Pinoy Ubermodel

Does the name Paolo Roldan sound familiar?  No he's not a new showbiz personality in the local entertainment scene, nor is he an up and coming singer?  If you still haven't guessed it right, the 26 year old Filipino-Canadian is a ubermodel hopeful on his way to international stardom.   The former fashion buyer of Nomad (a well-known menswear boutique located in Toronto) was discovered by chance a year and half ago in New York by Boss Models New York founder and owner David Bossman. But it was last years Givenchy campaign that catapulted this newcomer into stellar status.  The Givenchy muse immediately became an international sensation after going completely naked for Vogue Paris in June 2010 shot by renowned photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.  His Pan-Pacific looks, lean physique and towering 6'2 height is the perfect mold for the next global Asian supermodel.  Well, be seeing more of Paolo Roldan in the coming season as he takes part in the upcoming Spring-Summer 2012 Menswear runway shows and hopefully the face of designer ad campaigns.  In my previous entry, making the country proud is another Filipino who recently won the highly coveted Ford Supermodel of the World 2011 competition--Danica Magpantay.  With these two models in mind, Filipinos once again take the spotlight as one of the headlines in the global fashion industry. Both Paolo Roldan and Danica Magpantay are the epitome of today's modern Pinoy ubermodel.    

Major Paris'(agency)  Spring Summer 2012 Model Lineup(photo from Fashionisto.com)

Johannes Faktotum Fall 2011 Lookbook.

GQ Germany 2011.

Schon Magazine 2011.

i-d magazine 2011.

The Dirty Durty Diary.

Details Magazine 2011.

studswar Spring 2011 Lookbook.

Numero Homme China.

The Block Magazine.

VMan.

Vogue China.

The making of the Givenchy man.

The campaign that started it all.

Paolo Roldan for Givenchy.

Ford Supermodel of the World 2011 Winner Danica Magpantay.

Proud to be Filipino

Supermodel of the World 2011(from left to right) Lithuania(runner-up), Philippines (winner), Poland (runner-up). Photo from twitpic.com.

Today the Philippines made history in the global fashion world.  Model Danica Flores Magpantay becomes the first Filipina to win the Ford Supermodel of the World 2011 Competition held in NYC.  Daughter of supermodel turned top makeup artist Lala Flores  ( who also represented the country in the same competition in 1990 and won a special award for "Best Smile"), the seventeen year old stunner marked a milestone by besting among aspiring contestants from all over the world.  

Exotic Stunner.

 A Visual Communications Freshman in UP's prestigious College of Fine Arts, the Philippines pride boasts of a body with perfect modeling proportions and standing 5'9 tall with long limbs that can walk the endless runways.  Her symmetrical facial features and astounding exotic beauty calls to mind 90's Asian supermodels' Navia Nguyen and Ling Tan who both made it in the international modeling scene.  Their distinct beauty and presence were seen walking the runways of top designers, gracing the pages of fashion magazines and endorsing numerous campaigns for retail and cosmetics.

Strike a pose.

Towering proportions.

Calcarrie's Philippines is the official franchise holder of the Ford Supermodel of the World Competition in the country since 1987 with its first winner Tweety de Leon-Gonzales.  Note that from 1994-1998 there was no local search.  The reputable agency has consistently produced some of the best in the local industry.  The following are the list of winners: 

1986: Melanie Marquez - 1st runner up & Clairol Awardee
1987: Tweety de Leon
1988: Marilen Espino
1989: Adele Go - semi-finalist, Ford Supermodel of the World
1990: Lala Flores - Crest Smile Award, Ford Supermodel of the World 
1991: Cara Subijano
1992: Abbygale Arenas
1993: Lorena Pangan - semi-finalist, Ford Supermodel of the World
1999: Nina Naval
2000: Mary Joan Santos de Mesa - semi-finalist, Ford Supermodel of the World
2001: Marjay Ramirez - semi-finalist, Ford Supermodel of the World
2002: Verns Buckley
2003: Meki Saldaña
2004: Daphne Galvan
2005: Charo Ronquillo - 2nd runner up, Ford Supermodel of the World
2006: Michelle Panemanglor
2007: Emerald Villahermosa
2008: Gisselle Pacqueo - semi-finalist, Ford Supermodel of the World
2009: Charlene Almarvez- Ist runner up, Ford Supermodel of the World
2010: Danica Magpantay- Winner Ford Supermodel of the World 

The new sexy.

The face of the Future. Black and white photos from CalCarries
by BJ Pascual, styling by Patrick Galang.

The future is bright for Danica as the dawning of the Filipina beauty unfolds.  She has re-opened the doors of opportunity for local models to aspire in the global scene and for  the international market to look into the Philippines as a breeding ground for the next supermodels.   Once again, we are back in the map and truly proud to be a Filipino.