Sky-high with Celine

Celine Borromeo of Project Runway fame charts path, gears up for higher learning

EHIND the glitz and the glamour of an aesthetically beautiful gown is a designer juicing out her creativity into cloth and thread. Celine Borromeo is one fashion designer who takes her craft seriously and gives so much attention to detail. No wonder she was the only woman designer in the top three of the recently concluded nationwide fashion design competition, Project Runway Philippines Season 4.

Celine’s fascination with fashion started with everyone’s favorite doll, Barbie. “One day, I kept asking my mom for new clothes for my Barbie. She gave me a sewing kit with tela, needles and threads. She said, ‘Here, make clothes for your Barbie.’ Ever since, I kept designing. During siesta time, my mom and I would sit outside our terrace and sketch designs. She pushed me to develop my passion for design and nurtured my potential as a designer,” she shared.

Because of her mom’s avid support, Celine wanted to take up fashion design. But around high school, she realized it wasn’t a lucrative course to take. But her passion only ignited when she graduated from high school and learned that the University of San Carlos was offering a course on fashion design. And there her fashion pursuits began.

Chosen ones

Being part of the top three designers during Project Runway Philippines’ fourth season was not for the faint of heart. It took a whole lot of sweat and guts to get to that coveted spot. From more than a hundred aspirants, only 15 were chosen, and among them, three people were left: Joy Chicano, Jared Servano, and Celine.

“It was just so surreal being on Project Runway Philippines. I grew up watching the US version and, in a way, it’s like a dream come true being on the Philippine version. It doesn’t feel real,” Celine said.

The true-blue Cebuana wowed the judges with her form-flattering and chic aesthetic which she dubs as “understated elegance.”

Celine went through seemingly infinite bouts of challenges during the competition, but the most difficult was the avant-garde challenge, the challenge before they announced the final three. “The challenge was so far from my aesthetic and we only had one day to make the design and I was being so ambitious with my piece. And then Jojie Lloren comes in and tells us to make a ready-to-wear version of our avant-garde piece and they sent back four eliminated contestants to help each of us. Personally, my assistant (ex-contestant) didn’t really like me or get