From left to right, Joanna Preysler, Amina Aranaz Alunan, and Vogue Philippines Deputy Editor Trickie Lopa. Photographed by Kieran Punay.Nicole Andersson. Photographed by Kieran Punay.
For a special Vogue+ conversation, the three creatives recall how they discovered their creative communities and how curated living can foster such shared passions
Since 2000, Rockwell Center has focused on creating establishments and residential spaces that aim to elevate the means for leisure, entertainment, and activity, of which Rockwell now commemorates through its “Lifestyles Done Rockwell” event, a curated showcase of the various communities and properties that have shaped the brand’s value for shared experiences for 30 years.
For an afternoon at The Balmori Suites’ function room in Rockwell Center, Makati, Vogue Philippines invites members of the arts and fashion industries to join in a conversation on what it means to be a creative in an interconnected city.
Hosted by Nicole Andersson, Vogue Philippines deputy editor and Art Fair Philippines co-founder Trickie Lopa, Provenance Art Gallery director Joanna Preysler, and SoFA Design Institute and Aranáz co-founder Amina Aranaz Alunan share the roots of their passions, their values for community, and the impact that curated living has had on their careers and their personal lives.
Before establishing her yearly celebration of local artistry and craftsmanship, Lopa was initially organizing open markets with her friends. This would later lead to the creation of Art in the Park, where she adds how connecting with different generations of artists and creative communities allowed her to discover deeper meanings of representation and collaboration along the way.
“With me, I would say that fashion is my community,” Alunan shares. I kind of grew up in the fashion world, and from a very young age, I knew that it was my future.” She goes on to express how growing in her passions as a career started with working as a model and behind the scenes of editorial shoots. “It was when I left for Milan that I saw the fashion world in the international sense, and it made me question why the Philippines is not at this level? And that was when I thought about education.”
For Preysler, she shares how her life is composed of microcommunities that bear their respective impacts on her growth. “I have my fitness community, whom I’ve been training together every day for six years; I have my art community with artists, friends, and collectors that I’ve grown close to; and then I have my main community, which is my family.”
The three creatives also elaborate on how, apart from proximity, they looked to develop their businesses and communities within Rockwell Center. “Rockwell is really part of the growth of both my brands. It was the first home of Aranáz in 2004 as a little pop store, but also now for my official store that opened later in 2006,” Alunan shares. And while SoFA Design Institute initially hosted exhibits of its students’ creations within Power Plant Mall, the fashion school later made a permanent move to the microcity in 2024.
“I’d say that I’ve had a journey with Rockwell because we were actually amongst the pioneers,” Preysler shares. “It was still under construction, and so my husband and I came up with a concept called Voyage that we later opened here with the mall.” As this would later lead to future concept stores such as Carbon, Tint, and Othello by Provenance, she also adds how Rockwell Center’s interconnected establishments grew her favor for convenience and curated living. “I’m a very busy body, so I really appreciate that everything’s in one place. To me, that makes all the difference.”
For Lopa, she recalls how she was simultaneously building her art community and creating clothes for children and pre-teens under her Orange Juice label, later resonating with Preysler in how the mall has allowed her to collaborate and host exhibits that showcase the works of young and emerging creatives. “This is the place where I go to unwind, to meet friends, and when I do projects with young designers, we also always have pop-ups here in Rockwell, so it’s a great home for the creatives.”
As the conversation draws to a close, the three creatives share their insights on what it means to not only find their creative voice within themselves but also in the communities they’ll discover along the way.
“I think in whichever industry you’re in, each of them has its own community,” Alunan expresses. She also notes how, despite the presence of competition within most industries, it’s through collaboration and shared passion that creativity is brought together. “What you have to remember is to never think that you are successful alone, and if you can uplift everyone in every community, then that’s what I would love to see. That’s what I hope to do.”
Preysler follows with an anecdote of the day she decided to venture into the creative scene, recalling a conversation she had with her aunt. “She said, ‘I only have one piece of advice, and that’s to stay above the fray.’ Keep your eyes on being inclusive and paying it forward, because there will always be somebody just like you who may need a leg up, so just help where you can.”
Anderson would later build on Lopa’s statement from a resident’s perspective, relating how Rockwell pays tribute to local artists across its various developments. Within Rockwell Center, national artist Victorio Edades and his modernist approach to painting became the reference for the microcity’s eponymously named residential cluster, and its newest residential tower, Edades West. From spacious, glass-walled units to fully customizable spaces, the brand aims to let its ideals for curated living resonate in personalization, leisure, and convenience.
“What I really enjoy is when I decide to come here, I cut through the buildings, and I cut through Eight Rockwell, and you get to see art pieces like the beautiful BenCab that’s right near the lobby, and the Impy Pilapil sculpture right there by the corner. I mean, every building you actually visit here is like a piece of art and history, so it’s always a joy to go to Rockwell and see the works around,” Lopa ends.
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