Generation next
The most interesting part of any fashion event is the side comments, what people really think.
At Wednesday’s Gen M—the Mega Young Designer Competition, we were given that chance to voice out our opinions as we judged the finalists. Seated alongside Mega editor-in-chief and now reality TV show host Sari Yap were the show’s co-judges for the ETC TV series — designer to the stars Avel Bacudio and supermodel/yoga teacher/host Raya Mananquil. Right beside them were Tessa Prieo-Valdes, Cristalle Belo-Henares, Jenni Epperson and myself, all guest editors in the past year’s issues of “The Philippines’ Number One Fashion Magazine.”
“Given a voice” is an understatement, as a lapel microphone was attached to our bodies so each and every stream of thought that translated into words was recorded on cam. Yes, a la Big Brother. In this case, Big Sister.
The battle for supremacy has extended to TV and online. Printing your glossy is not enough. Multimedia is the name of the game. Publishing companies need to work harder to get that bang and your buck. Editors as rock stars, writers doubling as the glossy’s brand ambassadors and more multi-tasking and crossing over than you can think — pop culture, in two words. With that in mind, the Mega group ventured to produce their own designer reality show with ETC and Solar Entertainment, producers of Project Runway Philippines. Project Runway was shelved and Gen M was born. A local title beating a foreign brand — now isn’t that a winner? And before you think of the “gaya-gaya” tag, bear in mind that Mega has been doing their own Young Designer Search way, way before Project Runway, or any other fashion magazine for that matter.
That night, I rushed backstage to spruce up my Rajo Laurel suit. Great thing Rajo himself, an alumnus of the said competition, was backstage to assist me in my fashion dilemna. We got an extra neon orange belt and made it into a pocket square that went around my shoulders, a la As Four. Armed with confidence, fashion is filled with moments like these—uncertainty, innovation, humor, intensity. You are surrounded by the most colorful and the most sensitive human beings in history. That’s why I love it.
Front row and front page
On front row was cover girl Nanette Medved, who never ceases to take my breath away by her sheer presence and quiet confidence. Ruffa Gutierrez made her grand entrance, lights and all, with her Paparazzi crew when the lights were dimmed and the show was about to start. Divine Lee looked divine as usual in a sparkly nude Kermit Tesoro. Now, this Kermit, he is the next fashion star to watch out for. JR Isaac entered with a bang with a new set of bangs, which I honestly think looks fresh off the runway as he hosted it live via U Stream with PLDT Watchpad’s MyDSL. Miriam Quiambao, Dr. Vicki Belo, Hayden Kho and other bold-faced names filled the front row.
Robby Carmona’s staging was inspired, using every angle of Republiq to showcase the clothes and the designers. I am not about to go on a fashion review of the collections — that’s YStyle’s turf — so watch out for Ana K’s report on the designers and their collections. However, I particularly liked Jearson Demavivas’ take on modern Filipino, using native weaves but interpreted in ultra modern luxe. He flew in from 
South Cotabato just to be able to join the competition. Jearson won Best in Show and 1st Runner Up status. Grand winner was Russell Villafuerte, who I hear is the most hardworking in the bunch. Just with that I am sure he will go a long way.
Others who took home honors were Aram Loe and Christine Lam, who got second and third runner-up honors, respectively. In the end, the honors go to the whole industry, what with the alumni of the Mega YDC from Furne One, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Aries Lagat, Veejay Floresca and Rajo Laurel continuing to make waves here and abroad. As I’ve said previously, this year will be a stellar year. So designers, reach for the stars — as you get ready to dress up the stars!
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Which stars do you think are the best/worst dressed? Follow me at twitter.com/iamtimyap and tell me who, thank you!
