Photographed by Chiron Duong for the March 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Shell Shock
Sungka is a traditional two-player Filipino board game played on a boat-shaped wooden board with seven small pits on each side and two larger ones at the ends, called the head or ulo. Players take turns distributing the playing pieces (normally shells or pebbles) around the board, aiming to collect the most in their designated head pit. Naya wears archival VALENTINO dress. Photographed by Chiron Duong for the March 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines
New faces from the Vogue Philippines Manila casting call evoke Filipino nostalgia and games inspired by this season’s emphasis on the significance of play.
On the third day of Vogue Threads Manila, models of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds from across the country and beyond gathered for Vogue Philippines’ second casting call. Building on its first iteration in Mindanao, Vogue Faces Manila offered emerging talent a chance to represent their communities and celebrate diversity in the center of the country’s bustling capital.
This kinetic spirit carried over to the set of a beauty editorial inspired by this season’s emphasis on the significance of play. Captured by Vietnamese photographer Chiron Duong, six fresh faces from the casting call evoked Filipino nostalgia through childhood relics and games. On set, movement was inspired by memory. Candy was strewn across the floor, balloons floated between frames, and traditional games like sungka and jackstones lay within reach. Between takes, the models and the team found themselves literally picking up the pieces, playing, laughing, and letting the energy of the room take over.
“To be Filipino is to know joy and to be joy,” shares model Mia Golosino of the experience, recalling an interview of Vogue Philippines’ first cover star Chloe Magno. Perhaps drawn together by this very joy, the six models connected effortlessly, laughing through pre-shoot nerves and lingering long after the set had wrapped. While their backgrounds and experience varied, the common sentiment from the casting call to the set was that the best part wasn’t being in front of the camera but the connections they made along the way.
Here, Vogue Philippines sits down with the six models to uncover their stories.
Naya Magallano
19-year-old Naya Magallano was in the middle of a surf session in Zambales when she got the call back message from Vogue Philippines. Immediately, she shook the water and started making plans. “I decided right then and there that I would go home.”
“[This is] a dream come true,” she beams on set. “It’s amazing that out of all the opportunities, I was able to grab this. I can’t express how happy I am now.”
Hailing from Surigao del Sur, Naya Magallano is a tourism student with a knack for adventure. She dreams of traveling and surfing in various spots across the country. When she isn’t caught up in the waves, she runs small online businesses, making scented candles and banana chips.
Denise Quinto
Second-year Psychology student Denise Quinto dreams of becoming a professional model or flight attendant. Hailing from San Manuel, Pangasinan, she finds solace in books, movies, and nature, noting the sunrises and sunsets that surround her hometown’s mountains and rivers.
When she saw the Vogue Philippines casting call, she quickly sent in her application despite having no prior experience. “That was my first time. I didn’t know what would happen, but I was excited in a way,” she shares.
It was her first-ever photoshoot, and naturally, there was a mix of excitement and nerves. “It was all fun and colorful. They tried to make me feel at ease because I was really nervous,” she recalls. Quinto hopes to fully pursue a career in modeling.
Maxene Sanchez
Growing up, art has always been central to who Maxene Sanchez is. The fashion design student aspires to make an impact in the industry as a designer or writer. Passionate about art in all forms, the Quezon City native draws inspiration from her surroundings, finding influence in galleries, films, music, and literature, and expressing her creativity through fashion and makeup.
When she saw the Vogue Philippines casting call, she decided to join on a whim. “I originally just wanted to go to Vogue Threads, but I thought, why not? I had nothing to lose,” she recalls. The experience turned out to be a memorable one, filled with conversations and connections with people who shared her love for fashion. Despite initial nerves, she embraced the process, enjoying the energy of the casting and the opportunity to meet like-minded creatives.
On set, she stepped into a different role, one in front of the camera rather than behind it. Used to creating and executing her own projects, she found the experience of being part of a full production both exciting and eye-opening. “I really wanted to get more immersed in the industry,” she says. “This is something I can take with me as I grow and become part of it myself.”
