How did Paré get started? 

I’ve always known I wanted to get into the fashion world, and I had the idea for over 10 years. I just never gave it the full-time dedication it needed. I started playing golf when I was around seven or eight years old. My dad pushed me. He was like, “This is going to be your sport.” Meanwhile I really just wanted to play basketball and try different things, but golf was always still there.

When I graduated from Gordon, I went straight into corporate jobs. I worked in the pharmaceutical media agency world for a while and then transitioned careers to follow a passion in the sneaker world. It was an awesome experience, but the company crumbled, and I was let go with a generous amount of severance.

During that time my wife Ashley and I were at a Panda Express, and I got a fortune cookie with a message along the lines of "Hey, go do it, whatever it is that's been in the back of your mind.” We kind of took that as a sign. I didn't have a job. No one was hiring, and I didn't know what I wanted to do. So I just embraced it and jumped in.

What’s the meaning behind “Paré”?

I’m Filipino, and “paré” (pronounced pah-ray) is the Filipino way of saying “dude, bro, buddy, pal,” etc. Growing up my dad, my uncles, my cousins and my dad's golf buddies always used it—especially when we were playing golf. “Paré” is also a fun play on words, where “par” is even in golf and E on a scorecard. I nerded out the first time I realized that connection. From there I knew what I was building was meant to be.

Paré has also been an opportunity to educate folks on how the Filipino community is extremely into golf. Generating some sort of Filipino representation out there was always part of our mission. The brand is Filipino-inspired, and at the same time we’re mixing and weaving in the cultures of what I love: fashion, streetwear and golf.

Tell us about being invited to Paris Fashion Week.  

Everybody knows Paris Fashion Week and knows that it’s mostly high-end luxury brands, but there’s also many other shows for niche markets like golf.

Pierre Greilsamer runs the Paris Golf Gallery and was one of the first people to follow Paré’s Instagram account, before I even had a product. He connected me with Gwop Meet, a golf swap meet. We were in Japan for some other Paré work, and I got a text message saying, “Hey, do you want to be a part of Paris Fashion Week?” My mouth dropped, and I had to keep it top secret from everyone.

Paris Fashion Week itself was so humbling. We were in the Cadillac building, right next to the Paris Opera. It was an incredible space where brands had their showcases and upcoming plans for next year’s seasons. Just to be in a room full of other well-established brands, brands that have been there for years, and here I am coming in as a new player in this space.

The amount of exposure Paré has gotten and received has been so beautiful and life changing. I'm now starting to expedite launching globally. I've always been focused on the US and Canadian markets, but this experience has really pushed me to figure out how to do the Europe and Asia markets.

How did Gordon prepare you, and how has your faith impacted your business? 

I owe a lot to Gordon College, specifically my former professors like Kent Seibert, Alice Tsang and Andy Moore. They taught me a lot of life lessons that go way beyond the classroom. I also owe an immense amount of gratitude to Gordon Athletics—especially Coach Tod Murphy, Coach Josh Thies, Coach Keith Krass and Jon Tyman. They accepted me as family, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of a championship winning team.

What God has done in terms of bringing me back to my faith, I try to apply in every single aspect of my life. At Paris Fashion Week I had the chance to meet someone I’ve always looked up to, and we connected and bonded over our faith. I couldn’t believe I was having a conversation about faith with a person I admired in this beautiful city, and of all weeks, during Paris Fashion Week. Incredible, right?  

While we were talking, he asked me, “What's been the one thing that has motivated you the most?” And God literally told me just to say, “I use Paré as my own ministry.”

Talking about the brand and what it means is a way for me to connect with people and bring people to see God's love and his mercy. This brand is helping me see how it’s truly worth it when you’re faithful, when you’re obedient and when you have the mindset of serving others over yourself.