MANILA, Philippines - Admit it. You want to be famous. You operate a multitude of social network accounts — Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Plurk, Blogspot, Livejournal. You secretly open your Friendster page during your intimate moments with your laptop. And the list goes on. We live in the age of the model-obsessed anti-model — a new breed of hipsters-in-denial who search for good taste in pop, but still live in the underground (culture, that is). And it was serendipitous to have met fashion black sheep Jujiin Samonte, a stylist-turned-photographer whose personal style dares on the spectator’s confidence. I just had to ask.
YOUNG STAR: Do you still get shy?
JUJIIN SAMONTE: All the time. It takes time for me to sizzle. (Cough) Inferiority complex. (Cough)
Do you get pissed when people stare at you?
Sometimes. But all in all, I like the attention.
(Anyone who hates being called a hipster knows the new-decade tastemaker as one of Manila’s most provocative do-it-yourself stylists, until he showcased his “Exhibit Number One” at Makati’s Trilogy Boutique in January.)
How can a stylist be a photographer? What made you decide to exhibit?
Everyone with a camera can be a photographer. Vicky Herrera asked me during the launch of a video Shahani Gania and I made for I LoveYou store at Trilogy.
How do you channel your styling into your photography?
It comes out naturally, being overly style-conscious myself.
What were you expecting before your first solo exhibit?
Fear that people would go, “What the f*ck?” I had even imagined a birthday party with a huge cake, upbeat music, fancy decorations, zero guests and a tear rolling down my cheek like a sad movie scene. And then there’d be a big, gold garbage truck to pick up the art pieces right after.
Canon or Nikon?
Canon. I still use a non-pro 400D. I’m now eyeing the very sexy 7D.
(And then I thought, does being a multihyphenate like Jujiin excuse him from being a master of none? Perhaps, the challenge of this era is to find social significance amid endless information and possibilities.)
Does it matter that you do a lot things — styling, photography, video, “anti-modeling”? Is it still an issue to be a “jack of all trades” in this day and age?
For me it doesn’t matter at all. There used to be a huge lag in my life when I felt really, for lack of a better word, useless. No job, school for years. So now that I have the energy and the willingness to grow and bear different kinds of fruits, I’m finally on a roll.
Avant-garde is not passé anymore. Thank God.
I still don’t feel comfortable using that (term) or being called that. I wouldn’t dare claim! Just like the word “artist.” It’s too eyebrow-raising. That’s why I’d rather be called a creator. That word isn’t too tarnished yet. Unless, it’s being likened to God, which is a different story.
(The son of Boho still has his pop culture daydreams. He even becomes fascinated by seeing his photos in society pages.)
When did you realize that people know you?
Google!
But the big question is... Lady Gaga or Britney Spears?
Lady Gaga used to be so-so, I’m-not-sure-if-I-like-her bordering on indifference. There was a certain off-ness about the early Gaga so that only a few admit to liking her (then). Until I saw her at the press conference in Shangri-La before her first arena concert in Araneta. I listened and YouTubed a lot and finally allowed her entry. Britney Spears is baduy but I like her songs. Gaga is a fine writer and singer, sometimes baduy (costumes and performances) but easily gets away with it. So to answer the question... Gaga. No sweat.
If you were a supermodel or a pop star, who would you be?
I’d be all the Spice Girls in one gay body.
(Anti-models are models who do not know they are, in fact, models. And if you view the photographer’s self portraits on www.jujiin.com, you will understand what I’m trying to say.)
Are there “real” models in Manila?
Yes. I’ve always loved Ria Bolivar. She knows she’s a model.
(What keeps this lensman intriguing is his sexuality. He breaks boundaries and provokes order.)
Why do you love androgyny?
In clothing, I don’t want to limit myself from the idea that this is for men and the other is for women. Creative freedom is key.
Gay + Fashion + Fame. What happens when all three collide?
Panty Monsters!
What the hell are the Panty Monsters? Who are the Panty Monsters?
They say that birds of a feather flock together. Panty Monsters is a group of creative minds, style icons with music-controlled bones.
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