In a stripped-back former gym, curator Miguel Rosales turns raw space into the stage for Vogue Threads Manila 2025. Photographed by Aniken Dela Cruz
Vogue Threads Manila 2025 gathers stylists, designers, actors, photographers, and beauty leaders in a festival of ideas that bridges generations.
“Vogue Threads is our annual celebration of the Vogue Philippines anniversary, our way of connecting the country’s creative community to the world,” says Archie Carrasco, Vogue Philippines publisher. “We launched it in Paris to ‘weave Philippine culture, creativity, and community into the world.’ Last year, we highlighted designers, exhibiting their collections during Paris Fashion Week and welcoming fashion leaders, including Anna Wintour and Imran Amed, before bringing the same experience home to the Philippines. This year, we turn the spotlight on photographers, presenting powerful images from the magazine and extending the event to a full week to make it more accessible. We have also expanded the program with more masterclasses, larger portfolio reviews, and a bigger casting call in partnership with Vaseline.”
Carrasco emphasized Vogue’s global platform as a bridge for Filipino creativity. “By showcasing Filipino craftsmanship and design philosophies, from Paris to Manila, we are positioning the Philippines as a modern creative force. Through Vogue’s international reach, we bridge Filipino talent to the world, ensuring their creativity is seen and celebrated on a global stage.”
At the heart of the event was the Manila 2025 photo exhibition, featuring over fifty works with all proceeds benefiting the Vogue Fashion Fund in collaboration with FAB Creatives School. “The expanded masterclasses, portfolio reviews, and the Vaseline casting call further open doors for emerging talent by providing mentorship and industry access,” Carrasco said. “It is a defining chapter, a platform that not only documents Filipino fashion but actively shapes it, establishing the Philippines as a key voice in global fashion and culture.”
Each day carried a distinct theme. Day one opened with “Styling as Authorship,” where Pam Quiñones and Trickie Lopa revisited Quiñones’ journey from Cotabato City to Milan, sharing how instinct, discipline, and imagination shape a stylist’s work. The afternoon’s “Inside the September Issue” brought Bea Valdes, Jann Pascua, and Jacs Sampayan onstage to unpack the making of Vogue Philippines’ third-anniversary edition, a 422-page landmark framed by the Filipino concept of kapwa. The day concluded with “Making the Image,” a dialogue between Quiñones and photographer Mark Nicdao.
Day two explored design as memory-making with “Visual Storytelling,” led by Pascua, and moved into advocacy with “Scene by Scene: Building a Future for Filipino Actors.” Aya Fernandez moderated a conversation with Dingdong Dantes, Iza Calzado, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Elijah Canlas of Aktor PH, who reflected on founding the organization during the pandemic and reaffirmed their commitment to dignity and recognition for Filipino actors.
Day three examined the business of creativity with “A Balancing Act: Juggling Creative Passion with Business Acumen,” featuring Rajo Laurel, Angela Mirasol of RCBC, and investment advisor Abi Jacosalem. The afternoon brought together icons of Manila’s 1990s scene for “Pioneers in the Philippine Creative Scene,” where Marlon Rivera, Jing Monis, Ting Duque, Jay Lozada, Juan Sarte, and Joyce Oreña recalled a period marked by collaboration and collective strength.
Day four focused on fashion as continuity. In “Building a Career in Fashion,” Jojie Lloren and Joey Samson reflected on discipline, mentorship, and resilience. “Future of Design” followed, with Jaggy Glarino, Joyce Makitalo, Noel Manapat, and Rita Nazareno demonstrating how heritage and innovation coexist in Filipino creativity. Veteran designer Inno Sotto closed the day with “Curiosity, Couture, and the Craft of Fashion,” noting that curiosity remains the designer’s most enduring tool.
Photography took center stage on day five. “The Photographer’s Eye” with Archie Geotina and Shaira Luna highlighted photography as collaboration grounded in trust. “Shaping Light” followed, with Artu Nepomuceno and Neal Oshima joining Pascua to unpack how light and framing shape narrative. The day concluded with “The Camera, A Passport to Life’s Journey,” where Ryan Agoncillo framed photography as both record and witness.
The final day turned to beauty and mentorship. “Celebrating Individuality Through Hair” featured Dr. Rafael Fortus of Clinique de Paris alongside Mason Njigha and Arnold Aninion, exploring hair as identity and renewal. “The Makeup Artist’s Palette” followed, with makeup artists Zidjian Floro and Angeline Dela Cruz in partnership with L’Oréal Paris, positioning makeup as adaptable storytelling from editorial shoots to the runway. The program closed with Portfolio Reviews and a Casting Call, where veteran creatives discovered emerging voices and faces, affirming that fashion is not an ending but a bridge between legacies and futures.
“Vogue Threads has always been about weaving communities together,” says Bea Valdes, editor-in-chief of Vogue Philippines. “It began as an interaction and showcase of materials, textures, and design from the islands, as an introduction. It has since evolved into the mindsets and situational stories of the communities behind the images. We purposefully include as wide a narrative as possible—not just local perspectives, but diasporic voices, regional voices, and those from beyond. We think about regional context, then national, then as Southeast Asian, and ultimately, as citizens of the world.”
