The fashion industry is known to be cutthroat. To make it to the top, you'll need the right combination of passion, skill, and determination. While formal education significantly helps in getting your foot in the industry, not everyone in the industry has had the chance to pursue fashion in college. Many of today's most recognizable names in the industry first started out pursuing a completely different field. From fashion designers to models, here are a few personalities in the industry with a non-fashion college degree:
Patty Ang, fashion designer
Patty Ang is a Filipino fashion designer. Her creations have been worn by local celebs like Andi Eigenmann, Jodi Sta. Maria, Kim Jones, and even Hollywood star Chrissy Teigen. During her college years, Patty was actually pursuing a course that's not at all related to fashion: Behavioral Sciences at De La Salle University. To further improve her craft, however, Patty decided to enroll in courses at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines and Central Saint Martins in London.
Mich Dulce, fashion designer
Homegrown fashion designer Mich Dulce has seen her work grace international glossies like Vogue, Paper, and Harper's Bazaar. Before getting her fashion training at institutions like Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, and the Fashion Institute of Technology New York, Mich took up Interdisciplinary Studies at Ateneo de Manila University.
BJ Pascual, fashion photographer
With an eye for style, BJ Pascual has made a name as one of the country's sought-after fashion photographers. In college, BJ took up International Studies at De La Salle University. Before that, though, the photographer considered majoring in Computer Science to live out his childhood interest in coding and programming.
Shaira Luna, fashion photographer
Another top fashion photographer in the country, Shaira's first claim to fame was being recognized as a "Promil Kid." She went to college at age 13 and took up Human Biology at De La Salle University. She dropped out six years later after shifting courses and ultimately pursued a career in photography.
Hannah Locsin, model
Filipina model Hannah Locsin has walked down the runways of famed Fashion Week shows. She most notably starred in a Gucci Beauty campaign in 2020. Hannah graduated from De La Salle University with a degree in Communications.
Kelsey Merritt, model
Kelsey Merritt became known as the first Pinay to become a Victoria's Secret model. Before moving to New York to pursue her modeling career, Kelsey studied Communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Rei Germar, fashion influencer
With over one million followers on Instagram, Rei Germar has risen to the top as one of the most recognized fashion influencers today. Before becoming a full-time content creator and YouTube star, Rei took up Communication Arts at Miriam College.
Vern and Verniece Enciso, fashion influencers
Sisters Vern and Verniece Enciso are among the pioneer bloggers in the country (back when written blogs were a thing and vlogging wasn't popular yet!). Aside from making content together and dressing up in twinning outfits, the two have started a perfume line together called VV & Co. Vern took up European Studies while Verniece studied Multimedia Arts.
Kat Cruz-Villanueva, stylist
Kat Cruz-Villanueva is a stylist to stars like Heart Evangelista, Kim Jones, and Iza Calzado. She's always been passionate about fashion even while she was taking up Marketing Management at De La Salle University. She had her start in the industry as an assistant stylist and even became a fashion editor, before ultimately starting her own styling company.
*This story originally appeared on Candymag.com. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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