What do Beyoncé, Kate Moss, George Clooney, and other celebrities who always look their best have in common?
Three Filipinos who make them look good and gorgeous for the world to see.
Carissa Villacorta
February 6, 2017 (New York, NY)— It’s one of the industry’s well-kept secrets: behind your favorite celebrities is a talented Filipino who helped them achieve their glamorous images that can set trends in the fashion world. Now the secret is out, and it’s time to put the spotlight on these creative geniuses who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the stars we know and love, shine so well.
3. Letting inner beauty shine out: Mally Roncal
Mally Roncal with some of her celebrity clients [courtesy of @mallyroncal on Instagram].
When it comes to channeling your inner Sasha Fierce, Filipina Mally Roncal ranks among the best to get the job done. Mally’s parents raised her in upstate New York with this philosophy: What makes you different, is what makes you beautiful. She has traveled the world to glam up some of the most famous faces in entertainment and fashion, a list that include J-Lo, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
As one of the most sought-after makeup artists in Hollywood for a decade now, Mally knows all the tricks of the trade, and why some traditional makeup products come up short. This inspired her to launch her own line of beauty products, www.MallyBeauty.com, which offers products designed to deliver what Mally calls “bulletproof” beauty: makeup that is user-friendly, multi-functional, and stays on all day. Intended for women who don’t have time to touch up their makeup midday, her high-performance products are developed to offer ultra-glam results for everyday use. For Mally, “Makeup is simply the accessory that allows someone’s true nature and beauty to outwardly manifest itself.”
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2. Looking good and feeling good: Marlon Corvera
Marlon Corvera styling Venus and Serena Williams at St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan; Marlon with British Soprano Katherine Jenkins and Facebook Global Director Stephen Haines in Jeffrey Rüdes, Violinist Benjamin Beilman styled by Marlon at Jeffrey Rüdes in NYC.
Nothing shouts success better than a look that is “well put together.” And nobody knows this better than Marlon Corvera, Filipino image architect for the stars. Formerly a pre-med student, Marlon left the Philippines in the 1980s, to pursue his passion for fashion in no less than the Big Apple. His efforts paid off, and landed him a job as a Giorgio Armani specialist for Bloomingdales in New York City, and later on for Hugo Boss. Since then, Marlon has travelled across Europe as a fashion photographer, and styled for luxury brands like Burberry, House of Dior, Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Prada and Lanvin.
Today, he’s back in New York as Style Advisor for Jeffrey Rüdes, the hottest new luxury menswear brand in the US, with a design atelier in Italy and a flagship store in Soho, NYC, to be followed by boutique openings in Paris, London, Madison Avenue and more.
As the image architect of George Clooney, Ryan Seacrest and Ryan Reynolds, athletes like Venus and Serena Williams and top New York executives for their most important moments on stage, the red carpet, or their wedding days, Marlon has witnessed how classic elegance in fashion never goes out of style, and even sets the tone for the latest fashion trends.
Whether he’s dressing up celebrities in Hollywood and Broadway, or dignitaries and royalty in Europe, Marlon’s mantra has always been the same: “When you look good, you feel good. It opens up doors for you to be able to achieve your goals and succeed in life.”
- Capturing glamour and luxury: Audie Umali
Creative Director Audie Umali (right) with some of his global works.
The images for the hottest brands in luxury, beauty, and high fashion look so alluring, mysterious and hot – thanks to another Filipino behind the scenes: Audie Umali, creative director at New York-based creative agency Laird + Partners. With a career that spans almost two decades, Audie has collaborated with the best photographers like Nick Knight and Richard Avedon on beauty campaigns that include Tom Ford, DKNY, Swarovski, Max Factor, Calvin Klein, and Rimmel London.
Audie’s good taste, undeniable talent, passion and commitment to excellence propelled him to become one of the top players in New York’s creative field, which means he has directed supermodel muses such as Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Christy Turlington, Cara Delevingne, and global icons such as Lady Gaga.
But this Filipino creative director stays grounded and down-to-earth, and is happy to help out fellow Filipinos in the industry. In an interview with StarStyle.ph, his secret to surviving the highly competitive, cutthroat fashion industry in New York: “Maintain a strong work ethic. New Yorkers are some of the most ambitious and hardest working people on the planet. Laziness and a sense of entitlement will get you nowhere.”
This also means being flexible, and pushing himself out of his comfort zone to try new directions and styles that will make clients’ messages break through, and stand out from the noise that’s out there. Together with his team, they’ve produced images that are powerful because of their simplicity, purity and graceful effortlessness.
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So the next time we see our favorite stars and other famous faces on the red carpet, on TV or on billboards, we’re tipping our hats off to these amazing Filipinos behind the scenes, whose creativity, talent and passion are helping shape the way the world sees top fashion and timeless glamour.
