The style savants

MANILA, Philippines - These days, being “into” fashion is loosely defined. It could mean that you dress up well, or have the means to dress up well; it could also be that you can put an interesting pocket square into a tee and sell it, or that you can shoot a stylized series of photographs akin to an editorial. So many are into fashion that in several ways, the message gets diluted — interpreted into products that either allude or reference to a love for fashion. But being into fashion doesn’t begin nor end at loving The Devil Wears Prada or The September issue or knowing how to match (or mis-match) clothes. What sets people who have lasted in the industry apart is that creative itch — the instinctive longing to be around clothes, what inspires them, and being able to stand by it on a daily basis — so much so that they have made careers out of it.

We introduce you to some of the people who attempt to keep this message intact, Generation Y’s fresh set of fashion delegates: BJ Pascual is one of the country’s top fashion photographers, lending his skills to billboards and editorials, while also becoming a brand ambassador to a couple of brands himself. Sam Potenciano helps shape the sartorial tastes of tweens as one of the editors at Candy magazine. Nina Gatan, on the other hand, is an upcoming designer, a PEFTA (Preview Emerging Talent Awards) alum whose work recently graced the cover of the same magazine. Samantha Gomez, model and designer muse, strengthens the case of Asian models by owning up to her Chinese-morena looks. David Guison, one of the first to answer the call of menswear blogging here, continues to reign over his niche on the web. Reese Rubin is Andy Sachs to one of the country’s most sought-after celebrity stylists, an assistant who’s able to dress a few artistas herself. Vania Romoff is this year’s answer to a local Carolina Herrera—a designer that favors restraint, subtlety and a fun kind of finesse.