Stephen Gan in ‘Philippine Tatler’

MANILA, Philippines -For the Philippine Tatler’s October issue, editor in chief Anton San Diego and photographer Frank Hoefsmit went to the Big Apple in search of Filipinos who made it big in one of the most competitive cities in the world.

On the magazine’s cover is none other than fashion visionary Stephen Gan. The Philippine-born genius in many aspects of the industry, from magazine and online publishing to advertising campaigns, is an elusive interview. But with New York-based photographer Joseph Chen, he agreed to be photographed in his office in Manhattan for the Philippine Tatler and answer some questions. For the uninitiated, Gan is the creative director of Harper’s Bazaar as well as the founder and creative genius behind V and V Man magazine and Visionnaire.

In the massive New York folio, 30 successful Filipinos and Filipino-Americans took time off for lensman Hoefsmit, going to their favorite spots in exciting Manhattan as their backdrop. For instance, there’s Patricia Zobel y Urquijo in front of a graffitti wall in Brooklyn; Maria Pineda in Central Park; Michael Dadap and Yeou-Cheng Ma as well as Jorge Ortoll and colleagues in the Ma-Yi Theatre; Thea Robles in front of Felix restaurant in Soho; Adam Jacobs and Ali Ewoldt in Times Square. Better than any travelogue, these pages of visuals and stories present an intimate side of the city that never sleeps.

A major player in the corporate world not only of New York but London as well is Tony Alvarez. He went to New York merely to follow his young wife Gail who was there on a visit and, with the great network of Filipino immigrants, found his niche. And what a niche he carved with his company, Alvarez & Marsal. Tatler visited them in their grand New Jersey home and discovered that through perseverance and hard work, dreams do come true.

San Diego says that producing the issue was “exhausting but exhilarating”. His only regret is, even with so many pages and frames depicting New York, words and photos are simply not enough to capture all the sights and sounds of this pulsating place, this center of life. But a great glimpse of it you can get from the October issue of the Philippine Tatler.