Last weekend the cul de sac of Cubao Expo was once again filled with creatives from all walks of life, this time to celebrate the fifth anniversary of The Twelfth House’s storefront opening. People filled the shop and overflowed out its door into the cool night air. The label dropped a series of 12 collaborations with other brands and DJs handled the decks all night, juggling styles from reggae to rap to chill electronic beats. “It was a culmination of eight years for the brand and five years for the store. Years’ worth of work, friendship, and growth for me and the brand,” says owner and founder Mikki Dela Rea. “I wanted to give back to the community that helped me grow as a person, found a family within, and built a business with that keeps me fed.”

The drop for the night included a baseball jersey with Wearelegendary, a collared shirt with Nobody, and mad tees. “Twelve collabs is a hell of a job to pull off,” Mikki laughs. “Some of the brands have actually been idle and some we worked with for the first time but have known or been friends with for a while. We won’t be really making much profit because we will be halving it with everyone involved. It was just something I’ve wanted to do for a while and found the right timing.” The Twelfth House also dropped a new line of their own featuring a Japanese top, overalls, and a lot of hats, but that was secondary and he didn’t even announce it until after the event.
Five years is an important benchmark for a business and Mikki has learned some essential lessons over that span of time. “People come into your life for four reasons: to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Surround yourself with people who are better than you, who have the same passion and drive as you, and who have the same vision as you.”
The scene has changed a lot in that span of time as well, and Mikki is proud to see it grow. “It’s huge now,” he says eagerly. “The Metro regions and provinces have their own scenes now. The young cats are so talented and they have better access to production, style references, and can measure the successes and mistakes that the pioneer brands made. It’s badddd. Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good!”

