Which is how Kashieca intended it to be. Though the clothes are pretty enough to warrant attention, it’s ultimately the wearer’s personality that shines through the clothing, and not the other way around. That’s why Kashieca specifically chose Blanca Badilla del Castillo to wear its clothing.
A neophyte in the modeling business, Blanca will do justice to the clothing in a way that veteran mannequins may not be able to. Dispossessed of modeling techniques and lofty back-breaking poses, Blanca has to rely on her own individuality to give the clothes personality. And she does it with the least amount of effort. This may be Blanca’s first modeling stint, although not once in the entire shoot did the rookie nerves give out. Posing in front of the lens comes naturally to Blanca, and probably dictated by her DNA – her mother is former supermodel-turned-actress Bessie Badilla (she of Eh Kasi Babae fame). Opposite the camera, Bianca is her own woman showing a hint of girlishness being (just) all of 19.
Blanca, if the doctors were to be believed, was supposed to have been born male. But by a fluke of nature, or most probably a fluke of science, a bouncing baby girl emerged and the Del Castillos, expecting a little boy, was bereft of a name for their newborn and so named her for her fair skin.
Though born in Manila, the family moved to Singapore when Blanca was two months old, and then to Stamford, Connecticut when she was four. She has lived here since and, at 19, is attending university with an intent to major in Art History and minor in French. "It’d be great to end up as a journalist with an art column," says Blanca, whose artist icons include impressionists Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet.
Though she’s lived abroad most of her life, Blanca is no stranger to the Philippines. The Del Castillos visit Manila almost every year, which allows mom Bessie to keep her contacts in the fashion industry and do guest appearances on the catwalk. It was in one of these shows that Ben Chan, one of Bessie’s long-standing industry friends and whose company Suyen Inc. now owns Kashieca, spotted Blanca’s potential and signed her up as one of the boutique’s muses.
Blanca couldn’t have done better for her first modeling experience. Apart from the clout held by the popular brand, Kashieca’s clothing complements the woman-girl’s own dress sense. "My sense of style is pretty eclectic. I don’t always follow what’s trendy. I stick to what’s comfortable and just usually go for clean, preppy lines."
It’s a reverberation of the Kashieca aesthetic. Clean, classic lines support fun, frisky colors and designs that still manage to retain comfort. It doesn’t look to the recent catwalk for ideas, and in doing so encourages the most important thing: a woman’s individuality.