Searching for the next supermodel… in the Philippines

Anyone who has worked in the local fashion industry knows how hard it is to find a good model around here. So it always comes as a surprise whenever a local model makes it abroad.

Last year the local Supermodel search organized by franchise holders Joey and Audie Espino of CalCarries came up with Charo Ronquillo, who went on to win second place in the Supermodel of the World Search 2006.

She is the first Asian ever to land in the top three.

This year the local winner is Michelle Panemanglor, a 19-year-old Filipino-Indian beauty selected by the Espino brothers and Bill Ford, son of Eileen Ford and president of the famed Ford Models agency.

Besides winning a one-year modeling contract with CalCarries, she will compete in the Supermodel of the World finals in New York in January 2007.

A day before Michelle’s victory, I spoke to Bill Ford about finding the right model.

The interview was easy and informal, with much laughter. It’s been a while since I’ve heard New York humor and Mr. Ford doesn’t stop cracking jokes with the Espino brothers.

The first thing I really want to know is, is it worth looking here? Don’t you think it’s slim pickings over here?

BILL FORD: It’s slim pickings everywhere. Everywhere in the world, the United States, Australia… you’re probably saying why don’t we just spend our time there or in Europe?

Yes, because the impression is it’s really about white models.

It used to be. Ten years ago, it was.

Finding a good model is really finding something unique and Charo has finally become that unique look from the Philippines.

When a model becomes that good, it’s not about color of the skin or anything like that, it’s a matter of how does she sell? How does she draw people in? How is she as a model? And if you can say great to all of those, she becomes a supermodel. And they book her. They book the individual, more than they book her to be politically correct.

If you look at the breakdown of the US population, we’re first Caucasian, second, Hispanic, by 25 percent. Asian is coming up next and coming up fast. You don’t ignore those numbers and say no, we’re one thing. Diversity is not just a buzzword anymore. You watch where the agency is going, what the future will hold. You’d better keep up with it or go bye-bye.

There’s been a trend towards Brazilian, Russian or Eastern-bloc models. Who decides what is the next trend for these girls?

Nobody decides. It just happens. Brazilians actually came into New York with the best, most enviable bodies, starting with Adriana Lima. There were girls before her but she was just this stunning thing.

Everybody heard, wow, she’s Brazilian. Everybody started going down there. If you’ve ever been to the beaches in Rio, she’s pretty normal there. She’s gorgeous. It was a unique look. Nobody said she’s Hispanic, she’s Brazilian, they just said, "I want that girl." And they wound up there.

Russians came across the border as fast and furiously as they could get out of Russia at the time. Somebody found a couple and somebody else found a couple, so they said it was a trend. We find models everywhere.

No, we don’t use as many Asians but, you know what? It’s coming. Like it or not, it’s going to be a very diverse world.

I was amazed at the European population in Shanghai when I was there last week. You know, everybody seems to be living everywhere. I don’t know with the Philippines. I haven’t been here long enough.

I think the Koreans are taking over.

So you know advertisers, if they become 25 percent of the population, you’d better pay attention to them and their buying power, if they get to be that large a segment of your society.

Where else in Asia have you been to for this search?

In Asia, we’ve done Supermodel in Singapore, we have done it in China before and Japan. This year we will bring a girl, I think, from Singapore; I’m not sure. Definitely here and China.

On your website it said you were looking for girls at least 5’8" tall, between 14 and 21 years old.

We look at girls at 14, but if I had an ideal it would be 17, 18 to start. I would like girls that have finished high school, just because if it doesn’t work, they could go back.

But at the same time, the competition for the business has become very fierce, so we like to start following them earlier and take girls during the summer. We bring them to New York for a couple of weeks. So we do look at girls that young. And surprisingly, we find quite a few at that age that we don’t work with till later.

How does a 14-year-old model get her education?

We try and do it during the summer around her school schedule – just try and look at it from this perspective. I’m a 50-year-old photographer and I’m trying to talk to you, a 14-year-old girl. There isn’t a whole lot in common there. It doesn’t make for a good business relationship till they can communicate.

So there’s a huge, huge difference between 14 and 18 just in maturity level, and education is part of that maturity.

So what else are you looking at besides the height requirement?

It’s this wonder body size that is dictated by the designers and we have to fit into their sample size, which is generally a 6, 8, somewhere there.

Not a 2 or 4?

That’s only in Prada. (Laughs) And I’m not sure if that’s the new 6 or the new 8. But it is slender and it is not emaciated.

So you don’t believe in that. I heard that the Spanish were…

Banning some models? You know, the funny part about that is that if you look at half of the girls that they call emaciated, follow them around to dinner that night… they’re in McDonald’s.

They’re just kids that have this incredible metabolism. By the way, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist that some kids do develop eating disorders and yes, we’ve got to be there for them and make sure that they stay healthy. An emaciated, bulimic model does us no good. It is a problem because they don’t fit the clothes.

They’re too skinny?

They become too skinny. And the bottom line is, healthy and in-shape works. For a girl who feels like she is too heavy, exercise, as opposed to non-eating, would serve two purposes: one is endorphins make you feel better about yourself. Period. They give you more energy and bring you back to the shape that people are looking for. Which is a far better way than dropping weight by just not eating.

Here in the Philippines, the word "supermodel" is really abused. It’s like everyone’s a supermodel. Who invented this word?

Eileen. And by the time we went to trademark it everybody loved it so much that we couldn’t trademark it.

You call your mom Eileen, or mom?

To you, Eileen. To her face, mom.

What is the true definition of a supermodel?

That special person… Okay, you’re at a cocktail party. All of a sudden you feel the door open. You don’t know why you’re turning but the door is opening, the room goes silent and in walks this creature. That’s the supermodel. The one that can stop everybody in their tracks. You know what, I would not put her on the hood of the car because I want to keep moving. (Laughter)

How come you never search for male models here?

(Laughs) Because people like him might show up. (Points to Audie Espino, laughs) I’m sorry. That was too easy. That was far too easy.

My last question: Do you date models?

I did and I don’t. We have this family rule that I can date models, as long as they’re not ours.