Victoria’s Secret’s Kelsey Merritt, LGBTQ+ icon Geena Rocero and other groundbreaking Filipino supermodels who put Asian beauty in the spotlight
Asia’s Next Top Model winner Maureen Wroblewitz and Miss Universe runner-up Janine Tugonon rank among the pioneering models who brought Filipino faces onto runaways across the world
In recent years, Asian models have been taking the fashion world spotlight, breaking barriers and bringing more diversity to the international modelling scene. Filipinos alone are conquering fashion editorials and runway shows one booking at a time.
Check out these five Pinoy models who are not just representing Filipino faces, but Southeast Asian beauty in general.
Kelsey Merritt
In 2018, then-22-year-old model Kelsey Merritt made history by becoming the first-ever Filipino to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show runway. After graduating in the Philippines, Kelsey moved to the US to pursue modelling. Since her VSFS success, Merritt has signed with several major agencies around the globe, using her online platforms to advocate for body positivity and environmental issues.
Maureen Wroblewitz
After four cycles of being runners-up, a Filipino finally bagged the Asia's Next Top Model title in 2017, when Filipino-German model Maureen Wroblewitz won the reality TV show’s fifth season. Soon after, the then 18-year-old appeared on the cover of Nylon Singapore and signed with Storm Models agency in London. She also acts as an ambassador for the ICanServe Foundation, which focuses on helping cancer survivors.
Janine Tugonon