MANILA, Philippines - Some may call it a new generation. Or, the new breed. In this era of Twitpic and Instagram uploads and viral videos of real-life mannequins peppered across the Worldwide Web, we are calling this year’s newest lineup of male and female models at the Professional Models Association of the Philippines (PMAP), the Digital Breed.
Sixteen models, all tall and lean, seemingly lifted from a page from a high-fashion magazine, get hurriedly dressed. The steam from the curling irons fogging up mirrors at the dressing room. This is the world of fashion. Fast-paced and chaotic. But we live in it and thrive on it.
Marc Nicdao’s studio for the day echoed hollers of instructions to hairstylists, makeup artists, and photographer’s assistants, not to mention the sound of heels of stilettos clicking on the floor. This is not a scene clipped from a reality show, or a docu-film in the cut-throat world of fashion. It is a shoot on the partnership of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines (PMAP) and O+—the newest line of smart phones aiming to conquer the gadget-savvy market of the Philippines.
This year’s batch of female models includes Tola Orendain, Kylie Verzosa, Shermaine de Ramos, Maan Marquez, Riana Oritz Matera, Pauline Quintas, Sheena Maternal, Angelica de Leon, Angelica Mopera, Nikita McElroy, Janielle Bautista, Lourdes Yanong, and Maria Angelica de Leon. The five new male models are Paul Drake, Sam Ajdani, Francis Boyce, Emel Rowe, and Patrick Patawaran.
With president Phoemela Baranda at the helm, 2012’s roster of “It” boy and girl materials showed off their good looks and talents backed by the organization that has nurtured the biggest names in the industry.
Since its creation in 1987, PMAP has broken ground to the gathering of faces that would soon redefine the terrain of the modeling industry. A first of its kind in Asia, or perhaps the world, PMAP has gathered newcomers with outstanding potential before turning into who would become bigwigs in the industry.
Past members who have mattered in their chosen fields — be it in print or runway expertise — include Tina Maristela-Ocampo, Ronnie Asuncion, Paolo Relucio, Tetta Ortiz-Matera, Eric Quizon, Patty Betita, Apples Aberin, Baba Parma, John Estrada, Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, Myrza Sison, Marina Benipayo, Tweetie De Leon-Gonzales, Valerie delos Santos, siblings Raya Mananquil and Robby Mananquil, Peter Nordel, Bubbles Paraiso, Nicolette Belle, Isabel Roces, and Bianca Valerio. Going beyond providing an organization to harness talents, PMAP has fostered unity in all sectors of the modeling industry.
US-based brand O+ heralds the 2012 batch of modeling ingénues, championing what sleek, fresh, and innovative technology is all about. With Marc Nicdao at the steering wheel, the Digital Breed of PMAP models embodied perfectly how fashion and technology would coalesce and give birth to a re-imagined sense of creativity and ingenuity. A balance of work and play, O+ offers high quality entertainment and access to social media, from Facebook to Twitter, among other applications available.
With an impressive lineup of O+ entry level classic candy bar phones, Android smart phones and Tablet pieces, the brand introduces a first in cellular phone technology: the Air Shuffle.
O+ prides itself in introducing the 8.7 Android phone. Bannering its unique, revolutionary motion sensor, the Air Shuffle wizard allows users to easily switch FM radio stations, browse stored photos and music with one swoosh of the wrist.
The O+ 8.7 Android experience promises consumers to have maximized WiFi connectivity—opening modes of communication from social media to push e-mail and the Worldwide Web access in one flick. Its 1ghz processor also makes the O+ 8.7 Android phone best for ultimate gaming experience among other unlimited applications downloadable in its Android market. Unlocking its vibrant 3.2” capacitive multi-touch screen is also made more interesting while boasting a voice command navigation that lets users explore up to four home screens along with live wallpapers and Android widgets.
With an expandable memory up to 32gb, you can store and play your favorite tunes making use of its MP3 and MP4 player and a 3.5mm standard headset jack, and capture and relive your favorite moments with loved ones with its 3.2 megapixel rear-end and front-facing cameras and video recorder. All of these features are packaged sleekly in a black dual sim unit with a long-lasting battery life of up to 1400 mAh.
All of these features are packaged sleekly in a black dual sim unit with a piano finish that fits perfectly well with the suits the models donning. It’s the perfect balance of work and play, combining swift modes of communication for work needs and for social media and entertainment.
The giant shoot with 16 up-and-coming models was overseen by the PMAP big brothers and sisters Sanya Smith, Ornusa Cadness, Marco Lobregat, Miko Raval, Jairus Ferrer, Kara Gozali, and Raphael Kiefer.