Filipino is Oscars Designer Challenge finalist
Posted on February 4th, 2010 under We are Pinoys!
Oliver Tolentino
Pinoy fashion designer Oliver Tolentino is raising the flag at the Oscars. He is one of 10 finalists in the “Oscars Designer Challenge,” organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Tolentino, born in Bataan and educated in a fashion school in Manila, was picked based on his spring-summer collection in the Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week last October.
The entries of Tolentino and his nine rivals in the Oscar tile will be unveiled in a press showcase on Feb. 23 at the Academy building in Beverly Hills. Video clips of the designers and their entries will be posted on the Academy’s website. Online viewers then vote and determine the winner.
Tolentino hopes his countrymen around the world will support him by voting for him online, and the winner will be announced on the Oscar pre-show, and will attend the 82nd Academy Awards show on March 7.
He is the second consecutive Filipino to be included in the shortlist. Last year, Alan del Rosario, LA-based designer from Cebu, was also a finalist.
Tolentino is a rising star in the fashion business having recently represented the Philippines with his gown that showcased piña (pineapple fiber) at the EcoChic fashion show and exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.
The contest is such a huge honor for any designer, he said, “But to think that I expanded to the US just seven months ago… I’m pinching myself! I’ve been so blessed the past seven months—a great opening, the LA Fashion Week, and just last week, EcoChic Geneva at the UN headquarters in Switzerland alongside Diane von Furstenberg (Belgium), Thakoon (Thailand) and John Rocha (Ireland). I wasn’t there, but I was flattered that they chose my gown as the finale in their fashion show.”
EcoChic Geneva celebrated sustainable fashion and accessories to mark the UN International Year of Biodiversity. It was organized by the UN Conference on Trade and Development) and Hong Kong’s charity group, Green2greener.
In 2008, Tolentino represented the Philippines in Bali Fashion Week. He won first prize for his Carnivale parade outfit creation. His collection was also chosen as finale in the couture show on the last night.
In the recent Golden Globe Awards, Tolentino’s gowns made the red carpet scene courtesy of Margaret Gardiner, the first-ever Miss Universe from South Africa, Jannelle So, host of the popular TV talk show, ‘Kababayan LA,’ and Filipina journalist Janet Nepales.
“When someone asks what my hopes are in 2010,” said the talented designer, whose clients include Journey’s Arnel Pineda, Filipino-American actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Las Vegas performer Lani Misalucha, “I must say it’s to continue introducing and promoting our local fabric and Philippine fashion.”
Related posts:
- Philippine NGO is BBC World Challenge 2010 Finalist
- Dulce wins top fashion award at London Fashion Week
- Pinoy fashion designer wins Japan fashion contest
- Filipino in finals of Project Runway USA Season 7
- Filipino executive is CNBC Biz awards finalist
