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Woman Power The Next Wave
By LULU RECLUSADO-NARIO
WOMEN with high-powered careers seem to be getting younger through the years, still sporting their schoolgirl complexion.
But don’t be deceived by outside appearances or by family background. These four women share an affinity for hard work and the drive and discipline to excel in all their endeavors.
Sent to the best schools and globally sophisticated, they are making an indelible mark in the world of fashion and business. Independent and focused on results, these young ladies follow their parents’ footsteps, especially in fulfilling their social responsibilities.
DIVINE LEE
Not Just Daddy’s Girl
Divine Lee is the unica hija of Delfin Lee, owner and chief executive officer of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corporation, one of the country’s premiere real estate developers. Lee is the company’s vice president for international sales and marketing. She would tell you, however, that she’s just like any other employee who does not get special treatment and that failure would mean dismissal.
Only 27, she is credited for bringing in fresh and unconventional but effective ideas to the company. But because she is her father’s daughter, she is very much like him especially in thinking and dealing with the people who work with and for them.
“But in a way we differ since he is my mentor and I am his perpetual student,” she says. “He has taught me to be transparent in the way I run things and to love my job and the people I work with.”
She is happy that Globe Asiatique remains dynamic. “We’re fortunate enough to cope with the devastating global economic recession,” she reveals. “We look forward to new projects and new business ventures and I like to continue being of service to those in need.”
This gigantic task notwithstanding and because she’s not just her daddy’s girl, Lee manages to pursue her passion for fashion through Luca, a clothing store which she owns and manages and now has two branches. She also recently set up a club with friend Tim Yap.
Overall, Lee will continue thriving in a world she has created for herself—“where gender is not a liability and stereotypes are non-existent.”
Makeup by LEO POSADAS
Hairstyling by NANTE ALINGASAN
SUYEN LIM
Groomed to Perfection
If you don’t know her, you would be surprised that this petite young lady is actually the brand manager of Human, one of the many brands that is part of the fashion empire owned by her uncle, Ben Chan, which also includes Bench and Kashieca, aside from other labels from abroad that they distribute here like Aldo, Celio, and Charles and Keith, among others.
The mother company is under the aegis of Suyen Corporation. You see, she even holds the distinction of having the company named after her. Still, she remains unassuming as if no such responsibility rests on her small shoulders.
Suyen is barely six years in the business, but she has successfully made significant contributions–making Human one of the top clothing brands in town and helping create a socially responsible company.
If she wasn’t the niece of the legendary man behind Bench, will she still be here in this business? “I was groomed in this business at a young age and I do have the passion for it,” she says. “My uncle and my parents always teach me and guide me all the way through and let me be so I can also learn on my own.”
This year, she will continue to be in the thick of things. “The fashion industry in the Philippines is growing, it’s getting more progressive,” she says. “I think there’s room for everyone!”
HAPPY ANDRADA
Putting the Fun in Fashion
If you ask Happy Andrada who she wants to design for, she would name actress Helena Bonham Carter, burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, supermodel Agyness Deyn, and rock band vocalist Karen O. Such personalities, apart from their sense of fashion, are well-known for their extraordinary talents.
In her latest Philippine Fashion Week show, Andrada mounted a collection that tapped different markets, including the RTW crowd, the avant garde, and the couture. She also had something for the prom queen, the debutante, and the bride. She practically designed for everybody.
Andrada could not have been named otherwise. Her designs simply ooze with happiness and good cheer. She describes her fashion style as punky, detailed,
and fun.
She admits that local designers get a lot of competition from foreign ones, but she’s confident. “I believe we can make quality outfits and innovative creations that can level with the international brands and yet are still very much affordable,” she declares.
This 2010, she wants to relaunch her shop, F*ART, as a fashion art gallery and bridal gallery. “We will offer art and fashion workshops,” she reveals, “and this will be led by Fashion Designers Alliance
Manila where I am president.”
Even as a little girl, Happy never imagined to be anything else but a designer. Today, she has done more than 40 fashion shows and through them, she has helped certain charities.
If you want to follow her footsteps, she says go to school. “Going to a fashion school is great because you get to learn the basics like pattern-making, sewing, and so on. Do your best and God will do the rest,” she says.
CECILE INFANTADO
Turning Teeth Into a Work of Art
It’s amazing, almost unbelievable!
Yet, the disbelief is quickly overtaken by awe and admiration upon seeing the ‘miracle’ that an expert cosmetic dentist can do, not just to one’s teeth, but also to one’s entire face and personality.
"Because cosmetic dentistry isn’t just about the anomalies in one’s teeth, but also about the many unsightly effects on one’s face, including the integrity of the facial bones, muscles and joints, the otherwise symmetrical bite, and the resulting distortion in one’s entire facial expression and appearance,” says Dr. Cecile Infantado of Smiles by Dr. Cecile dental clinic. Trained in Hawaii and educated at the University of California Los Angeles, Dr. Infantado is also one of only three Filipinos who are members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, whose annual meetings and workshops she attends regularly.
“I get to hone and continuously sharpen my skills in this field in these meetings and workshops. It further develops my eye for even the slightest imperfection that most of your fellow United States-trained cosmetic dentists may fail to see. Thus, you are also able to seek out the solution to every problem, using all the advance technologies at your command,” Dr. Infantado explains.
And what makes her a cut above the rest? Dr. Infantado replies, “Probably my ability to see both the finer details and the bigger picture, enabling me to execute the best possible procedures to correct any dental aberration.”
Restoring what has been deformed over the years because of neglect requires both expert eyes and hands that reveal the artist in the dentist, and the dentist in the artist. It certainly is no simple task, and accomplishing it is no mean feat. But to Dr. Infantado, it’s all about love and passion for what she does best.
“It’s probably the artist in me that makes me strive always for perfection,” she says of the terrific works of art that go on proud display each time her patients beam out a smile.
“But more than that, we make our clients wear a smile,” Dr. Infantado adds.
Smiles by Dr. Cecile is located at the third floor of the Dusit Thani Hotel in Ayala Center, Makati City. Log on to www.smilesbydrcecile.com, or call 8404284 or 8673333 local 3415, or email cecile.1122@gmail.com.-Arnel Medrano
SOPHIA COCUACO
Magical Dream Weaver
Sophia Cocuaco joined Traders Hotel Manila even before she could graduate from college. She had her practicum at the hotel and a month later, she was taken in as events management assistant.
“Since it was my first job, I had to shadow my seniors and assist them in their work,” she says. “Now as an events sales executive, I have more responsibilities, challenges, and demands.”
The neophyte who started doing clerical work for her seniors is now facing her own battle alone. “Compared to the usual corporate desk job, my work has more involvement with clients and has more action,” she reveals.
Cocuaco is like a fairy godmother who makes sure a couple gets their dream wedding or a debutante gets her magical 18th birthday bash. In any given working day, she is in charge of conceptualizing unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime events.
And so she begins each new endeavor with, to quote author Stephen Covey, the end in mind. “You set a goal where you want to be and focus on going to that direction,” she says. “I will not stop until I finish the race.”
At 22, she feels blessed with a job she loves. She is happy that the country’s hotel industry is actually booming despite the financial crisis. And this year, she aims for another promotion.
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