Nat Manilag designs
Slay Model Management, the world's first trans-exclusive modeling agency based in Los Angeles, California, USA, announces the launch of its Asian operations with the opening of Manila-based Slay Models Asia last April 22.
Slay Model Management founder and director Cece Asuncion announced the appointments of Niccolo Cosme and Ben Bernabe as co-directors of Slay Models Asia, which will hold the license for the Slay Model Management brand not just in the Philippines but also for the whole Asian region.
The announcement was made during the preliminary competition of Slay Model Search Asia at Revel at the Palace, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The Slay Model Search final competition will air live on Thursday, April 27, at 8 p.m. on ABS-CBN platforms iWantTFC and ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel. Bigo Live will live-stream all the excitement backstage.
Cece Asuncion
A story of resilience and success
The success of Slay Model Management is rooted in Asuncion’s lifelong advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights, and particularly trans visibility. In 2014, he directed the documentary, “What’s The T?”, which chronicled and explored the day-to-day challenges, successes, and lives of five trans women in the US. His work in the documentary allowed him to understand the aspirations of trans women as well as the challenges that he faced. He kept these lessons to heart when he started Slay Model Management in 2016.
“In the beginning of opening Slay, there were no opportunities for trans models. A lot of education had to happen, many awkward conversations, inter-community discourse, and the daily urge to school people on social media that trans is beautiful. However, our story is not one of strife or victimhood, it is one of resilience, success and the importance of vigilance,” Asuncion shares.
Since then, Slay models have worked with many global fashion, beauty, and media brands such as Vogue Paris, Vogue Scandinavia, Elle France, Macy’s, Uber, and Tinder.
Queen Victoria of Flux AHF, Crimsona, and Cece Asuncion
Slay Models rides the Asian wave
The spotlights are trained on Asian talents this year, with the recent success of Asian actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu in the global acting awards circuit. Doors have been opened wide for Asian talentsnot just in Hollywood but all over the world.
“This increased visibility for Asian talents, including models, is an opportunity that I don’t want to miss. That’s why I’ve decided to partner with Niccolo and Ben to launch Slay Models Asia this year,” said Asuncion.
“The modeling agency business is all about trust and personal relationships; as a model, you have to trust your agent to help you build your business and protect your interests. It’s the same with opening a Slay Models agency in Manila for the Asian market. I trust that Niccolo and Ben will not only have the best interest of the Slay brand at heart, they will take good care of our models,” he adds.
Niccolo Cosme and Ben Bernabe (Slay Models Asia)
An exciting time for the fashion and beauty industries
For his part, Niccolo Cosme, who is Creative Director of digital marketing and creative agency Howwwl Digital, is excited not just for the trans models but also for the modeling industry in the Philippines as a whole.
“As a fashion and beauty photographer for more than two decades, I have made it a point to advocate for trans visibility and representation in fashion and beauty, not just through my words but also through my body of work. I have been working with trans models — whether for my conceptual art pieces or my commercial work—to promote inclusivity in my industry and I’m excited that I will be able to do this on a larger scale as co-director of Slay Models Asia,” says Cosme.
Hosts Jasmine Gabrielle and Cameron Scrase
Trans representation, visibility matter
Ben Bernabe, who is Executive Director of health and human rights NGO The Red Whistle, is thrilled about the impact of this launch on trans representation and visibility in the Philippines and in Asia.
“Speaking as an LGBTQIA+ rights advocate, the success of Slay Model Management is a concrete example that trans visibility matters; trans representation matters. I am excited to be a co-director of Slay Models Asia and to work towards greater inclusivity for trans people in the region. Trans models, just like any model of any gender identity, just want to work and give their best at what they do and we will do our best to find them clients who will see them as the beautiful persons that they are,” Bernabe stresses.
Karylle and Nat Manilag
What it takes to be the next Slay model
Asked about what they’re looking for in the next Slay model, Asuncion says, “What I’m looking for in the next Slay Model is someone who is passionate about this world. Not only should you be passionate about being a model, you should also be passionate about the people you work with and the art that you create. And you should also be passionate about prosperity. There’s nothing wrong with being financially better.” For Cosme, self-awareness and professionalism matters: “I have worked with many fashion models, from young startups to supermodels, and what always appreciate and admire in a model is when they know and understand their own body and their beauty, when they can move and find the best angles that will produce the best quality of work. There is something so powerful about this level of self-awareness. It shows that you are professional, you have done your homework by studying yourself and your own body of work and you constantly find ways to make yourself better."
Lastly, Bernabe is looking for models who understand that they are more than “just models”: “It’s important that the next Slay model understands that they are more than the work that they do. They are a beacon of representation and visibility for the trans community and everything that they do will matter. Their body of work will be their statements. It might feel like a huge imposition but their life experience will guide them along the way. As long as they live their authentic lives and believe in their own beauty, they will find their way towards success.”
For more information about Slay Model Management and Slay Models Asia, visit the Slay Model Management website at slaymodels.com, the Slay Models Instagram account at
instagram.com/slaymodelsla (@slaymodelsla), and the Slay Models Facebook page, facebook.com/slaymodels (Slay Model Management).
