The Many Faces of Philippine Fashion
Art Personas hosted the third cycle of the annual Face of the Philippines (FOP) in search for aspiring models to represent the Philippines in Seoul, Korea for the Asia Model Festival 2017.
CEO of Art Personas Ronnie Cruz noted the misconception of the whole gathering in the opening credits saying that FOP started first, “and we thought we needed a runway challenge so we created the Manila Fashion Festival and it has brought quite a lot in the last 2 years.”
Amidst the flashing lights and a slippery looking glass runway, the 19 FOP finalists from different parts of the country fiercely crossed their way towards the end of the competition from wearing figure-friendly black clothing to showcasing printed sports couture of sponsors.
After accomplishing a series of workshops and castings over the past few weeks, seventeen-year-old and Tourism student of Polytechnic University of the Philippines Maria Angelia Rizza Decena was crowned as the grand winner of FOP Cycle 3.
Along with her, 3rd placers, Erla Garcia and Jimmy Nocon; 2nd placers, Carla Hufano and Christian Uy and; 1st placer, Adrian Ramos will all be joining the trip to Korea around May next year to compete against 120 contestants from 30 countries in the prestigious Asia Model Festival.
During the second event of the night, the Manila Fashion Festival (MFF), Ronnie Cruz once again opened the runway with a speech far from the glitz and glamour of the occasion.
Cruz brought to the table an unusual collaboration, not with typical clothing lines but with a charitable institution, “It’s not all about imagery, in this industry we also have a heart. “
Cruz ardently explained that Art Personas have partnered with the Better Future Foundation to provide underprivileged kids with candies containing antibodies extract from Ostrich eggs to combat diseases such as SARS, MERS-COV, and the likes.
The MFF flaunted state-of-the-art designs of Filipino designers such as: the vibrant bags of Fino Leatherware, futuristic pieces of Jennifer Contreras’ Arin, old-fashioned garbs of Gabbie Sarenas’ Pintuho, Casual and lazy day outfits of Esme Palaganas’ Ein Fin De Compte, Minimalistic but alluring dresses of Brit Romero’s WEAVE, environment-friendly collections of Goethe Institut by Paola Lazatin, Janel Modejar and Kim Baydo and ZALORA’s laid-back yet chic apparels.
The pageant’s judges which included the chairman of Korea Model Association Yang Eui-Sig and Justine Gabionza who represented Philippines in the 2016 Asia Star Model Festival were meticulous in assessing the performances of the finalists.
Miss World Philippines 2011 winner, Gwendoline Ruais served as the master of ceremonies in her form-fitting black evening gown.
The Fashion Festival featured Manila’s finest designers, brands and models from October 18 to 21 at EDSA Shangri-La and is set to conclude its activities on the 27th at New World Makati with its very first cultural event in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.###
