It's been weeks since the designer to the stars, Randy Ortiz, presented his milestone fashion show, Randy O 35, at The Gallery in Greenbelt 5. It was a most admired showcase of his art, as it evolved through the last 35 years, with Manila's glitterati and artistic set lapping up his splendid masterpieces anchored on indigenous materials.

What Randy gave the audience was a narrative of his life, its various phases from his childhood in Mindanao, all the way to the present which sees him relaxed, almost sitting on his laurels, except that he foresees another 10 years of active designing and creating.

Indeed, he could afford to take it easy, having achieved financial and professional success, especially because he had always prepared for the day "when other young people would emerge on the scene and I did not imagine myself competing against them." Yet as his recent show proved, there is so much more that have yet to emerge from his fount of ingenuity.

As 2024 brings in new trends as well as developments in the creative industry sector, Randy is sure to remain on the same stellar spot that he has occupied all these years, even as his associates and competitors have come and gone. His is a name that remains emblazoned in the firmament of couture masters simply because he has kept at his art dedicatedly and with as much fervor as when he began at an early age.

In this, our occasional Wednesday series dedicated to the luminaries of the creative industry, Randy is our choice to spearhead the long list, for his dedication to the practice of his craft, his inspiring success and his unsullied reputation as an artist and entrepreneur.