MANILA -- Over a thousand fashion enthusiasts were glued to their screens on Tuesday night as Rajo Laurel mounted his first virtual fashion show.
The Facebook live show, held in collaboration with director Robby Carmona and Saga Events, also marked the top Filipino designer's birthday.
A pre-recorded video was played, showing models sashaying down makeshift runways wearing pieces from Laurel's "Hacienda" collection. Hair and makeup were done by Jing Monis and Gela Laurel Stehmeier, respectively.
"The collection was obviously done six months ago, inspired by the life I wanted to live here in Batangas," Laurel told host Issa Litton shortly before presenting his new creations. "It's like we planted a seed and now it's growing into this wonderful new thing."
"This is perhaps a way to start strong," added the designer.
Carmona, who has been directing live events for 25 years, for his part admitted the challenges of doing a digital execution such as Laurel's virtual fashion show.
"This is really something different because everything was done remotely," he said. "So all meetings, all content we had to do, pre-prods, editing, approvals are all online."
The director nevertheless expressed optimism for the fashion and events industry: "This is the time to help each other, this is the time that we share what we have... I'm really looking forward for all of us to see each other again in the near future."
It was revealed during the event that part of the proceeds from the sales of Laurel's "Hacienda" collection will be given to Philippine Red Cross Makati, with Facebook live viewers directed to bank accounts if they want to make direct donations.
Watch the two-part virtual fashion show below: