How 3 Young Filipino Designers and Jag Are Rewriting Beauty Rules at MNL Fashion Week
In Jag’s Anniversary Show featuring young designers Yana Kalaw Studios, Killjoy Studios, and Lilah Roché at MNL Fashion Week, exaggerated lashes, mega blush, and electric-blue lids take center stage.
At Jag’s 50th anniversary show at MNL Fashion Week’s NextGen showcase, which features a fresh crop of fashion designers—Yana Kalaw Studios, Lilah Roché, and Killjoy Studios—a whole new beauty rulebook writes itself.
The show started with Yana Kalaw Studios’ collection entitled The Prologue to Queer Notes. In an exclusive interview with Allure Philippines, Yana Kalaw Studios’ beauty director Ida Siasoco shares, “As a longtime friend and collaborator [of Yana Kalaw], we decided to have a mix of her personal story. Since her collection is about femininity and queer women, as a queer woman also, I love working on this.”
Drawing inspiration from the colors of the lesbian flag, the show featured a beauty story revolving around orange, white, and pink, whether that’s peachy-orange blush, bleached white brows, exaggerated pink feather lashes, or bubblegum-pink hair.
“I guess I want people to feel in awe,” says designer Yana Kalaw. “I want them to see how beautiful embracing your femininity can be since I really, really believe that femininity has no gender.”
For Killjoy Studios’ collection entitled Kalye Trez Mixtape segment, designer Eugene Malabad references his queer childhood in Manila, his grandfather’s connection to the Air Force, and his favorite films. “The show is energetic, slightly chaotic, and nostalgic, but still very contemporary,” says Malabad. The beauty looks reflect those references with nostalgic bouffants, vintage-inspired hairstyles, and sharp makeup.
Meanwhile, Lilah Roché’s collection entitled Sampaguita Queenpin depicts Manila noir Philippine action films, and the beauty looks reflect vintage-inspired hairstyles and cool-toned makeup paired with vampy red lips. “I grew up watching [my parents’] favorite action movies. Even the remakes now, like Ang Probinsyano, Batang Quiapo, and Sikaba. I watch it with them. So I thought, why not make a female version?” says designer Lilah Roché.
To close the opening night, Jag unveiled a denim collection and Nadine Lustre as its new face. Playing with the classic blue denim hue, the beauty looks played with eye looks in shades of metallic cobalt blue and electric blue, paired with a classic pin-straight hairstyle that puts the eye-catching makeup look on center stage.
Yana Kalaw Studios
XL feather lashes
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Oversized, exaggerated lashes bring on the drama. The maximalist approach makes the lashes the main character. The sheer length of the lashes can make one do not just a glance but a double take. The avant-garde lashes feel theatrical, playful, and unapologetic. You can also play with the color of the lashes, aside from the dramatic length. This is femininity dialed all the way up.
Avant-garde blush
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
It has always been a question where blush placement should be—is it on the apples of the cheeks, the high points of the face, or over the noseline? But as seen on the runway, blush can take over the face in many ways. It could be drawn as waves on the face like art, or it could take over half of the face. Use your favorite pink blush to play around your beauty look to be bolder, more youthful, and very expressive.
Experimental brows
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Brows can easily change up a look. As seen on the runway, there are many ways to do your brows instead of the trendy brushed-up brows. It can be reduced to ultra-thin arches or bleached to give off an entirely different vibe. If you want a dramatic eye look, the additional eyelid space leaves more room for fun eye makeup looks to take over.
Cotton candy hair
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Pink brings an unmistakably commanding energy on the runway. The saturated color transforms the hair into an extension of the collection’s carefree attitude. The result is youthful—deliberately unconventional, but so irresistible.
Lilah Roché
Vintage waves
Gabriel Villareal
Voluminous curls channel polished glamour. The rounded shape gives the hair body while framing the face with drama. Defined curls keep the finish structured and deliberate. For those who opt for a classic, glamorous hair look, this is the inspiration to save on your moodboard.
Femme fatale makeup
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Cool-toned makeup makes its way onto the runway, not necessarily as heavy smokey eyeshadow, but in hints of soft greige. Against the cool tones, a vivid red lip provides a sharp contrast and becomes a focal point of the look. The rest of the makeup is pared down, allowing the vampy red lip to do all the talking.
Killjoy Studios
Slicked layers
Gabriel Villareal
Hair takes on an edgy quality, matching the collection’s youthful energy. While sleek hairstyles are usually brushed up, these hair looks allow the bangs and layers to be gelled across the forehead. The finish feels more spontaneous than polished, bringing movement and attitude to the look.
Nostalgic bouffants
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
A vintage-inspired bouffant brings height and volume to the hair. The lifted crown brings a retro silhouette with plenty of attitude, while the tapered and undone sides give it a modern take compared to perfectly coiffed vintage bouffants. The throwback styling reinforces the collection’s nostalgic references.
Jag
Frosty blue eyeshadow
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Blue shadow washes across the lids, bringing a cool hit of color to the denim-focused runway. Think of this hue as your next eye color to play with aside from the usual cool-toned smokey eye or warm cut-crease. Its placement, swiped across the entire eyelid, keeps the look graphic without becoming too complicated. Paired with a skin-like makeup base, and the color becomes the star.
Pin-straight hair
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Gabriel Villareal
Hair falls in sleek, pin-straight lengths for a clean, polished finish. The ultra-smooth texture creates a sharp contrast that moves with the relaxed denim silhouettes. If you have straight hair and are looking for a hairstyle that is low-effort but high impact, think of letting your hair fall naturally and part it severely in the middle. It is sleek, runway-ready, and meant to be recreated.
Art direction by Mikiyo Ricamora. Photography by Gabriel Villareal for Allure Philippines, and Alvin Chua of MNL Fashion Week.
Frequently Asked Questions
The show featured avant-garde XL feather lashes, exaggerated blush placement, bleached experimental brows, and bubblegum-pink hair from Yana Kalaw Studios, alongside vintage waves and red lips from Lilah Roché, gelled bouffants from Killjoy Studios, and cobalt-blue eyeshadow from Jag’s denim collection.
Yana Kalaw Studios, Lilah Roché, and Killjoy Studios presented collections at Jag’s NextGen showcase, closing with Jag’s own denim collection featuring Nadine Lustre as its new face—marking the brand’s 50th anniversary at MNL Fashion Week.
Sweep a cool-toned blue shadow—cobalt or electric blue—across the entire lid rather than blending into a crease, paired with a skin-like, minimal base. The graphic, full-lid placement keeps the color the clear focal point of the look.
Beauty director Ida Siasoco built the story around the lesbian flag’s colors—peachy-orange blush, pink feather lashes, and bleached white brows—reflecting designer Yana Kalaw’s collection theme of femininity and queer identity.
Let hair fall naturally in sleek, ultra-smooth lengths and part it severely down the middle rather than off-center. This low-effort technique creates a sharp, polished contrast that works especially well against relaxed silhouettes like denim.
