Nina Garcia for JAG Origins PFW 2013

JAG Jeans entered the Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 with moremore paandars...

Opening the show with a host, Sarah Meier no-less:

With a full house venue:

Favorite part ko the lights! Panalo:

With Binibining Pilipinas 2013 candidates modeling for the first set:

Ms. Janine Tugonon (may gusto akong ihirit, but nevermind, hehehe)

The Holiday 2013 denim offerings of JAG for men and women:

JEFFREY ROGADOR:

and JEROME SALAYA ANG:

Panalo yung lights diba!!!

Some of Jag's designs (view more here)

But my most favorite paandar was the interview with my favorite fashion journalist NINA GARCIA! They had Boy Abunda handle the interesting Q&A portion:

Of course I took notes! :) Read on, super dami mong matututunan! :)

Tips for young designers:

Stay focused. Be authentic to yourself. Be unique. It's about being yourself, because nobody can have that.

How do young, local designers get exposure in Marie Claire magazine?

Call, send your lookbook via email (email adds can be found inside the magazines), send a follow up email. For sure you will get somebody to look at your designs, because we're always looking for new things! You have to be persistent, you have to be prepared, and you have to always believe in yourself. 

How do your survive being a magazine editor, fashion journalist, and now, as part of Project Runway?

I love what I do! For me, there is no other way! I survive these because I am passionate. And my family keeps me grounded, they're my priority. My social life, I don't really have one! ;D But family and fashion are my life. 

Are some people nasty?

It is a fiercely competitive environment. It's a business where there is no right and wrong answers, everything's subjective, there's always something new. Everything just depends on taste. Also, there is no security. And this creates insecure people, competitive people..

What makes New York City sexy?

The energy. Also, it's having that feeling that anybody can make it here. Without even knowing anyone (connections), you just have to work hard.

On Project Runway:

I thought it won't work, but it was the perfect storm. It started when FASHION WAS STILL NOT IN FASHION. People wanted to know more about this business that has been so mysterious for so long. Through Project Runway, we give you a microscopic view of what happens in real life. There's anxiety in creating fashion--and the whole process is interesting. You have to think on your feet--and people love watching that!

Biggest Achievement of Project Runway:

The interest it created in fashion! When the show was aired, it tripled the student enrolling for fashion design. It accelerated the interest for fashion.

On BLOGGERS:

I LIKE BLOGGERS! The competition is good. They give editors a run for their money. But I like them, I follow them. They're interesting. It's a different perspective--we offer different services. For magazines we make a reading material for women with different needs. The bloggers have a very personal point of view. It's phenomenal, most of them or very centrical of themselves. I love the competition! It's so exciting to live in this moment, everything's changing so fast--like how people consume information.

Most stylish women:

Coco Chanel, Kate Moss, Diana Vreeland, Georgia O'Keeffe...not the most beautiful people, I THINK STYLE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEAUTY. I'd rather be stylish--beauty is overrated. These are women of character.

Question from Ms. Pauline Juan from Preview Magazine: Advice to student designers...How can they transition from designers to brand / labels.

Foremost, you are a designer. You have to have creativity. Also, we are dealing with tough competition--have the background. Also, you have to have support for the business. Lots make the wrong partnerships, but big labels today that I know HAVE THE BEST BUSINESS PARTNERS. FIND THAT BUSINESS SIDE OF THE EQUATION. Have a savvy business partner! (Grabe eto palang sobrang learned a lot from Nina Garcia!)

When you are making your way to the top, who are you most scared of?

None, really... I felt very confident. I knew it. I have the passion. I felt I was different. I am Colombian--I have different perspective. I looked at it as an advantage. Nobody is like me.

Inspiration for her first book The Little Black Book of Style: 

As a magazine editor for so long, I am used to editing a magazine--and there's so much information you want to put in that issue, but you can't because a magazine has limited pages. When I was pregnant, it's one of those things that I thought of, I want to write a book. A 101 for those who wants to know more about fashion and style, so I collected all the information I cannot completely communicate in the magazines.

JAG capped the interview with Nina Garcia's short walk in the runway:

Had a great time watching JAG's show, and I most especially LOVED listening and learning from one of my favorite fashion writers Nina Garcia. I loved her as the author of The Little Black Book of Style circa 2007. Back then, I don't have the budget to purchase hardbound books so I just READ THEM IN POWERBOOKS GREENBELT all afternoon, digesting the pages of this fun fashion book, and then just order a brewed coffee afterwards in the now-defunct Javaman coffee shop inside this bookstore. Hehe. Those were the days! When I turned 25, my sisters gave me my very first Nina Garcia copy The One Hundred. I even used her tips on clothing must-haves as a series of fashion blog posts "challenge", featuring closet staples from A to Z that Nina Garcia featured! :p 

Thank you JAG for bringing Nina Garcia here, and for the spectacular show! :)

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