LOOK: Heart Evangelista hand-paints Mark Bumgarner couture for charity
MANILA, Philippines - All of us know her as Heart Evangelista, one of the most celebrated actresses, models in the Philippines. But as an artist and entrepreneur, she will always be Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero.
After putting up her first solo art exhibit in 2014, and eventually venturing on painting designer bags, Love Marie is ready to take on the fashion realm.
This January 18, Love Marie, together with designer Mark Bumgarner, will have a Fashion Show Gala at the Dusit Thani Ballroom. Combining their skills and creativity, 40 well-designed tailored dresses will be paraded on the event, and 15 of which are masterfully hand-painted by Love Marie.
But more than showcasing her artistic talent, the event also aims to help some foundations as two of her hand-painted dresses from the collection will be silently auctioned off at the gala.
Both dresses to be auctioned off features hand-painted flower designs and Swarovski crystals and glass beads embellished by Mark. The proceeds from the black dress will go to a foundation that Love Marie has been helping for more than ten years now, Thalassemia International Association (formerly Balikatang Thalassemia Foundation) while the proceeds for the white dress will be dedicated to the Corridor of Hope Foundation.
At the press conference for their fashion gala, Love Marie said, their first ever collaboration was drawn from varied inspirations and a mixture of ideas.
"I wanted femininity. I want that when someone, the girls wear the dress, they will feel beautiful," Love Marie said, pertaining to the aesthetics of the collection.
The collection, which mostly features neutral colors, is also inspired by flowers and the vines which Love Marie used on her previous paintings. It also challenges the current trend of gowns as they try to incorporate a soul into the collection.
Asked how she handles her busy schedule being an actress, wife, entrepreneur, artist at the same time, Love Marie says she loves doing something new in her life, which is why she enjoys being a busy bee.
Love Marie also admitted that they encountered some problems during the process of painting the dresses.
"There's certain telas like gazar...when you paint on it, I was so shocked that the paint would bleed. It would not stop bleeding, so we were like, 'how are we going to do it?' But we figured out a way on our first dress then," recalls the artist.
