Fearless and Passionate

By Robbie Pangilinan

The salon of popular showbiz and political personalities, Salon de Manila (SDM), is one of the country’s most innovative salon brands. A leader in style trends. A fearless inventor. A passionate pioneer.

On its 25th year in the salon industry, SDM has handpicked three young gentlemen who embody the spirit of its “Manila’s Cutting Edge” campaign. Just like SDM, these three are fearless and passionate. Together with three other ladies, the three help SDM establish industry leadership in innovation, being the salon’s brand ambassadors for being cutting-edge themselves.

SDM Creative Director and internationally-known stylist Pin Antonio believes that these three exemplify SDM’s unconventional excellence. “Their stories are threaded by the underlying theme of starting something good and coming out better, if not ahead, just like SDM,” the Stylist of the Stars shares.

Pinoy Big Brother’s Hermes Bautista is thrilled at taking chances. He owes his now budding showbiz career to just that—chance. Hermes finished his studies here then went on to the US to “the real world” in his hometown San Diego, California. But chance would bring back to the Philippines when he came across the PBB auditions, which he passed easily. The aspiring leading-man believes that chance is a matter of choice.

Isaiah Antonio, on the other hand, is always mistaken for a model. Truth is, he is a singer and musician. Isaiah touches the heart of his audience with his smooth, soulful vocals and a guitar virtuoso. Realizing his potential in his chosen field, Isaiah takes his talent to a higher level as he chose to major in Music Production in college. He considers his talent as a gift, which he willingly shares to anyone. His world of pop and rock is filled with rhythm and soul.

Completing the list is Tom Rodriguez, an illustrator at heart. Tom is proud to have graduated from The University of Advancing Technology in Temple, Arizona with a degree in Digital Animation. Tom was on his way to enlist for the US Navy but as chance would have it, his curiosity would send him back home to the Philippines to live inside Big Brother’s house. Tom always believes that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying.

These three are the beginning of a fresh, new outlook. They are today’s brightest and tomorrow’s big news. The three young gentlemen are the new generation of SDM styles—style being the reflection of an attitude and not just the mere look of the times. They are SDM’s fearless and passionate ambassadors—and they will change the way things are.

“These individuals have taken unconventional routes in their respective fields but nonetheless, excel in them. Each of them is unique, fresh and always headed forward. They have passion for their craft—just like SDM,” Pin says. #