Can I tell you about Joanna Preysler. We met over 30 years when I was a fashin designer in the Philippines. Recently, we’ve been reacquainted through her social media and our mutual friend Dawn Zulueta. She’s a wife, a mother and an entrepreneur. She and her husband Raul Francisco founded Provenance Art Gallery and 8Rooms Creative Space in Manila showcasing Filipino artists and mentoring emerging tale

Can I tell you I first met Ayesha back in 2016 when ARK honored me at their fundraiser gala in New York. Since then we have become friends and I have helped her with some creative input with last year’s event. She is a force of nature; bubbling with energy, overflowing with ideas and optimism that is inspiring to be around.

Can I tell you, we all know that feeling you have when you meet someone and you just know you’re going to get along. That’s exactly how I felt when I met Alessandra years ago. We have a shared heritage and it’s something we are very proud of. We just get each other.

Can I tell you, although we’ve never met in person, Berna Romulo Puyat and I have come to know each other thanks to Instagram. We started direct messaging each other a few years ago when she posted a picture wearing one of my clutches given to her by a common friend. Berna has been a long time advocate for wearing Filipino design. In her role as the Philippines Secretary of Tourism she traveled everywhere in the country and through her I saw so many beautiful destinations I have since added to my bucket list. More recently, she has been appointed the Deputy Governor of Central Bank of the Philippines.