Seven years ago, Ben Chan underwent a dramatic change in appearance: he had lost a significant amount of weight. In late 2010, after subjecting himself to the rigorous Cohen diet combined with core kinesis exercises, the chairman and founder of Bench and Suyen Corporation found himself dropping pounds rapidly, and within a few months the fashion mogul’s personal wardrobe was to face a total revamp as well
He looked a good 10 years younger, perhaps even more. His silhouette went from full to slim. Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, he would go to work at the former Bench home base in Pasay in a classic short-sleeved barong Tagalog get-up; this office uniform was to be replaced with a crisp, slim-cut cotton shirt in either white or blue, or, on more casual days, a polo shirt in black or navy. Formerly averse to walking in springy rubber soles, Ben traded his everyday Prada loafers for edgy trainers by Acne, Nike, or the latest Japanese sneaker craze. Gone were the roomy Comme des Garçons suits he favoured for evenings out; in their place were sharply cut designer shirts by Dior Homme and jackets by Givenchy. And he had taken a liking to skinny jeans.