Learning from the experts

Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista - they are some of the famous and sought-after names in the fashion world. And the list could go on and on. Yet the fact remains that they have never gotten to where they are now without going through the process. What we mean are proper training and the right exposure.

Enter Bigfoot Entertainment TV and the lucky live mannequins from Cebu can soon be on the same stage where the world's supermodels triumph and reign. Consider the names Tweetie de Leon and Jackie Aquino, then associate them with Daisy Baad and Eisen Job Alquiza, plus Australian print and runway model Rebecca Piket. You have Fashion TV ModelSchool - the first and the only one in Asia. This is where the aspirants would be molded to give them the winning edge when they decide to make it big in the fashion world or simply improve their personality.

"We are very excited to open the FTV ModelSchool Philippines in Cebu because we believe that by bringing in the experience and expertise of the FTV ModelSchool system, we will be able to help elevate the standards in our local modeling business," Mr. Larry Mercado, Bigfoot General Director of Schools, disclosed. "And with FTV's vast network worldwide, we are confident that we are giving aspiring models in the Philippines countless opportunities and exposure that they need to penetrate the international modeling area."

Of course, Cebu has produced supermodels all these years. We have Bing Pabular, Charity Lagahid, Marjay Ramirez and Verna Buckley, to name a few. Their achievement of stardom would have been smoother and sooner had they known the basics in fashion early on. They were discovered and were trained by fashion designers and icons but it would have been different had they known how to flirt and play before the camera, do the right pose and give the appropriate projection.

This is where the FTV ModelSchool will help students know the basics. Take note, classes will be reality based, wherein it is open for public viewing at the Ayala Entertainment Center for five weeks. Students will be taught fashion and personality enhancement, make up and hair techniques, runway modeling, photographic and commercial modeling and, eventually, a fashion show. Students will also be psychologically, emotionally and spiritually prepared so they would be able to stand against temptations along the way and to overcome the stigma that models are just catwalk gods and goddesses with no brains.

In the hands of mentors like de Leon, Baad, Aquino, Alquiza and Piket, as producer, we are seeing the rise of supermodel potentials that would soon shape up Cebu to become the fashion capital of the country. Piket will impart her experience as a professional model of more than a decade, having graced the runways of Singapore, Hongkong, Fiji and the Philippines, enabling her to write books about runaway and print modeling and even TV presenting. De Leon continues to be the toast of the fashion circuit in the country and still very visible in television commercials. She used to be the president of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines.

The name Jackie Aquino, on the other hand, is definitely not unknown to the fashion world for he is the one behind the most talked about product launches, major fashion shows, weddings and other private functions in the country and abroad. Baad, for her part, will share her vast experience in television, movie and theater production. She takes charge in mentoring about proper projection before the camera, along with Alquiza, whose passion is commercial photography but who is occasionally commissioned to do print advertisements, product packaging, and billboards for clients in Europe, the US and Asia. The most promising candidate will get the chance to be featured in two international movies by Bigfoot Entertainment within the year. Those who would finish all five modules will receive a certificate from the Fashion TV ModelSchool Philippines, and their names and selected photos will be posted in the Fashion TV's website, eventually giving them the chance to be discovered here and abroad.

As Jackie puts it " the world is a runway" and, who knows, the next big thing in the global fashion circuit that will give Campbell, Moss and Evangelista a run of their money may come from the queen city of the south. The long wait is over and the model school is the answer. For details visit Bigfoot Center along F. Ramos Street or the FTV booth at Ayala Center Cebu.