Fashion queen Heart Evangelista celebrated her 39th birthday this year with "a smile and a heart full of gratitude."

Heart has every reason to be grateful. She can now look back with pride and see the fruits of her labors and sacrifices.

 A certified international fashion influencer whose reach has officially translated into millions of dollars with the brands she endorses, Heart has successfully reinvented herself during every phase of her life.  She began as a typical teen star in the early 2000s, then took on more challenging roles becoming a teleserye powerhouse as she got older, before shifting her focus to fashion and the arts.

Indeed, Heart is living her dream. A dream realized not without hard work, determination and sacrifice. There is a lot more to accomplish, new territories to chart and fresh horizons to explore.

But for now, the fashion icon and trendsetter can sit back and enjoy her accomplishments so far — a trailblazer whose place in the world of international fashion is secure with her crown safely tucked on her head.

No wonder, other local celebrities — and even beauty queens—are now treading in the footsteps that she carved on the glittering runway of international fashion fame.

Recently, renowned fashion and beauty vlogger Jesson Capuchino, who is a senior lecturer on fashion design and retail merchandising at the University of the Philippines Diliman, hailed the actress-influencer for being "The OG Pinay Fashion Influencer." Heart paved the way for other Filipinas to carve similar paths, including Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, and celebrities Anne Curtis and Liza Soberano.

 "We cannot talk about fashion influencers here in the Philippines without starting with Miss Heart Evangelista. We all know that she is essentially the first, you know, the OG Pinay Fashion Influencer in the country," Capuchino said.

"You cannot start a conversation about fashion influencers and the fashion influencer culture without her because I think beyond everything else that has been discussed and has been talked about, it was Heart who essentially started the ball game on fashion influencers," he added.

While there were several Filipinos before her who attempted to penetrate the international fashion world in the past, the vlogger said that it was Evangelista among other fashion influencers who really cemented her role at the celebrated Fashion Week in Paris and Milan.

"The beauty of Heart is that she is not only a fashion influencer but she also moves merchandise. That is a very important and a very potent tool to have because, for example, during Fashion Week the dresses or items that she wears tend to get sold out whether it's a Bulgari ring or a YSL limited edition sunglasses," he pointed out.

What the UP lecturer mentioned in his vlog was not without basis. In an article, fashion magazine Vogue noted luxury brands have keenly observed Heart's influence. After all, according to Launchmetrics, during the Paris Fashion Week, Heart's social media posts generated a staggering US$1.27 million in Media Impact Value across 11 placements.

She also emerged as one of the top influencers at Milan Fashion Week, generating an impressive US$1.4 million in media impact value. MIV reflects the cumulative impact of views, likes, engagements and other interactions, as calculated by an algorithm developed by the data analytics company.

As she continues to grow as a person nearing her 40s, Heart is resolved to paint her life's journey with vibrant hues, weaving her aspirations into the fabric of reality. And as the fashion cosmos evolves, she will remain a guiding star, illuminating the path for others to follow.