Evoking the childhood memory the dreams of these models of trying on a parent’s clothes, now take flight, becoming the dreams of these models visible in archival dresses and now take flight, becoming prints that refuse to shrink visible in archival dresses and from view. From left: Shane wears an dress; Cass wears a CALVIN archival RAJO LAUREL dress; KLEIN dress, archival RAJO Cass wears a CALVIN KLEIN dress, LAUREL skirt, and CHRISTIAN archival RAJO LAUREL skirt, and LOUBOUTIN shoes; Jersey wears CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN shoes; a MARTIN BAUTISTA dress; Jersey wears a MARTIN BAUTISTA Shamz wears a ZIV REI ALEXI dress; Shamz wears a ZIV REI top and trousers with ALAIA ALEXI top and trousers with ALAÏA shoes; Oms wears a ZIV REI shoes; Oms wears a ZIV REI ALEXI ALEXI dress. dress and BIRTUD accessories. Photographed by KARL KING AGUÑA for the March 2026 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Dancers, partners, and first-time models, Franz and Eunah move in tandem, drawing on the sprezzatura of Milanese style and romance, in all its flaws and joys. “I feel fulfilled,” Eunah shares, with Franz adding, “What a great experience for this to be our first time.” Franz and Eunah wear GUCCI. Photographed by KARL KING AGUÑA for the March 2026 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Discovered through the Vogue Faces casting call, 31 Filipino models bring fantasy and personal mythology to life, exploring subcultural codes and the power of human expression.
From the volume of their laughter, you wouldn’t guess that models Gabby, Ruth, and Rafaela had just met. While winding down from the largest Vogue Faces project to date, the three women bond over a shared alma mater, joining their group to swap stories, compliments, and even a fellow model’s clip-on bangs.
“If you want to know a little sisterhood moment we had in the dressing room, we all shared Max’s bangs at one point,” Gabby recalls with a smile. The memory brings on a wave of excitement, summoning the enthusiasm of girls playing dress up, as Ruth shares how they would huddle together to chat while petting Max’s fur coat.
As the conversation shifts to their individual looks and the pieces they’d fallen in love with, there is a palpable sense of comfort in each other’s company. “To be honest, we all clicked in a sense. We’re all around the same age… we’re all newer in the industry,” says Gabby. The common ground gives them confidence, making the energy in the room one of pure fun and discovery.
For Vic, a fine arts student featured in “Body Talk”, a campaign in the September 2025 issue, the shoot is both a reunion with previous castmates and a chance to make new connections. While her peers finish their video portraits, she observes how one person talks about their life as a teacher. “It’s so inspiring to see,” she remarks. “Yung mga nasa Vogue Faces, they really come from all walks of life.”
It’s a sentiment that resonates with the overall direction of the shoot, as media channels editor Anz Hizon aimed to capture, through seven layouts and with 31 models, the feeling of “now.” In “spotlighting the current generation and giving space to new stories,” he sees that the casting process has to widen, and make opening doors for industry newcomers an essential part.
This is the case for first-time models and partners Franz and Eunah, whose joint participation at Vogue Threads Manila happened by surprise. Eunah only meant to accompany Franz in the queue, but upon reaching the photo station, the team encouraged her to join as well. Months later, the two find themselves at their first professional shoot, now literally posing as a couple.
Between sets, the duo would pass the time by practicing footwork, the language of dance serving as both a bridge and a way to keep each other on their toes. When the time came for cameras to roll, they knew when to pause and when to move, just by staying present.
“I think we were so locked in that we didn’t even think about it,” Franz admits. “You hear the house music and you’re like, oh, I feel it.” In agreement, Eunah adds, “Everyone is so nice and welcoming… and they get the vision, so it feels good. I feel fulfilled.”
For the couple’s layout, the Vogue Philippines team was inspired by sprezzatura or studied nonchalance, a concept with roots in 16th century Italy, whose relevance is apparent in Gucci’s spring 2026 collection. Here, fashion functions less as a callback and more as a collapse between two distinct points in time.
To capture what “now” looks like, the team envisions the present as an urgent moment, where inspirations from the past converse with ideas of the future. Thus, the styling draws from a flurry of settings, ranging from places like Milan to subcultures like Goth, now pictured through a Filipino lens.
Both Shane and Oms echo this vision after wrapping the final layout, which centers the idea of fantasy, expressed through archival and contemporary Philippine fashion.
“Fantasy is really, for me, living my dreams,” says Shane, a fashion design student currently developing their thesis collection. The day marks their first editorial shoot as a model, but they share that the experience feels natural, almost second nature: “I feel like I also belong here.”
Oms, a medical laboratory scientist who attends casting calls in her free time, also describes her path to fashion as a kind of future vision. From watching model-led reality shows as a child to stepping on the set herself, she feels like her dreams of being truly seen are coming to light.
Before preparing for the journey home, she remarks on what it takes to make a scene; how instant an image can make it appear, when really, there’s a whole community and history behind it. “When you buy the magazine, it’s just there. But the work… girl, it takes an army,” Oms says. “Vogue helped us tell a story through a photo, and I am so much happy that I expressed it.”
By AYLLI CORTEZ. Photographs by KARL KING AGUÑA. Styling by ANZ HIZON AND GENO ESPIDOL of QURATOR STUDIO. Beauty Direction: Zidjian Paul. Makeup Team: Neal Allen Laureano, Jay Salcedo, Booya Mocorro, Don De Jesus, Christian Ray Arapoc. Hair Team: Gab Villegas, Patty Cristobal, Rhoy Cervantes, Miggy Carbonilla, JA Feliciano, Patty Inojales. Production Design: Justine Arcega-Bumanlag. Media Channels Editor: Anz Hizon. Producer: Julian Rodriguez. Media Channels Producer: Angelo Tantuico. Copywriter: Aylli Cortez. Video Editor: Wainah Joson. Digital Associate Editor: Chelsea Sarabia. Multimedia Artist: Beatrice Lu. Digital Writers: Daphne Sagun, Lawrence Alba. Beauty Associate & Writer: Bianca Custodio. Editorial Assistant: Mavi Sulangi. Editorial Video: JA Tadena. Co Director/Camera Operator: Tim Dela Paz. Camera Operator: Marween Angeles. Gaffer: Joel Tionson and Jesus Vitug. Project Manager: P.E. Dy-Liacco. Interview Unity: Francis Dominic Ayuste. Camera Caretaker: Eric Palma. BTS Photographer: Lyndon Kyle. Videography: Chapters. Videography Team: Andromeda Tan, Ashley Yee, Joseph Generaldo, Liah Barra, Patrick Juarez, Rica Soriente. Styling Assistants: Jia Torrato and Claire Fernando. Photography Assistants: Jom Ablay and Robyn Josue. Light Assistants: Rossman Hitosis and Might Mercado. Set Men: Castor Mosquito, Cris Soco, Jan Abal, Jeber Cunanan, John Amon, Mario Taipen, Mark Anthony Bondoc, Nick Narte, Olderico Bondoc, Jr., Rodel Bondoc. Nanlite PH: Enzo Rico Donato, Aldrin Sia, Jhon Carlos Pallones, Christian Ong. Filmspec: Anthony Bucacao, Christian Malinao, Christopher Bernardos, Jimboy Felas, and Federico Devera, Jr. Shot on location at BHSPaces, Co. Special thanks to Angkan and Mango Tree.
