FELICIANO ADOR

Feliciano Ador, or Jun to family and friends — could be J'Ador in the world fashion scene one day, who knows? — has the penchant for finding beauty in everything, and creating equally beautiful things to match. It's not that the statuesque 2010 Miss Philippines™ winner and Miss Universe™ runner-up Venus Raj needs help in that department, but donning Ador's Filipino neo-ethnic fashion creations elevates her unique elegance and feminine strength a notch higher, just as she elevates the apparel and accessories (part and parcel of Ador's Arise Mindanao collection) to the next stage — a perfect match made in fashion heaven. This photo shoot in New York City showcases both model and clothes in their natural best — elegance in simplicity, beauty in tradition, and strength in subtle confidence. "This neo-ethnic collection, which features the t'nalak, inaul, and other indigenous materials and styles, signifies a woman who always believes in herself, is determined to achieve her dreams in life, and can show to the world that she is versatile," says Ador, whose ethnic roots trace to the Mandaya tribe, another indigenous minority in this part of the Philippines.

ANTHONY CRUZ LEGARDA

ANTHONY CRUZ LEGARDA, Filipino-American fashion designer and textile technologist, incorporates authentic handwoven fabrics from the Philippines and Asia into distinctive American apparel, and modernizes luxurious ethnic cloth for the eco-fashion world. He pursued a degree in Fashion Merchandising (City College of San Francisco), and Fashion Design (Fashion Institute of Technology in New York). Aside from becoming a featured artist at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, Anchorage Museum (Alaska), and Queens Museum of Art (New York City), Legarda is also involved with Katutubong Filipino Foundation, whose mission is to revive Philippine folk arts and crafts. Legarda's achievements include creating an eco-friendly clothing collection for the welcome reception and fashion show during San Francisco Week at the Shanghai World Expo (2010), designing for Philippine Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Science and Technology Ministers from Southeast Asian nations for the 8th ASEAN Science and Technology Week (2008), and dressing the Top 8 finalists in 2007's Miss Earth beauty pageant.