Photo by Ed Simon
A spectacle of fashion, culture, tradition, and innovation, the Vogue Philippines Gala was a night to remember.
As editor-in-chief Bea Valdes said in her Gala dinner speech, Filipinos are “woven into each other.” This statement never rang truer than at the Vogue Philippines Anniversary Gala.
Last week, the black carpet was rolled out, and the Philippines’s top talents, creatives, and leaders came together in celebration. It was attended by international celebrities such as Bretman Rock and B.I., as well as prominent business figures like SM Supermalls’ Steven Tan and Louis Vuitton’s Gonzalo Nuche and Jeanger Navarro-Ponti. In the halls of Shangri-la The Fort, they were taken on an adventure that traversed the Filipino cultural landscape through the lens of fashion and innovation.
The gala was a delightful treat for the senses. It started with a 6-Hands dinner in Bonifacio Hall, where they tasted Filipino flavors through dishes that represented the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. After this culinary experience by Belo Beauty, guests were led to the Grand Ballroom’s foyer, where they joined fellow guests and sipped on Guess Old Fashioned cocktails. In the foyer, “Vogue Unbound” displayed large installations of Vogue Philippines’ magazine covers.
Inside the Grand Ballroom, guests entered the multisensory exhibit “Common Threads: Re/Creating Fashion,” which featured five installations that tapped into the different spheres of fashion.
The “Re: Create” (presented by SM Supermalls) and “Re: Made” installations shed light on the innovation that upcycling, high craft, and renewing materials might bring. In the “Dreamfields” installation with Mastercard, guests were absorbed in the films and installations from the September issue. “Vogue Visions” showcased editorials from Vogue Philippines’ first year on a multi-screen Samsung TV setup, as well as an exclusive UNIQLO editorial featuring their Heattech collection. For the finale, guests stepped into the future of fashion with Vince Uy’s “Imaginary Frontiers” AI photo series.
The top highlight of the night was the unveiling of the anniversary issue cover, when guests joined in the countdown of the reveal. Cover models Lukresia, Jo Ann Bitagcol, and Rina Fukushi’s faces lit up the screen, marking the first year of Vogue Philippines.