Keziah Ayuk
Nigerian-Filipino model Keziah Ayuk describes herself as compassionate and driven. So, when she saw the casting call for Vogue Philippines, she didn’t hesitate to apply.
“I chose to join the casting because of my love for modeling and magazines,” she shares. “It was one of my dreams as a child.”
Hailing from Dasmariñas City, Keziah is a third-year marketing management student. Passionate about photography and the creative arts, she also enjoys hobbies like painting and nail art and balances her studies with part-time modeling. Above all, Keziah is committed to making a meaningful impact by helping those in need and dreams of one day giving her mother a life of ease.
A child at heart, Keziah says the shoot was nostalgic. “It was so nice to experience [childhood] again with Vogue Philippines.”
Ruthlaine Tan
19-year-old aspiring photographer Ruthlaine Tan has always had an observant eye and an adventurous spirit. She recalls roaming the streets of her hometown, Binondo, Manila, as a young girl with no objective other than to explore the places she hasn’t been in. Never mind if she got lost!
Coming from a traditional Chinese household, Tan initially faced challenges in pursuing the arts. Her family expected her to take a more conventional path in business or medicine, but she remained firm in her decision. “I pushed through with what I wanted to do, despite the negative comments,” she shares. Now, she takes pride in proving that being an artist in the Philippines is possible.
The second-year photography student is passionate in exploring different genres while also working as a freelance photographer and model.
She admits that her venture into modeling is backed by her curiosity to “know two sides of the perspective.” She explains, “It’s basically killing two birds with one stone: it’s really different being the one photographed than the one who’s taking the photographs.”
She reflects, “I just recently started putting myself out there in the real world, career wise. And I think this is one of the things that just shows me that all of my hard work is paying off.”
Mia Golosino
Playing sungka with her father is among Mia Golosino’s favorite childhood memories. The sound of the shells falling into the pits of the traditional Filipino board game lingers in her mind as one of her happiest moments.
Though she spent her formative years in the UK, this deep adoration for Filipino culture has remained a constant for the 19-year-old. “To be Filipino is to be joy and to know joy,” she recalls, quoting Chloe Magno’s words from a Vogue Philippines interview she had watched, which deeply resonated with her. The values and spirit of being Filipino were not just things Golosino learned about in theory; these were values she credits her parents to have lived by and passed on to her. It was this strong connection that drew her back to the Philippines for a gap year before launching her career in law.
Currently, Golosino is taking time off from her studies to explore modeling, a decision she made after being encouraged by friends and family to give pageantry and fashion a try. When she arrived at the Vogue Faces Manila casting call, she had no prior modeling experience. “I was really nervous, but everyone was so nice and welcoming,” Golosino recalls of the experience. She was pleasantly surprised to be called back for the shoot, which only reaffirmed her belief that this was the right path for her.
“I think this experience means the beginning of a very exciting journey for me,” she muses. “A deep dive into knowing who I am as a Filipino.
By BIANCA CUSTODIO. Photographs by CHIRON DUONG. Fashion Editor: DAVID MILAN. Beauty Editor : JOYCE OREÑA. Makeup: Gery Peñaso, Japeth Purog of MAC Cosmetics. Hair: Mong Amado, Glenda Eugenio, Gerelyn Valentino, Jeremi Cabarrios of Toni & Guy Philippines. Model: Denise Quinto, Keziah Ayuk, Mia Golosino, Maxene Sanchez, Ruthlaine Tan, Naya Magallano. Art Director: Jann Pascua. Set Designer: Aren Dale Santos. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Nails: Extraordinail. Multimedia Artist: Tinkerbell Poblete. Set Assistant: Manuel Tarroja. Photographer’s Assistants: Rojan Maguyon and Ruby Pedregosa. Stylist’s Assistant: Neil de Guzman. Set Crew: Erick Salvante, Vincent Salvante, Nino Dumdum. Video Director: Aijalonica Lei. Video Team: Rohan Oncada and Francis Calaguas.
