'Philippines' first': Fashion show for shoes by Doreen Odvina set on January 30
MANILA, Philippines — Doreen Odvina's upcoming fashion show on January 30 at Shangri-La at The Fort will be a couture affair, with pairs of shoes embellished with crystals and rhinestones taking center stage.
In an interview with Philstar.com, Odvina said that they will be showing something that has never been seen before in the Philippine fashion history.
“This is the first time that people will see couture footwear on a runway. The stage inside the Bonifacio Hall of Shangri-La The Fort will be scintillating with shoes embellished with thousands of crystals and rhinestones,” she said.
An e-commerce manager of an airline before, Odvina said shoes are really her first love so she pursued designing until her first pair was noticed by notable designer Francis Libiran.
“Before putting up my shoe atelier at The Peninsula Manila, I had a client who was a Francis Libiran bride. She asked me to measure her feet inside FL’s office. That’s how I met him. He was the first person I met in the wedding industry,” she said.
“He saw my works and encouraged me to put up my shoe atelier a few doors from his office. Since then, Francis Libiran brides would always order shoes from us. And through word of mouth, other designers noticed us, too, until we met Michael Cinco. We made some pairs for his show at the Arab Fashion Week last October 2021 and came back in Dubai to support him again in October 2022,” she added.
The shoe designer said her success in the industry did not happen overnight.
“I prepared for this dream to happen. It was not an overnight success. I educated myself by working for big companies. From IT, e-commerce, sales, marketing, business intelligence, purchasing, finance, legal… name it. I’ve already learned all these things before I decided to resign and retire,” she said.
Her first big break arrived when she designed the bridal shoes of Neri Naig, the actress who married Parokya ni Edgar vocalist Chito Miranda in 2014.
“I knew Neri from before because she used to style shoots so when I found out that she was getting married, I reached out and asked if she was willing to get me to design her wedding shoes and those worn by her entourage,” Odvina shared.
Apart from Neri, her shoes were also worn by celebrities such as Sarah Geronimo, Nadine Lustre, Catriona Gray and Heaven Peralejo.
“Bridal clients always tell me that they can stand all day in their shoes and don’t have to switch to another pair during the reception. I’m glad that I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do even as a young girl,” she said.
