It's no secret that celebrities, local and international, often wear clothes and accessories that are borrowed from various brands and designers. In Philippine showbiz, photographer-turned-jeweler Drake Dustin Ibay is sought after by some stars for his luxury accessories. Drake reveals to PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) some of the most expensive gems he has lent to celebrities since he started his business.
He particulary recalls the jewelry collection that was previously worn by Ivana Alawi. "The total worth was around 30 million [pesos], I think. Not just one jewelry, collectively," he shares.
One of the pieces worn by Ivana was the "Agila Yellow Diamond Necklace by LVNA," worth P21,580,000, according to the brand's official website.
Drake has taken the first step to go global, his biggest dream, by making his online shop accessible to the international market. The businessman told PEP.ph, "Right now, we are receiving orders outside the country. I think that’s a good start.
"The U.S. is wide, Canada is wide, usually the jewelers there are online lang din. We’re gonna try to keep on upgrading the system, website, to make it at par to those global brands."
Drake has also started tapping international celebrities, including supermodel Kelsey Merritt who has worn his jewelry for a magazine cover shoot. "Right now, we are talking to one of the ELITE series star, Aron Piper. We are still in talks pa lang naman for a collab," he adds.
Drake started his jewelry business online via Instagram sometime in 2016. Now, he has seven branches around Metro Manila.
PEP.ph interviewed Drake via Zoom last September 23, 2021.
*This story originally appeared on Pep.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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