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…about Aya Abesamis. We started following each other on Instagram last year but we recently finally met in person. I knew of Aya because her parents were fashion models and contemporaries of my sisters back in the Philippines in the 1980s.

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.

Can I Tell You…I have known Clair Concepcion-Barberis since the late 80s when I started my fashion brand in Manila. She and her best friends were rebellious teenagers who dared to defy the rules of their strict Catholic school to model for me. We had so much fun going against the status quo in those days. We kept in touch after I moved to New York and whenever I was in Manila, I would always make time to see her and the gang for a proper catch-up.