Meet Aliyah Semillano, the 25-Year-Old Filipina Stylist Curating Celebrity Looks Across Europe
Raised in Manila, the stylist moved to Paris at 18, working with international names like Emma Roberts and Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford.
Published on Mar 20, 2026
Styling, at its most interesting, is about calibration. A hemline shifts a posture and a sharper silhouette can change how someone occupies a room. For Filipina stylist Aliyah Semillano, that process begins long before a fitting rack arrives. “Before I pull anything, I study them carefully—their personality, the way they move, what they’ve worn before, and how the public already reads them,” she says.
Now based in Paris and working between the city, Milan, and London, the Manila-raised stylist has built a career around those subtle recalibrations. One example came when she styled Kelly Rutherford for the cover of Numéro Netherlands, nudging the actress away from the polished Upper East Side persona audiences still associate with her role on Gossip Girl. Rather than replicate the familiar aesthetic, Aliyah leaned into sharper silhouettes and a slightly more directional presence. “It’s not about transformation for the sake of transformation,” she tells Preview. “It’s about revealing a dimension that already exists, but hasn’t been fully seen yet.”
The instinct to evolve an image without overwhelming it now informs a portfolio that spans editorial, celebrity, and campaign work. British model Kit Price is one of her ongoing clients, with Aliyah curating his wardrobe for red carpets like the Academy Awards, fashion week appearances, and editorials in titles such as Numéro and Schön! Magazine, often incorporating houses like Dior, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Isabel Marant. In 2022, she also worked with Emma Roberts on Montblanc’s global “What Moves You, Makes You” campaign in Paris.
The résumé, however, is only part of the story. Aliyah arrived in Paris at 18 without industry connections, building her career the slower way through the steady accumulation of trust.
Below, Preview talks to Aliyah about building a career in Paris, the discipline behind styling, and how growing up in Manila continues to shape the way she approaches image-making today.
Aliyah Semillano
You chose to pursue fashion abroad at 18. What made you confident enough to take that leap so young?
“I’ve always been very driven and precise in the way I approach opportunities. Once I realized that fashion was the world I wanted to build my life in, I became very focused on finding a way into it.
“Leaving at 18 was a big decision, but it came more from conviction than fearlessness. Before moving to Paris, I took a gap year where I enrolled in short fashion courses and spent time learning as much as I could about the industry. At the same time, I was making custom gowns and tuxedos, which allowed me to build a very hands-on relationship with clothing early on. I also spent time speaking with my family and preparing for the move, so while I was young, it was never an impulsive decision.”
How did you start getting your foot in the door in Paris?
“When I moved to Paris, I didn’t have a network waiting for me, so I understood very quickly that I would have to build everything through consistency, observation, and trust. In the beginning, that meant assisting, working in showrooms, saying yes to opportunities, and learning the industry from the ground up. But what helped me move forward was always doing more than what was expected of me. I was never interested in limiting myself to one narrow role.
“I also did a lot of outreach that people don’t always see. I built relationships over time, and that took a lot of discipline. Fashion can look very closed from the outside, but I learned that if your eye is strong, your energy is right, and people know they can rely on you, doors do begin to open. Over time, those relationships became a real Parisian base for me.”
What were some of the toughest moments in those early years?
“One of the toughest parts in the beginning was understanding how much of the job happens behind the scenes. People often see the final image, but not the amount of logistics, coordination, and relationship-building it takes to get there. I was handling an enormous amount on my own—sourcing, returns, packages, coordinating with showrooms and PRs, preparing fittings, managing last-minute changes—while still building my network from scratch. That period taught me a lot about discipline.
“Trust in fashion is built over time. You have to prove that you have the eye, but also that you are precise, reliable, and able to deliver under pressure.”
When you’re styling someone for the first time, what do you try to understand about them?
“The first thing I try to understand is who they are as a person and how they want to be perceived. Styling is never just about clothes, it’s about identity. Before I pull anything, I study them carefully—their personality, the way they move, what they have worn before, and how the public already reads them. That helps me understand their visual language. From there, my role is to evolve that image. I like taking someone slightly outside of their comfort zone and introducing an alter ego, another side of them that has not been fully expressed yet.
“I remember when I was styling Kit Price for the Oscars. It was only my second time working with him, he was in Los Angeles, I was in Paris, and I had around 10 hours to find the right look. In that short time, I secured a custom Dolce & Gabbana suit for him, shaping him almost like an ’80s movie star—something polished, cinematic, and a little more character-driven. Even when I push someone into a new space visually, it still has to feel authentic.”
When you styled Kelly Rutherford for that cover, how did you approach rethinking her look?
“I was very aware that people strongly associate her with Lily van der Woodsen and that polished Upper East Side image. What interested me was not repeating that visual language but evolving it. Kelly already has a very natural elegance, so I didn’t want to erase that. I wanted to preserve the sophistication people recognize while introducing something more directional and unexpected. It’s not about transformation for the sake of transformation; it’s about revealing a dimension that already exists but hasn't been fully seen yet.”
In some of your editorials, you try to include Filipino-founded brands. What does it mean to you to bring those names into international fashion spaces?
“It’s very meaningful to me. The Philippines has so much creative talent but not always the same level of international visibility. Whenever it makes sense for the story or the person I am styling, I try to include Filipino-founded brands because I believe they deserve to be part of the global conversation. For me, it’s a way of creating a bridge between where I come from and the industry I work in now.”
Are there Filipino designers or brands you’ve been especially excited about lately?
“I have been especially excited by designers and brands that combine a strong point of view with real craftsmanship. One brand I really love is Mele + Marie. I’m very drawn to the femininity and detail in their work, and I had the opportunity to style Tini Stoessel and Jihoon Kim in one of their pieces, which felt very meaningful.
“I also really admire Anthony Alvarez and the world he has built through Blue Marble. There’s a very distinct energy and identity there. More broadly, I’m always paying attention to Filipino creatives who are building something with a clear visual language, because that kind of authorship is what stays with people.”
What’s one item you always keep in your styling kit?
“Safety pins. They may seem simple, but they can save almost any situation. I remember during the Monaco Grand Prix, I was styling Kika Gomes and the dress we had chosen ended up slightly loose at the last minute. There was no time to properly alter it, so I had to adjust the fit on the spot. I used safety pins, and even a ring, to reshape the dress in a way that still felt intentional and polished.”
Growing up in Manila, was there a piece of fashion advice that stuck with you?
“One idea that stayed with me is that the person should always wear the clothes, not the other way around. Fashion can be powerful, but it should still feel like an extension of who someone is. That stayed with me because Filipinos are very expressive people. I grew up seeing personality come through in the way people dressed. Even now, when I style someone, I am never trying to hide them behind fashion. I want to amplify who they are and make that identity feel even stronger and clearer.”
Looking back now, what do you think the 18-year-old version of you moving to Paris would be most surprised about today?
“I think she would be most surprised that her instinct was right. At 18, I knew I wanted to build a life in fashion, but I couldn’t see yet what that path would become. Paris felt big, unfamiliar, and full of unknowns. I only knew that I cared deeply about image and storytelling, and that I was willing to work hard for it.
“If she could see where things are now, I think she would be surprised by the scale of some of the moments I have been part of. But more than anything, I think she would be proud that I stayed committed to that first instinct and turned it into something real, step by step.”
Kat is Preview's Lifestyle Editor, explorer, and occasional rhymer. When not globe-trotting, she's over her computer, writing her next big novel.
Read more stories about
aliyah semillano ,stylist ,preview exclusive ,exclusive interview ,sc26 ,lch-00398