Philippine Daily Inquirer
ON OCT. 26, Slim's Fashion & Arts School, the country's oldest fashion institution, marked the start of its 50th year with an afternoon tea and a display of students' works.
Also revealed at the intimate gathering were the school's Walls of Fame, featuring larger-than-life sketches by famous graduates (many of whom attended the celebration).
Slim's roster of alumni reads like a who's who in modern Philippine fashion: Oskar Peralta (Slim's first student), the late Joe Salazar and Caloy Badidoy, Chito Vijandre, Loretto Popioco, Gang Gomez, Rikki Jimenez and Cesar Gaupo.
Succeeding graduates include Pablo Mendez III, Alex Pigao, Martin Bautista and Joey Samson. Recently, alumni Aries Iñigo Lagat and Jaz Cerezo were featured in the TV show Project Runway.
Some graduates made their mark overseas, such as Eddie Ocampo, who had a long and successful career in Hollywood, and Oliver Tolentino, who now has shops in Manila and Los Angeles.
On another continent, increasingly visible are Dubai-based designers Ezra Santos and Michael Cinco. The latter credits Slim's with "honing my craft and teaching me all about the world of fashion".
Despite the celebrity associated with the school, Slim's is ultimately a technical institution.
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