Manila magic
Manila, The Philippines


 


We meet BJ Pascual in magical Manila to shoot a fashion editorial with internationally acclaimed, gay Filipino actor Romano ‘Jake’ Macapagal. You’re welcome.

This story first appeared in The Modern Manila Issue, available in print and digital.

This story first appeared in The Modern Manila Issue, available in print and digital.

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01 (left)Safari shirt: Randy Ortiz
Trousers: COMME des GARÇONS
Despoke wood-grain lace-up shoes: Maco Custodio
Vintage smoked glasses: Kamuning Street thrift shops
01 (right)Hand-dipped hat: Albertus Swanepoel
Safari shirt: Randy Ortiz
Casual tuxedo trousers: Joey Samson
02Striped green boxy shirt: Paul Smith
Trousers and shoes: Model’s own
03 (left)Teal boxy shirt: Paul Smith
Black pants: Rhett Eala
03 (right)Off-white sports jacket: Joey Samson
Vintage reading glasses: Kamuning Street thrift shops
04Ivory tuxedo coat and vintage ‘Barong’: Joey Samson
Bandanna pocket square: Bench

Photography: BJ Pascual

Styling: Noel Manapat

Art direction: Martin Perry

Model: Jake Macapagal

Grooming: Omar Ermita

Photography assistance: Damian Estrelles & Richard Detita

Styling assistance: Vincent Coriosa & Benj Barrus Ledesma

Shot on location in Manila, The Philippines

On BJ Pascual

To say that Filipino photographer BJ Pascual is one of Manila’s biggest names is no exaggeration. He’s the city’s go-to celebrity fashion photographer whose work has featured on countless magazine covers (including this one), high profile advertising campaigns and popular pan-continental TV show, Asia’s Next Top Model. His work emblazons vast billboards across the Philippines, in one particular instance, the biggest piece of advertising real estate in Manila contained exclusively his work on all of its colossal canvases. He’s also a best-selling author and recently graced the cover of Manila’s ground-breaking gay magazine, TEAM. To find out more about BJ’s life in The Philippines, the state of LGBT+ awareness in the country, and his creative work, our Creative Director Martin Perry flew off to the tropical archipelago to spend a week with BJ, watching him work and explore all that Manila has to offer. You can read all about it here.

BJ Pascual Manila




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