Globe Telecom, Saga Events’ StylefestPH celebrates the art and business of fashion

StylefestPH went down as one of the most revered fashion events in the country as crowds of style icons, designers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts celebrated art and business during the three-day fashion festival at Bonifacio Global City last September 7.

Created by Globe Telecom Inc. and Saga Events, StylefestPH served as a platform for local designers to stand out while paying homage to the current stars of the Philippine fashion scene. It also put the spotlight on the business aspect of fashion by giving industry entrepreneurs a stage to shine on and the venue to learn from world-class speakers.

During StylefestPH’s launch at the Globe Iconic BHS Amphitheater, CEO of Globe Telecom Inc. Ernest Cu shared how Globe aimed to further empower the fashion industry through the event, highlighting the company’s in-house apparel brand 0917 Lifestyle as proof of how the power of partnerships can bring businesses to life and help industries like the fashion sector flourish.

“The fashion in Globe came to the forefront when we wanted to make more stylish tee shirts for our employees, thus 0917 Lifestyle. We made a business out of an experiment and used the power of partnerships to grow. All of these told us that fashion is something that can also be empowered by Globe’s digital platform, thus StylefestPH,” Ernest said.

“Our objective with StylefestPH is to show that when Globe puts its mind and resources towards helping an industry, it will flourish,” he added.

Robbie Carmona, CEO of Saga Events, outlined the series of events happening during StylefestPH, which included Stylespace, a platform for brands and designers to showcase their products, Styletalks, a series of talks featuring world-class fashion and beauty experts, and Stylespotting, a number of fashion shows featuring the Philippines’ top designers.

“We at Saga Events take pride in producing the most innovative fashion events in the country today. I am very thankful to Globe for this opportunity to make a fashion platform that goes on. This is a platform that not only helps designers and brands showcase their products, but also helps them build their businesses,” Robbie shared.

Amanda Cosco, Founder of Electric Runway, addresses the crowd during Styletalks.

In Stylespace, several brands were showcased through pop-up stores like HTP Clothing, Zouk PH, Silk by Laybare, the Zen Institute, and Ellana Cosmetics. There were also talks headed by HTP Clothing owner Ricca Del Rosario and Ellana Cosmetics make-up artist Gen-Zel Habbab.

On another note, Styletalks was headlined by Amanda Cosco, who founded Electric Runway and is a fashion and technology journalist. Other topnotch speakers that were featured include Zalora Philippines’ Paulo Campos, Amina Aranaz-Alunan, Jenni and Aryanna Epperson, Ana Victorino, and Ken Samudio.

Finally, for Stylespotting, the latest collections of premier Filipino fashion designers were showcased in runway shows. These events featured the works of Bang Pineda and Patty Ang, as well as those of Martin Bautista, Maureen Disini, and Michael Leyva.

Meanwhile, one of the highlights of StylefestPH was the Designer Mentorship Program, which put fashion experts together to mentor some up and coming designers, helping them kickstart their brands as creative business owners.

The mentees’ ready-to-wear collections were featured in a fashion show under 0917 Lifestyle and Zalora Philippines on the second day of StylefestPH at the Grand Hyatt Manila. Altogether, the collections exhibited modern yet wearable pieces that reflected the simplicity of day-to-day apparel and the sophistication of elevated fashion.

Globe myBusiness, Globe Telecom’s division that caters to small and medium enterprises, was among the key figures in the Designer Mentorship Program, as it took the helm on educating the winning designers on how they can use their talents to start and sustain a business.

Debbie Obias, VP of Segment Marketing for Globe myBusiness, emphasized Globe’s promotion of the Filipino digital lifestyle, noting that fashion plays a role in shaping it. She says that supporting talented up and coming designers in business is not only in line with Globe myBusiness’ mission for SMEs, it’s also a thrust for Filipinos onto the world stage.

“For StylefestPH, we showed support for the eight winning designers from the Designer Mentorship Program by also providing them with start-up packages that can help them start their business. These fashion designers are not yet in the business, so we gave them the support they need to help them start one moving forward,” Debbie said.

StylefestPH was not only a platform to showcase what the Philippines already has, it was also a sneak peek into what’s to come for the local fashion scene. As a spectacle for both art and business, StylefestPH is sure to go down in history as a starting point for some of the next big names in the Philippine fashion scene!

Did you miss StylefestPH? Register now to Globe myBusiness Academy to get fresh invites to seminars, conferences, workshops, and key events like StylefestPH. You’ll also be in the loop of the latest business trends and expert advice that will surely help you create your own success!