UNIQLO shirt and KRIZIA JIMENEZ necklace and rings. Photographed by Rojan Maguyon
Veejay Floresca made history as the first Filipino and the first trans woman to win the American edition of Project Runway.
In the frenzy of midtown Manhattan, Veejay Floresca wakes up around seven or eight in the morning and brews a latte from the espresso machine she calls one of her best purchases. “I love a good latte,” she says, but her routine in caffeinated beverages is not just indulgence; it’s an aid to her discipline. She checks emails, aligns her PR’s schedule, and reviews client requests before strutting to her studio near Macy’s. “I do a lot of samples in-house made in New York City,” she explains. “I also have a team, but it is not exclusive to me. In New York, you have to hire people as you need them.”
Veejay Floresca is the first Filipino and the first trans woman to win Project Runway. It’s a simple sentence that hardly uncloaks the decades of hard work behind the fact. “I always told myself that I wanted to be the first of something,” she says. “It is inspiring, especially for my community. And I always knew that if there were going to be one thing where I would be first, it would have something to do with fashion.” She is also candid about the challenges facing trans people in her home country. “In the Philippines, we’re not being recognized politically. There’s still a lot of restrictions and biases in terms of living your life as a trans,” she says. “That was one of the reasons why I had to leave, unfortunately.”
Long before the win, Floresca broke the internet in 2010, with fellow creatives Martin Bautista, Lex Librea, and Aleq Africa when they accidentally recorded themselves reacting to Venus Raj’s entry into the Miss Universe Top 15. The clip titled “We Love You Maria Venus Raj 22 Philippines,” went viral on YouTube, aired on international news channels, appeared in Times Square, and KFC capitalized on the moment with a commercial starring the group. “We didn’t even realize we were still recording. It was so genuine,” Floresca reminisces. The video resurfaces often, a reminder of who she was before living her own American Dream: “It captured my time with my friends, having a good time, enjoying beauty pageants. And just being true to who we are.”
“It all started when I was a child playing with Barbie dolls…though they weren’t even mine; they belonged to my sister,” she says. “I was imagining stories, outfits, transformations.” She remembers watching her mother sew curtains and table runners by hand, the survival skills of needle and thread that she would one day pursue seriously. “It opened my eyes to the world of fashion and beauty. It was not just about clothing. It was about making something with love and with purpose.” She considered practical career paths, but couldn’t deny her passion. “I wanted to study something practical first, like pre-law, but I realized I had this love for creating clothes. That changed everything,” she says.
She studied Fashion Design and Merchandising from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, graduating at the top of her class with cum laude honors. In her eye, she sees the local fashion scene as a fertile ground for wisdom and innovation. “Growing up in the Philippines taught me creativity, passion, resourcefulness and resilience,” she says. “We are used to working with limited resources. We learn how to adapt, how to maximize what we have, and always find a way.”
In a nation where weddings are big business, she has designed bridal gowns for over five hundred clients. “I was one of those designers in the Philippines known to be a bridal designer,” she says. “I remember attending several weddings; sometimes four, sometimes seven, in just two days. But it was fun, being part of their special day.” Those years strengthened her ability to work under pressure. While she admires the newly appointed Rachel Scott of Proenza Schouler, she has an appetite and appreciation for British designers like Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, and Harris Reed. “Seeing [him] follow me on Instagram was such a moment,” she confesses.
Veejay’s campaign was not straightforward. She first appeared on the inaugural season of Project Runway Philippines in 2008, finishing in third place. Determined to advance her artistry, she moved to London to study bridal design at Central Saint Martins’ Charing Cross campus before its relocation to Granary Square, and later earned a master’s degree in Fashion from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. “Every lesson, every project helped sharpen my skills,” she reflects. After immigrating to the United States in 2012, she applied to the American edition of Project Runway.
“Every season I applied and they would say no. I applied again and they would say no,” she remembers. Some years she advanced, other times she was cut. On one occasion, she was confirmed and prepared to film, only to be replaced a week before shooting. “That was one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life,” she says. “I had already declined work with clients because I thought I was competing.” She tried to reframe the loss. “Maybe the reason you are not in season fifteen is because you are not going to win it.”
She continued auditioning, submitting her application over 13 times. When she finally entered the competition for Season 21, she emerged with an epic goal. “When I got in for the final season, I said I am going to win this. I cannot go home without winning it.” The finale aired on September 25. Floresca faced Jesus Estrada and Ethan Mundt, completing a five-look collection in just five days. As the Roman philosopher Seneca is often credited with saying, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and Veejay Floresca was fully prepared for her historic moment.
Her collection of monochromatic, Richard Serra-esque curves and sculpted folds, capped by a final look of an asymmetrical draped chainmail gown, impressed judges Heidi Klum, Nina García, Law Roach, and Michael Kors. “Every rejection, every challenge prepared me for this,” she says. She achieved a landmark win as the first openly transgender woman to take the Project Runway title in the United States, dedicating it to her community.
The prize package included a cash award, six months of Agentry PR representation, mentorship under the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and a printed spread in Elle US. Yet it was the arrival of her mother in New York, traveling alone from Manila for the first time, that moved her the most. “That meant the world to me,” she says. “It reminded me why I do what I do.” She remains candid about the emotional demands of the show. “The workroom looks glamorous on screen, but it is long hours, very little sleep, and constant pressure,” she says. “It is nonstop sewing, problem solving, emotional highs and lows. The experience pushes you to your limits.” She embraced criticism as part of the process. “I saw every critique as a gift—an opportunity to grow and get better.”
New York has taken her to the next level. After relocating from Los Angeles, she found the city’s pace invigorating. “People walk here. People take the subway. It is a different culture,” she says. “You go out, and you see people expressing themselves through fashion. The chaotic vibe is inspiring.” She balances the city’s immediacy with the memory of home. “I miss the tropical beaches, the warm weather, the ocean. I miss swimming,” she says. But New York is where she is building her future.
“I want to be the next Monique Lhuillier,” she says. “I want Veejay Floresca to be known for special occasions. Glamorous and sophisticated evening gowns for important events.” She’s preparing for her first solo New York Fashion Week show in February, a milestone that will define the next phase of her brand. “This is the direction,” she says. “This is what I am building.”
These days, her schedule resembles a Filofax packed with fittings and the daily demands of a growing fashion business. Evenings are quieter, usually spent cooking at home or catching up with friends over cocktails, before she winds down around eleven or midnight. Her advice is simple but universal: “Believe in yourself. How can you expect others to believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself first?” she says. “People will say no. People will reject you. But if you trust yourself, the right opportunity will come at the right moment.”
From Manila to London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, Veejay Floresca is living proof that living in a state of dreaming can truly become reality. “I want the world to know that dreams are valid,” she says. “No matter where you come from, who you are, or how you identify.”
Viewers in the Philippines can catch PR21 exclusively on HITS NOW (on Cignal Channel 122 and Accion) this December 2025.
By LAWRENCE ALBA. Photographs by ROJAN MAGUYON. Styling by NEIL DE GUZMAN. Talent: Veejay Floresca. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Digital Multimedia Artist: Bea Lu. Makeup Artist: Neal Allen. Hairstylist: JA Feliciano. Nails: Extraordinail. Photography Assistant: Aniken dela Cruz.
