‘It was about time the modelling world had a new face'

Danica Magpantay barely had two months of modelling experience when she joined the Philippine edition of the prestigious Supermodel of the World competition last October. Despite being a greenhorn, the 18-year-old beauty won the competition.

But her victory did not come as a complete surprise to many, considering her pedigree — her mother, Lala Flores, won the same competition 21 years ago.

With the win, Magpantay earned the right to represent the Philippines in the contest's global edition, held in the New York headquarters of the organisers — the renowned Ford Modelling Agency.

She arrived in freezing New York in January, not really knowing what to expect. Unlike previous years where 40 country representatives would come to compete for the final round, organisers this time decided to bring just five fin-alists to vie for the Supermodel of the World 2010.

"I figured it was my first travel abroad and if I didn't win, I would just stay around to catch some shows on Broadway or take a tour of museums," she says.

"My mum packed a lot of stuff anyways. She probably thought I'd be hanging out here for a while after the competition, no matter what the results were."

Magpantay went on to beat the four other top model hopefuls from Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Brazil to win the contest. "I didn't expect it to be a big deal when it happened," she recalls. "When I was told I was it, I couldn't say anything. I just smiled."

Deep inside, though, she was screaming: "I wouldn't say I didn't want it so bad, but I wanted to win it, of course. I actually wanted to scream so hard, but all I could let go of was one smile. How's that for a supermodel?" Magpantay says laughing.

Big burden

Looking back at that moment, Magpantay felt as if a big burden was lifted from her shoulders. "I put a lot of hard work into this, taking lessons in walking and projection, and other modelling stuff. I had to watch my diet by eating mainly vegetables and getting my proteins from seafood. It's a lot considering I love to eat, which people find hard to believe because of how I look. But I'm so happy to have made the Filipinos proud."

The victory earned her a $250,000 (Dh918,203) modelling contract and the chance to model for the world's top retail brands and fashion designers as well as the opportunity to work with leading photographers. Magpantay is the first Filipina to win the competition, and only the second Asian after South Korea's Seung-hyun Kang won it in 2008.

Currently enrolled in visual communications major at the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines, her studies, she admits, will have to take a back seat for a while.

But it seems it was always meant to be. Joey Espino, the organiser of the Philippine Supermodel franchise, says Paul Rowland, who heads Ford Models and is credited for building the careers of Kate Moss and Carolyn Murphy, seemed to show a particular interest in Magpantay when they first met.

"He kept saying ‘She's beautiful'," he recalls.

‘High hopes'

"When Paul kept saying ‘beautiful, beautiful' I told myself ‘Ako ba yon?' [Was he referring to me?]. Then I realised he must have said the same thing to the other girls, so I just took things in stride and had my hopes just high enough, but well-guarded," adds Magpantay.

Lined up against the other models, Magpantay wasn't always a clear standout, thanks to her average height (175cm).

"But she was apparently interesting enough because she was personally invited to Rowland's office, where more photos were taken even from his personal phone," says Espino, who was hopeful his model had a big chance to win the title.

Two of his protégés narrowly missed it earlier: Charo Ronquillo, now a very accomplished model, was the second runner-up in 2006 and Charlene Almarvez was first runner-up last year.

Ronquillo went on to work with top photographers such as Bruce Weber and for Vogue photographers Arthur Elgort and Walter Chin. She has done campaigns for top global brands including Lacoste, Tory Burch, Armani Exchange, Kenneth Cole, DKNY and retail giant Macy's.

With her win, Magpantay became the toast of not just Manila's fashion circles, but of the beauty pageant-obsessed country. The euphoria after her win was reminiscent of the time when Venus Raj won the fourth runner-up in the Miss Universe 2010 pageant.

According to Espino, Rowland at the helm at Ford has been looking to establish "a new breed of beauty", vaguely defined as something unusual, an aesthetic that can't pinpoint a particular race or genetic background. The profile which Magpantay fits perfectly.

‘Confident'

"To be honest," recalls Magpantay, "Joey kept telling me I had a good shot. He spoke with confidence having done quite well with Charo and Charlene in previous years. But I didn't think I would win seeing all the other girls. I could see myself on the runway, but I also knew that the other girls had more experience and they also looked really gorgeous. That said, I felt confident in a way because while I saw that the other girls had the face that could land covers, I thought maybe it was about time the modelling world had a new face."

But the real work for Magpantay begins now. Her first official duty was to have her model book done, which basically contains her stats and a variety of photos with different looks.

"It's a good thing my mum packed enough stuff for me to last through the first week," she says.

She has also just finished a busy stint at the New York Fashion Week (NYFW), where she walked the runway for labels such as Porter Grey, Tim Hamilton, Norman Ambrose, Bensoni, Bibhu Mohapatra and Nanette Lepore.

"I was just so focused on the job I didn't want to embarrass Ford or any of the designers, but it was also fun. It's like I was thrust into this big thing, and not that I was clueless, but I was happy people noticed and had good things to say about me, so I was thrilled," she says of her first NYFW experience.

"I do miss home, but I have a lot of great friends here. I live in the model dorm so I get to see Charlene a lot. And there are a lot of Filipino restaurants down at Roosevelt so it's like being back home. Though I miss mum a lot, we get to talk even for just a few minutes so that helps."

What's next for the supermodel?

"I need to catch some sleep," she says, "I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong, especially when I get to keep the shoes that I wore in some of the shows last week. My mum would be so happy to try these on, and I'm saving a pair for her."

Did you know?

Danica Magpantay's body has been described as the "perfect designer's body" — 30 (chest)/22 (waist)/ 30 (hips).She is an avowed manga fan. As a student of the fine arts, she considers realism as one of her inspirations, in addition to Japanese anime. She has no beauty regimen, but would advise every girl to have a clean face first thing in the morning, and before going to bed.

Magpantay avoids goin on diets. She likes to eat, but she doesn't overindulge. Her favourite food? Ensaymada, a Filipino bread, with butter spread over and sugar sprinkled on top.