For this year's Pride month, Preview wanted to shine the spotlight on the Filipino femme and non-binary community. What started out as mounting a meaningful cover became heralding a movement that's much bigger than any other glam photoshoot.
From the multiple pre-production huddles, to the actual shoot days where many creatives involved went above and beyond, everyone worked hard to make sure that our message is boldly conveyed: the Filipino Queer Revolution is here and it's louder than ever.
This special execution was built on the stories of the transgender community that is often unjustly targeted here and abroad. It isn't just about having these talented women gracing our cover for their individual merits—there are a lot, believe us—but ultimately, they stand to represent the community as a whole. This is their story of self-expression, sisterhood, and strength.
WATCH: The Making of Preview's June 2023 Pride Cover
"Our Pride cover is more than just a cover, it's a movement," Preview Editor-in-Chief Marj Ramos-Clemente opens up in this special episode of The Making Of. "We were really thinking of how to make it more meaningful to the queer community, because this isn't just another glam photoshoot for us, this is something that represents way bigger than that."
"The story behind the cover is about the Filipino queer spirit and how we celebrate Pride locally," Art Director Bacs Arcebal explains as he breaks down each layout, including scenes from the pista and the barangay beauty contest, as well as moments from attending a salu-salo, joining an inuman, and playing dress-up. Each set was thoughtfully constructed by Rocket Sets, and later infused with life by the creative artistry of photography duo Cenon at Mav as well as the chemistry among our 19 cover stars.
"One person is not gonna cut it, not even two, not even three. The cover star has to represent the whole community," Marj shares, recalling the light bulb moment to have an entire community rather than just an individual to front our June cover.
"It's really a representation of the community and how it can be an inspiration to young, queer people," Bacs adds.
To glam the girls up for this shoot, we were fortunate enough to partner with MAC Cosmetics for makeup, TRESemmé for hair, and Nailandia for nails. Under the leadership of makeup artist Gery Penaso and hairstylist Lourd Ramos, the beauty direction and individual pegs were exquisitely executed.
Of course, we can't forget dressing up! For this undertaking, we worked with various local designers who were just as excited to lend their pieces to our dolls. Our deepest gratitude goes to local brands and designers, including Alchemista, Blackbough Swim, Chris Diaz, Dennis Lustico, Farah Abu, Glorious Dias, Guava Sketches, HA.MU, Hannah Adrias, Happy Andrada, Hello Habi, House of Enchante, House of Laurel, Jos Mundo, LSW, Manny Halasan, Marlon Tuason, Mirrobeads, Mjorian, Ola Haus, Piesa, Rags2Riches, Randolf Clothing, Rhett Eala, Rod Malanao, Sassa Jimenez, Sebastian and Savannah, Strutt, Sunnies Studios, Synopsiiis, Tagpi, Tipay Caintic, Xioti Chiu, Yana Kalaw, Thian Rodriguez, Fashion Designers Allicance Philippines (FADAL), and Fashion Accessory Makers PH (FAMPH).
"It's one thing to appear on a publication cover, but it's another thing to really express yourself and showcase who you are especially in a society that disassociates from you or shuns you away. It's especially important these stories are told," Content Creator for Entertainment and cover story writer Em Enriquez explains.
Our hope is that this cover would spark the right discussions and reach an audience—including queer and trans kids who need to see themselves represented on a mainstream platform—and we are incredibly grateful that we got to do it with a team that's equally as passionate.
Read the June 2023 Pride Cover Story here.
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