I have this vivid memory from high school about the need to belong—and what happens when you try to be different. It’s part of my core memories, though now as an adult, I just laugh when I think back on it, even if it did have a big impact on me.

I went to a Catholic school where we wore uniforms on weekdays, making any weekend event an opportunity to show some individuality and wear your best clothes to school. At one of these events, I made the mistake of wearing a T-shirt from a Filipino fashion brand called Bench. This was during the time when the norm was to wear Giordano polo shirts, Guess jeans, and Giordano belts—at least at our school.

I didn’t think much about it then, but there were some people who made fun of me for wearing that shirt. I guess Bench wasn’t up to standard for the kids at my school, and kids can be cruel sometimes.

I remember one classmate “C” who made fun of me and turned me into the laughingstock of the group. Another friend, “W,” was kind enough to tell me the shirt actually looked good, but that others were teasing me just because it was from Bench.

Ah, kids.

I never wore that shirt again, and I started building my collection of Giordano polo shirts, Guess jeans, and Giordano belts—just so I wouldn’t have to go through that again. It did give me some confidence back… at least until I went to the University of the Philippines, where I’d be called konyo if I wore those.

So, I had to rebuild my collection yet again to fit my new environment—but that’s a story for another time.