MEGA YOUNG DESIGNERS

                                MEGA YOUNG DESIGNERS COMPETITION WINNERS

MEGA Magazine, the Philippines’ best and pioneer fashion magazine, successfully culminated the second season of Gen M: Generation MEGA, the MEGA Young Designers Competition (YDC) 2012 and kick-started its 20-year anniversary celebration recently at NBC tent.

For the past 20 years, MEGA has endeavored to champion Philippine fashion and create a Filipino aesthetic. The YDC was created two years after the inception of the magazine and it was launched in order to discover the creative minds who will then serve as ambassadors of Philippine fashion to the runways of the world. This competition has produced a list of impressive alumni including renowned designers Rajo Laurel, Michi Calica-Sotto, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Ivarluski Aseron, Mich Dulce and Veejay Floresca

MEGA founder and editor in chief Sari Yap, shares, “I believe in tradition. The MEGA Young Designers Competition is one such thing. When we started it in 1994, it was to create a platform to discover new talent. Back then, to break into the fashion industry was very difficult and there were very few avenues to generate buzz. Today, it’s a very different picture, there are so many fashion schools and designing has become a go-to career for a lot of young people. Although the barrier to entry is not as difficult as before, we still wanted to find these stars and teach them the right skills.”

In keeping with the 20^th anniversary of MEGA, the MEGA Young Designers Competition final six were then tasked to imagine MEGAmorphosis and the next 20 years of MEGA for their final collections. These were then showcased in a grand gala held at NBC Tent last February 16, 2012.

With an audience that included patrons of fashion, young society and the most important advertisers of MEGA magazine, there was no better place to launch young talents Mara Chua, Kirby Cruz, Ched Dalogaog, Robin Gundran, Oz Go and Renan Jay Pacson.

The glittering event is just the first in what will be a series of events to commemorate MEGA’s historic 20 years.

Directed by Robby Carmona, the event featured the top 6 designers: Ched Dalogaog, Kirby Cruz, Mara Chua, Oz Go, Renan Pacson and Robin Gundran each of whom presented a five-piece collection with the theme: MEGA: Fashion in the next 20 years. This year’s judges included MEGA magazine editor-in-chief Sari Yap, acclaimed fashion designer Avel Bacudio, and ramp and commercial model Raya Mananquil, along with MEGA Magazine deputy editor Meryll Yan and executive creative director Suki Salvador. To top it all off, YDC alumni Veejay Floresca and MEGA

YDC 2011 grand winner Russell Villafuerte showcased a capsule collection especially created for the night.

The grand winner of this year’s MEGA Young Designer Competition brought home a contract with Boardwalk worth P50,000, a 3-day, 2-night stay at Discovery Shores Boracay, products from Bose, a Meister watch, a trophy by Mulawin Abueva, a feature spread in MEGA Magazine, and P100,000 cash from MEGA. The runners-up also brought home contracts with Boardwalk, a stay at Discovery Shores Boracay, and a feature in MEGA Magazine.

A special prize for Best in Show was also awarded. The winner and his models received P20,000 worth of Gift Certificates from Primadonna shoes.

With the end of the second season of the MEGA Young Designers Competition, the MEGA Publishing Group unveiled a new treat to the country’s fashionistas, the much awaited comeback of MEGA Fashion Crew.