
Entrepreneur from the Philippines who made a name for himself through his trademark Suyen Corporation and his expansive network of retail clothing stores known as Bench. Bench remains the largest fashion retailer operating in the Chinese-Philippine region. After successfully running his fast-fashion empire for 26 years, it was in 2013 when he moved into his landmark headquarters for the Suyen Corp. In 2020, his astute business sense would help him survive over a thousand store closures prompted by the extensive lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before Fame
He started university in Manila but later transferred to a school in San Francisco to complete courses in design. He would stay in the United States for four years working at a drive-through theater while completing his studies. After that time, he returned to the Philippines on the suggestion of his mother; as a place where he could make a fortune more easily than California. He opened his first Bench store in his home country in 1987.
Trivia
He is most popular on Twitter with his more than 450,000 followers, as well as on his account on Instagram, a platform where he has earned more than 260,000 followers. He is also a successful film producer in the Filipino movie industry.
Family Life
His family is full of business-savvy individuals. His parents became the leading laundry starch supplier. His brother, Carlos, mentored him in business when he returned from his studies in America. Carlos, as well as their other brother, Manuel, both founded their own, distinct companies that manufacture snack food products. His sister Nenita Lim operates a children's clothing boutique.
Associated With
He's always had a heavy hand in the marketing decisions for Bench. He is famous for finding celebrities to endorse the products that tend to prove lucrative to the brand's success. In 1989, his first such success was hiring actor Richard Gomez to represent his foundling Bench store, which at the time was more of a boutique pop-up inside another prominent retailer.
