Fil-Am ex-sailor places 2nd in 'Fashion Star' design tilt in US
Jessica Sanchez, the 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American runner-up in the reality singing contest "American Idol," was not the only person with Filipino roots to bring honor to the Philippines recently.
Like Sanchez, Filipino-American Ronnie Escalante Jr., 33, also placed second in a US reality show -- National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) "Fashion Star," the search for the next big brand in fashion.
Like Sanchez, Filipino-American Ronnie Escalante Jr., 33, also placed second in a US reality show -- National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) "Fashion Star," the search for the next big brand in fashion.
According to a report of the news site Asian Journal, Escalante was declared runner-up of "Fashion Star' after 10 weeks of amazing showmanship.
The grand prize winner was Kara Laricks who received a $6 million contract for her creations to be sold at Macy’s, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue, three of America’s biggest retailers.
The show gave 14 unknown designers the opportunity to ‘be the next big brand in fashion’ when they showcased their designs every episode to America under the guidance of celebrity mentors and fashion moguls Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos.
Asian Journal said many Filipino-Americans were rooting for Escalante, dubbed the “resident master of flounce and glamour” who earned a total of $420,000 in four sales.
On a blog posted on the NBC website a day after the finale, Escalante said: “Last night was bittersweet.. The Fashion Star experience has been a life-altering experience. And sadly, it’s over for now… I won’t trade it for anything. And as the other designers say, ‘it takes a lifetime to get in the room around these people."
The Navy Times Scoop Deck earlier said Escalante was a former sailor who grew up in an agricultural province -- Bulacan -- but was "surrounded by fashion, as his cousin worked as a ‘beader’ in a local fashion house."
His biography posted on the official website of "Fashion Star" said "at the age of 17, Escalante and his family moved to the US and soon after, he joined the US Navy where he served for four years."
After serving in the military, Escalante studied at a fashion design school in San Francisco.
Escalante later moved to Columbus, Ohio to design for Abercrombie and Fitch at their headquarters.
He worked in the Female Outerwear Department for two years where he learned the tricks of the trade not only in fashion but also in business. - with Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News
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