David Mendoza is a classic case of ‘it’s never too late to love swimming’
Swimming wisdom from a young Atenean talent
February 17, 2018
Swimming wisdom from a young Atenean talent
“She doesn’t do interviews in person.” They’re words no writer likes to hear, yet this was the publicist’s edict handed down from Erich Gonzales’s team soon after I’d arrived at the
Fatima “Effy” Elmubarak knows exactly how it feels to be different. You probably know her better on Twitter as @BUKOJUICE, whose “woke” tweets cover topics that range from racism to gender equality to capitalism. But this 20-year-old pharmacist-cum-artist wasn’t always the fearless feminist whom we’ve all retweeted at one point. For most of her life, she’s been the target of bullies because of her Filipino-Sudanese heritage, her Islamic roots, her weight, her hair, and the hijab she wears. Practically everything that makes her Effy.
Sex. Fuck. Vagina. These words effortlessly flow from the lips of Laguna-born Pr()blem Studios fashion designer Jenni Contreras, as she explains the meaning behind the blatantly graphic words slapped all over her 30-piece debut solo collection. “They’re words that people here in the Philippines [think of as] a disease or something, when they’re actually natural and one of the many beautiful things in the world,” she asserts.
Unabashedly aware of the provocative nature of her self-expressive designs, Jenni reveals that her clothing isn’t a direct reflection of her personality. Behind the loud colors, bold prints, luscious frills, exaggerated shapes, and multi-layered seams is another budding designer who’s waiting to come out of her shell. She admits, “To say that I am sure of who I am as a designer—no, I think not. I’m still at that stage of trying a lot of things. It’s still a work in progress. Ang hirap kasi my clothes are really loud, but I’m actually pretty shy. Did you know that at parties, I have to get drunk to socialize because I can’t socialize when I’m sober?”
Her collection, “Problem Child,” was inspired by Romina Ressia, Fly Art Productions, Cecilia Azcarate memes, and Stanley Kubrick. She stitched the pieces over three consecutive weekends while juggling a 9-to-5 job, eventually winning herself a ticket to Tokyo courtesy of the Bench Design Awards 2017. The 24-year-old’s designs were shown on the runway of last year’s Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo. Now that she’s ditched her day job and taken on Pr()blem Studios full-time, she dives into the world of fashion head on.
Ceej Tantengco is an NCAA courtside reporter and three-time Palanca Award-winning essayist. During her time at Ateneo, she managed the features section of the university paper The Guidon, for which her team was awarded the Raul Locsin Award for Student Journalism. After college she worked as a multimedia producer with GMA Public Affairs, a writer for various respected publications, and an ABS-CBN courtside reporter. Listen and learn: here is her set play.
Chai Fonacier is mostly recognized for playing that mischievous street urchin from Cinemalaya’s 2017 best film, Respeto, and a transgender call center agent in Patay na si Hesus. Chai keeps blowing our minds not only with her acting prowess but with her courage to jump out of her comfort zone in the name of art.
What made you decide to move to Manila?
I was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro, then grew up in Cebu for college. This is probably the longest I (have) lived in Manila—three months. I decided to move here because number one, the opportunities are here. Obviously. And two, I was looking for a way to help the Cebuano film community. I believe in what the Cebuano art community can do. Gusto ko tumulong, hindi ko lang alam kung paano kasi hindi naman ako direktor, o producer. So sabi ko, as an actor, how can I help? I guess it’s all right for me to leave home for a bit if that’s how I can help. Hahanapin ko muna ’yung daan ko dito tapos we can see what I can bring back to Cebu to help out. I don’t know what that is yet but I’ll find it.
Iñigo Dulay is endlessly passionate about CrossFit. After six years and seven dislocated bones, he remains as excited as ever about the sport
How one of triathlon’s most recognizable couples deal with training together and being there for one another even if sometimes, they want to kill each other
Carlos Celdran would get three types of reactions whenever he’d make a pitch for the first ever Manila Biennale: anxiety (“What are you getting yourself into?”), skepticism (“You’ll never be
“When you’re a creative, you get this feeling that you need to create so much work. But [the danger is in] losing your scope that you can’t highlight anymore what you’re good at”
The latest in global fashion, beauty, and culture through a contemporary Filipino perspective.
