Meet the new game changers in fashion

MANILA, Philippines -There’s a new breed of up-and-coming talents changing the way you think about clothes. These young, hardworking stylists move out of the background for their share of the limelight.

Sam Potenciano, 25

Associate fashion editor for Candy magazine

Clients: (commercial) Jellybean, (editorial) Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Lauren Young, Troian Bellisario

Stylists are...responsible for creating a visual narrative through the right hair, makeup, and clothes.

My aesthetic is influenced by...a weird confluence of all the pop culture I consume. Bad horror films, The Mighty Boosh, The Simpsons, Russh, Jalouse...

I grew up wearing...anything that would deflect attention from me because I was unbearably shy.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in...some big trend of the moment for the sake of being seen in it.

My first project...was doing test shoots out of college in Singapore. We would contact modeling agencies, do the hair and makeup ourselves, borrow clothes from friends’ boutiques, and shoot without permits.

You can often find me pulling out from...independent local brands like OS, Proudrace, and Fifth Code, as well as more accessible shops like The Ramp, Folded & Hung, Penshoppe, and SM.

First rule of styling is...to hone your personal eye, but to learn to adapt it to your client’s vision.

Dream shoot involves...an intimate road trip like the one in Ryan McGinley’s “I Know Where the Summer Goes” series, through stops along the Pacific Coast Highway like Big Sur. Dream model: 2004 Kirsten Dunst.

Edlene Cabral, 28

Style editor for Garage magazine

Clients: Oxygen, Penshoppe, 101 New York, L’Oreal, Bratpack, Tretorn, Sketchers, G-Star Raw, Globe, Sanuk, Warehouse, SM

Stylists are...interpreters of fashion. 

My aesthetic is influenced by…random things. Anything from an artwork, a movie, a certain event, an interesting person. 

I grew up wearing...white plain shirts, from the fitted to oversized.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in... creepers or clogs. It’s just not my thing.

My first project...shooting the Oxygen spring/summer 2010 campaign in Hong Kong. That was my first major project.

You can often find me pulling out from…menswear stores since I style guys most of the time.

First rule of styling is…have a strong vision of perceived output.

Dream shoot involves...styling an editorial for an international title or an international campaign and to style my all time best-dressed guy: Mark Ronson.  

Eldzs Mejia, 23

Freelance stylist

Clients: GMA, SM, Penshoppe, Globe, Jasmine Curtis-Smith

Stylists are...also artists.

My aesthetic is influenced by...the different cultures of the world! I’d like to call it global chicness!

I grew up wearing...Guess? Ha-ha!

I wouldn’t be caught dead in... white pants or white squared-toe dress shoes. Gross!

My first project...was for Total Girl magazine when I was still 16 years old.

You can often find me pulling out from...Topshop and Bench brands.

First rule of styling is...allow yourself to explore, do not limit yourself.

Dream shoot involves...racks and racks of off-the-runway pieces from all the international brands, Mario Testino, a Grace Coddington, a Joan Smalls and moi!

Manuel Lotho, 26

Press & comm. officer for H&F Retail Concepts, Inc.

Clients: Rogue magazine

Stylists are...fickle over-archivers. 

My aesthetic is influenced by...my childhood: Los Angeles, video games, Dragonball Z, other cartoons and comic books. 

I grew up wearing...often what my older brother(s) did. Plenty of Anchor Blue, washed Levis, Nikes and a white K-Swiss.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in...the Blue Ranger costume — I always preferred White or Green. That said, leotards, onesies and things rendered in shiny-shiny silk will forever remain entirely out of my jurisdiction.

My first project...was an editorial in Rogue magazine. It involved a girl mostly in men’s clothes and a guy in women’s trousers.

You can often find me pulling out from...surprisingly, Marc by Marc Jacobs. There’s a lot of punk there that I just didn’t see before.

First rule of styling is...always be/stay/work organized.

Dream shoot involves...an unfamiliar landscape. Somewhere that is visually and geographically detached from the place where I was born.

Ryuji Shiomitsu, 24

Freelance stylist, teacher at Fashion Institute of the Philippines

Clients: SM Ladies Fashion, ETC, Memo, Oxygen, Penshoppe, Cinderella, GMA Artists Center, Mega and YStyle

Stylists are...the scriptwriters and storytellers of fashion.

My aesthetic is influenced by... the pulse of fashion influences. It includes what’s happening generally in fashion, in international Fashion Weeks, on the streets, general information, and anything that might strike my curiosity.

I grew up wearing...sport shirts and sweatpants because that was all that fit me before (I was 220 pounds or more at my heaviest).

I wouldn’t be caught dead in...a white sport shirt and tacky sweatpants (again).

My first project...my mentor John Herrera’s Holiday 2009 collection. He asked me to style his Philippine Fashion Week lookbook.

You can often find me pulling out from...a wide array of strategic places: from malls to designer ateliers. I almost always use the formula Manila-Makati-Ortigas-Quezon City to optimize brand and designer pullouts.

First rule of styling is...be inspired! All day, every day! There’s no room for second-guessing!

Dream shoot involves...Steven Meisel shooting on location with Pat McGrath the makeup artist, Guido Palau the hair stylist and me as the fashion stylist with 40 trunks of options from blue chip brands!

Kate Paras, 28

Associate fashion editor for Chalk magazine

Clients: (commercial) Mariel Rodriguez, Aeropostale, (editorial) Jessica Sanchez

Stylists are...interpreters of fashion.

My aesthetic is influenced by...what I read, what I watch, and my own personal preferences in fashion.

I grew up wearing…flared jeans, cartoon tees, clogs, and jumper dresses.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in...Jeffrey Campbell Litas.

My first project...was styling for CalCarrie’s model setcards five years ago.

You can often find me pulling out from...stores in Glorietta, Greenbelt, and the Fort. Some of my favorites include Forever 21, Topshop, Aldo Accessories, The Ramp, and a couple of online stores.

First rule of styling is...be ready to get haggard! Styling work is not an easy task, especially if you work for a magazine. You have to conceptualize, pull out, shoot, return pull outs, write, and oversee the layout. It is most definitely not a glamorous job. Patience and zero-ego is key.

Dream shoot involves...Gwyneth Paltrow and New York City.

   Photos by JOSEPH PASCUAL

Shot at SM AURA SKY GARDEN