Charlene Almarvez
CONTRARY TO HER NICKNAME, CHAT, THIS 18-YEAR-OLD MODEL IS ANYTHING BUT CHATTY. Unlike fellow Laguna native Charo, Chat is quite reserved and shy. And these qualities reflect on her modeling style: her movements are quite controlled and calculated, yet exhibit refinement and grace. “My signature look is being fierce,” she says. “And I play up my lips. They give me a unique look.”
At 5’11”, Chat is the tallest of the three Pinay supermodels. Danica and Charo both stand at 5’9”. Chat inherited her height from her father Taddeus, who is is 6’2” tall and works as a police officer in Laguna. Meanwhile, her serene features come from her mother, Leah, who is a contractor. Chat never planned on becoming a model, but when her parents noticed her huge growth spurt in high school, they encouraged the young lass to take modeling lessons.
Her foray into professional modeling happened at age 16, when she was a freshman at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde studying Business Administration. In May 2009, during a sagala for a
Flores de Mayo parade in her hometown, fashion director Cata Figueroa took notice of the statuesque Chat and asked for her number. Cata soon called Chat to start her on her training and in October 2009, the ingenue walked her first Philippine Fashion Week show. Weeks after, with literally only months of experience and one runway show to her name, she boldly joined the Supermodel of the World Philippines competition. She won against nine other finalists, including two former Binibining Pilipinas candidates—Janina San Miguel, who was the Bb. Pilipinas-World title holder in 2008, and Mary Tiffany Jones, who competed in 2009.
Barely three months after winning the Philippine leg, Chat flew to São Paulo, Brazil to compete in the Ford Models Supermodel of the World in January 2010. “At first, when I saw that all the contestants had lean bodies and unique faces, I felt nervous,” Chat recalls of the experience. “But when I realized that we all came from different parts of the world, I thought to myself, ‘Why should I compare myself to them?’ That was when I showed them what I got, just enjoyed the experience and applied the lessons I got from my mentors—Direk Cata Figueroa and Joey and Audie Espino of CalCarries and Runway Productions—and from Masters School for Models. I felt like a winner!” And with that attitude, Chat did come out a winner, placing first runner-up and earning a US$150,000 contract with Ford Models. “Joining the search is an experience,” she adds. “Well, it’s not really a competition, there’s no rivalry or envy among the girls. I met the girls with the same dream as mine. Aside from making friends, I could feel that all of us wanted to know more about the modeling industry. I learned many things in this search—that it’s not really about how you look, but about how you perform and deal with people.”
Since joining Ford and moving to New York, life has become a series of changes for Chat—and the hardest one she had to cope with was having to live alone in a city thousands of miles away from her family. “It was my first time to move to a different place, all alone by myself—and it was New York! It took time for me to adjust. My mentors and my parents said that if I really wanted something, then I needed to make sacrifices. So I learned to be more mature, work hard, to earn and to pay my own bills,” says Chat. Her mother, Leah, shares that during Chat’s first year in New York, she would send her daughter shopping money just to cheer her up. “I invested almost one million pesos for her happiness,” she reveals chidingly during the shoot. But, of course, she adds that what she spent also included rent for Chat’s apartment and other necessities.
Having been based in New York for a year and a half, Chat has already adjusted to her new lifestyle and has been busier than ever. “Especially during Fashion Week, that’s when I totally become busy. I would go around Manhattan and attend at least 15 castings in one week,” she says. Among the shows she has walked for include Diane Von Furstenberg, Sophie Theallet, Peter Som, Nanette Lepore, Lacoste and Tracy Reese. She has also shot numerous fashion editorials for international magazines such as V (in which she wore an Alexander McQueen ensemble), Versus, Teen Vogue and US Town & Country.
“I want to be a model so long as there are jobs for me,” she shares bluntly. But she also welcomes going back to her studies, when the opportunity presents itself. But for now, she makes the most of her career, working steadfastly to continue the blessings that she’s been given. “In this business, and in any business, be professional and always give your best because there’s no retake, replay or pause,” she reminds. “And always be happy. It gives us excellent results and makes things light and enjoyable.”
“APPRECIATE OUR OWN BEAUTY AND ACCEPT WHO WE ARE”—CHAT on the greatest lesson she wishes to instill in Filipinos