A designer who owns a boutique in Makati was miffed when he received a phone call from an editor of a glossy recently.

The call was to request for “pull out”—fashion parlance for borrowing merchandise for editorial shoots—only the clothes (that’s plural) would not be used for a shoot, but would be worn by staffers in a fashion gala of an overseas-based Filipino designer.

It’s not unusual for fashion media to borrow—or for designers to lend—clothes to wear for big events. But it happens only when designer and editor enjoy familiarity and friendship.

In this case, the designer has never even met the editor.

Indeed many of today’s young media know the perks of the job too well, but do they also know the ethics?