MANILA, Philippines - To our country’s list of internationally famous natural resources, please add: beautiful men.
Our country is world-famous for its multitude of beautiful beaches and beautiful women. We have award-winning Boracay and Palawan on our shores and quite a number of beauty queen title-holders as proof of our well-deserved reputation. But today, there is a boy who is out to add another dimension to all that: meet the latest Bench endorser and first Filipino male supermodel, Paolo Roldan.
First, a short intro: Paolo Roldan was born in the Philippines and later on moved to Canada. Years later, in 1999, he came back here in hopes of pursuing a pro basketball career. A knee injury sidetracked his original plan and made him pursue his other love: fashion. Fashion runs in his blood, after all, with the great Aureo Alonzo as his uncle and his fashion-savvy parents as inspiration. He went on to work for retail brands in Toronto and it was on one of his business trips in New York as a buyer that Boss Models founder David Bossman spotted him. He did a test shoot that very same day and from then on, Paolo has done in his relatively short career what most models can only dream of. He has landed an ad campaign for a major fashion house (Givenchy), walked the ramp for big name designers such as Phillip Lim, and now he graces not one, but four, giant Bench billboards along EDSA-Guadalupe. He is back in his homeland, and in spite of all he has achieved abroad, he shares that the work he’s doing now for Bench is a dream come true.
PHILIPPINE STAR: From working behind the camera to being in front of it, what have you learned about the fashion industry?
PAOLO ROLDAN: The industry is very dynamic. You meet a lot of different people and you learn a lot of different things from every encounter and experience. I can’t say just one specific thing really stands out. Fashion is an ever-changing industry and so I always learn new things along the way.
We read somewhere that you eventually plan on coming up with your own clothing line. How will that look like?
My fashion sense keeps on evolving but for now I’m really interested in doing heritage fashion — like drawing inspiration from what our ancestors used to wear. Maybe use indigenous fabrics and picking up from what local fashion was back in the day. It’s a lost art and I would love to be able to explore and celebrate that.
How does it feel to see the enormous Bench billboards of yourself on EDSA?
The first time I saw them for myself I was actually in a car with my friends — friends not being the best company when you’re about to see half-naked pictures of yourself! (Laughs) There was a lot of teasing of course, but it all felt surreal, you know? It’s awesome. This is a big deal. I’m super happy to finally have work in the Philippines. This is what I’ve always wanted to do — go back and do something here. I’m really grateful to Bench for letting this happen.
Your look is very Filipino. What do you think sets the Filipino apart? What’s your appeal?
Oh, I don’t know — because I’m tall, dark and bald? But seriously, for me, it’s about being true to who and what I am. I think Filipinos are attractive because we all look so different. Our diversity makes us interesting. We are all different kinds of beautiful.
In this age of Google and Instagram, do you ever worry when you’re asking a girl out that she might have already prematurely seen you in all your God-given glory?
You know what, I try not to think about that! (Laughs) It’s funny, but I really try to keep it all low profile, you know? I can get really shy about it.
View allAs a model, you have more awareness about your body — what angles you look best in, what lighting would flatter you most. So when you’re out on a date with a girl you really like, do you ever find yourself presenting your best side or studying the resto’s lighting so your cheekbones will pop out more?
(Laughs) Of course not! Maybe before I leave the house I will check how I looked and all that, but on the date itself, it should be all about the girl. My focus will be all on her.
You’re constantly surrounded by beautiful women. What qualities catch your eye? What do you find attractive in a girl?
Beautiful eyes really catch my attention. There is no specific type, they just have to have that special twinkle, you know? But what really gets me is a good heart. I see gorgeous girls all the time and having that special quality sets them apart from everyone else.
I’m sure you’ve met a lot of local celebrities. Who do you find attractive?
Here’s the thing, I never get star-struck and I’ve met a lot of big stars, but I recently met Imelda Marcos and I was blown away. She is awesome. She’s super hot.
In dating, do you like to pursue or be pursued?
A little bit of both. I like the thrill of the chase. It shouldn’t be too easy because otherwise it can get boring really fast. But I also like to get some love back.
Lights on or off?
Dimmed.
Who is Paolo Roldan? Really, who is he?
The Filipino-Canadian model with the sexy bald head and steely glare is the latest endorser for its Bench Body range.
Known for his ramp work, the 26-year-old model was discovered by Boss Models and is currently signed to Why Not Management in Milan, Elmer Olsen Model Management in Canada, and Soul Artist Management in New York. Paolo Roldan was exclusive to Paris Fashion Week-showing Givenchy Men fall/winter 2010 and closed the label’s show in January 2010. He was also one of five male models to walk in the women’s RTW. Other turns on the ramp include shows for menswear labels Michael Bastian and Phillip Plein, as well as for the menswear shows of Giorgio Armani and Diesel. He has appeared in international publications as well like Vogue, GQ and Hercules magazine.
The campaign images are styled by top local stylist and longtime Bench collaborator Noel Manapat, and photographed by internationally fielded Chinese-Filipino male model Brent Chua.
After walking in shows all over Milan, Paris, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore (where he won the “Male Model of the Year†category at the Singapore Fashion Awards 2004), he headed to New York City.
Now represented by Ford Models, he has appeared in campaigns such as Benetton, Bang and Olufsen, TIGI Bedhead, Motorola, and Macy’s, and has walked the runways of Versace, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Gucci, and Boss. Photographed by Vogue icon Steven Meisel, Brent has taken his experience being in front of the lens to a keen understanding of fashion photography.