UNCOVERING Virtual Fashion
Metaverse is an undefined word. For a concept, or idea, that delves into the mercurial cyberspace, this insufficiency of tangible, real-world meaning is expected, even of digital dwellers. How much of it is the virtual world, and how does it affect the physical one? Where or when, or how does the virtual economy come in? What is in it for us? As we tried to answer these questions, we realized that as artists, the best way to elucidate our understanding of this word would be through the oftentimes ethereal worlds of fashion and beauty—worlds that are limitless and sometimes misinterpreted. For us to bring this vision to our pages, we needed a muse, one who can shapeshift, although thoughtfully, into forms that are beautiful, sensual, ambiguous, and arresting—much like her. We found that in Miss Universe Philippines 2021 first runner-up Maureen Wroblewitz.
This woman, also known as the first Filipina to win the reality competition, Asia’s Next Top Model, went through a series of highconcept, designer clothes and creative makeup changes, and never flinched nor floundered. In between takes and breaks—and trying not to fall while wearing that big, unmalleable dress—she stood on a box that’s barely half a meter long, cool and collected. When it was time to work again, she would listen intently to the crew’s directives, and would command her body to sit, stand, bend, twist, and conform to the needs of the shot. The whole-day affair took more than eight hours, and a few cups of coffee, to finish.
We ended the night asking ourselves how we could convey our vision of the future through the images we had just collected.
This could very well be the future: a flurry of motions and new ideas rushing in like the seemingly endless pieces of information we get from the Internet every single minute of our lives. It’s a future where people are allowed to ask questions, disrupt the norms, and create anything. Some would be shaken by fear of that thought, but like our cover star’s story, others will use this fear to fuel their fire and boundless imagination. We sincerely hope most of us would be the latter. Welcome to the future.