Mia Arcenas: Passion for Fashion

Photography TONI DESPOJO
Make Up ARNAULD ECHEVARRIA
Hair GINO FONGHE
Videographry EZEKIEL SULLANO
Style BLAQ MAFIA
Special thanks to THE HENRY HOTEL

By Racquel Narciso

If you follow the local fashion scene, then you probably caught the highlights of last week’s Manila Fashion Festival. A relatively new fashion event, the show featured some of the country’s talented young designers including our November Cover Girl, Mia Arcenas, who wowed the audience with her latest line of resortwear. Mia lit up the runway with vibrant colors, bold florals, and shimmery gold dresses and jumpsuits, true to her design philosophy that conveys ease and luxury without the pretense. “It’s all about relaxed fun,” she explains. “Beautiful and wearable fashion fit for women who love to travel and explore.”

Mia got her start in the fashion world very early in life. Her mother was the brains behind the successful Ferimar Import-Export company, creating costume jewelry and handbags for top brands such as Kate Spade and Marni, to name a few. As a child, Mia would tag along to attend fashion shows and trade shows all over the world.

Back home in Cebu, little Mia would spend her days at the office. “The design room was my playground, and in fact the whole factory was,” she recalls. “I was always intrigued by everyone’s job in the factory. I remember I used to sit with the sample makers, and help them make necklaces, sew beads onto a bag, or simply pack finished goods. Little did I know, those things were the main driving force to my passion for fashion today.”

The biggest driving force of all would be Mia’s mom, who would take Mia’s crayon-rendered sketches and produce them, nurturing her daughter’s creative confidence at a young age. She also gave ten-year-old Mia her very first lessons on style.

“She always told me to build my wardrobe. She told me it was always better to invest in key and classic elements that would last you a lifetime, rather than trendy, fast-fashion pieces that quickly faded as seasons changed.”