KEEPING IT REAL
September is shaping to be quite a month for cager Kobe Paras. Prefaced by the release of the campaign of his partnership with H&M, he is also celebrating his birthday, suiting up for the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, and marking his second turn on the cover of the magazine—this time as the face of the hallmark big fashion issue.
It is no mere picking of someone who is current or relevant for the cornerstone effort, but a recognition of a young man’s ability to dribble a handful of worlds into one realized whole. Bringing together fashion, sports, and yes, the inevitable trail of show business to his name, Kobe Paras stands as a man on his own terms, a towering 6’6” if we’re talking on literal terms. This comes with it a confident stride when it comes to his choices, from personal style to the little subtle details he had incorporated into the looks prepared for him for the shoot.
Truly collaborative in effort, the result of the shoot was something different and truly memorable. A moodier and stylized offshoot of his H&M campaign, it was an encompassing of how the basic building blocks of style through the brand stack up to a sharp, distinct look that is a definite standout on the streets.
In his return to the pages of the magazine, Kobe Paras reveals a more grounded, more mature side to him that is a result of years navigating the terrain of adulthood, one that includes highs, lows, and an indefinite inbetween. Pulling through more defined as ever, the young man stands taller, hitting a steady, rhythmic stride in the game that we all play in life.