There’s something special happening in the soil of Pilar, Sorsogon, and it has nothing to do with typical runway trends.
Down in Sorsogon, Vogue Philippines cover model Maria Isabela Galeria is heading back to her roots. She is joined by the team from Ark Solves, a social impact group running a program called Feed Back.
It is all about a community harvest exchange that founder Ayesha Vera-Yu says is basically "in our DNA," inspired by old-school bartering and her grandfather’s stories.
For its latest Earth issue, Maria Isabela looks incredible in the spread, wearing pieces by designers like Rajo Laurel and Jaggy Glarino while being photographed by Artu Nepomuceno and Archie Geotina.
The issue moves to the volcanic rocks of O’ahu, where finalist Charissa Bigornia poses for photographer Harold Julian.
Charissa, who moved from Manila to Hawaii as a baby, says modeling is like showing a piece of your soul—which feels pretty deep when you are standing over a volcano. Meanwhile, in Patagonia, Romina Cardillo is literally growing clothes from fermented bacteria (a biomaterial called Celium), and in London, designer Phoebe English gets real about the "panic-inducing" impact the fashion world has on the planet.
It is not all heavy environmental talk, though; there is plenty of creative spark to go around. Alexi Lubomirski is sharing stunning flower photos from his new book to help out a children’s charity, and back in Bicol, Milo Naval is building minimalist installations that blend right into the landscape. Between Isabel Sicat’s hand-painted batik and a decade-long friendship between Joseph Bagasao and Ken Samudio, the whole vibe is about connection. Whether in heels or barefoot, the real bounty is in the relationships we foster while rooting ourselves in this good earth.