CEBU, Philippines - International model and television personality Joey Mead is turning her longtime dream into a reality with plans now underway to put up her own fashion school here in the Philippines before the year ends.
This was revealed by Mead in an exclusive interview with The FREEMAN Entertainment when she attended the last stop of SM Supermalls’ nationwide tour of “Augustyle” at SM City Cebu.
“This is really my dream when I was still a child and more so, when I entered the fashion world,” she said. “Having traveled to other countries and having been able to see and experience the different fashion styles of their people, I was able to learn a lot of things about fashion in its totality.”
So for Mead, it’s high time to share the lessons she culled from years of being a fashion business insider. And the timing couldn’t have been better what with more and more young Filipinas getting more and more conscious and sophisticated when it comes to their fashion.
“Because of all these learning that I accumulated, I wanted to share them to the young girls here in the Philippines. I want to help these ladies know what fashion really is. And at the same time, they will be given a chance to come out of their shell and show to the world what it takes to be a ‘fashionista’,” Mead added.
So, how does the former Channel [V] VJ define the true meaning of the word “fashionista”?
“A true ‘fashionista’ is when you know how to dress up and make a statement about yourself. You don’t need to have a Louis Vuitton or other expensive brands in order to be called fashionista,” Mead said.
She further stressed that even if you wear cheaper clothes, but you know how to wear them, then you are a fashionista. “It’s not a matter of brand; it’s a matter of wearing unexpensive clothes with a fashion statement about yourself.”
With a long list of TV and live hostings, print ads and modeling stints not just in Asia but all over the world, it’s difficult to box her into a category. She is walking statement of fashion and success in her own right.
After a successful modeling career locally, she entered the realm of TV by hosting in ABS-CBN’s long-running variety show, ASAP. She then became the first Filipina VJ on cable television. In the past where VJs weren’t like today’s dime a dozen, there was Joey gracing our cable TVs with Channel [V]’s live on cam request shows, music countdowns and movie magazine shows. She candidly asked the hottest bands, upcoming DJs and fashion icons the questions no one dared ask.
For her work, she was awarded the Evian Millennium Award for style and excellence on cable TV.
Still, the work she’s most proud of are those that are unique to Filipino hosts and models. She hosted for Americas Wild on E! feature showcasing the beautiful white sand beach of Boracay . Not wanting to stop there, she shipped herself to Los Angeles, going head on with the thousand other models, bagging numerous print ads and was chosen as the model for Head and Shoulder’s national TV campaign.
Back in Asia (and we mean all over Asia) Joey hosted AXN’s E-Buzz a movie magazine show with red-carpet and one-on-one interviews such Hollywood stars as Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Christian Bale and Ken Watanabe.
She, indeed, has a lot to be proud of, but she wouldn’t have achieved all these without the right attitude and work ethic. Starting young has made her quite the opposite of the spoiled divas, Joey is described by peers and colleagues “too hardworking, too patient and has a heart of gold.”
As one magazine puts it, “some people have an Achilles heel, but Joey has an Achilles heart”—such a rarity in this industry. That’s why, if she had it her way she’d spend her time ripping the dance floor, enjoying the beach life, and collecting unforgettable moments with great friends.