Styling the stars with passion for fashion

(Caption: Gail Mereria with Asia's Next Top Model Season 5 winner, Maureen Wroblewitz. Photo from Gail Mareria)

STYLISH outfits of Asia’s Next Top Model Maureen Wroblewitz in StarStyle magazine wowed the crowd; trendy clothes worn by Showtime’s Hashtag  on the cover of Mega Man magazine got a lot of admiration from their fans; the lovely get-ups of the BFF5 member Maris Racal in All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party (ASAP) were always in the spotlight of attention.

Behind their talk of the town outfits, these celebrities displayed the passion for fashion of a 19-year-old assistant stylist on famous magazine covers, on red carpets, and on national television.

Gabriele Angeline Mereria once dreamt of becoming an MMA fighter, filmmaker, actress, fashion designer and entrepreneur--name it! A girl who loves to try new things is now at the roster of the top promising stylists in the fashion industry.

Little Gail was seen as a “tomboyish kid” by people around her. She was a youngster that you would probably see at the corner with her boy playmates – playing Yugi-oh, beyblade and zoids. But behind the girl who wished to be a WWE wrestler, there was another side of her that people failed to notice  – a part of her that loved designing and creating fashionable outfits for her own Barbie dolls.

The fashion interest runs in the blood of Gail. She got  her “fashion genes” from her mother, Judith Mereria, who once made a living through designing and making clothes when she was young. It’s not just her mother who is fascinated with fashion. Gail is related to a successful Filipino couture designer based in Dubai. Ezra Santos,owner of Ezra Couture, is known to have dressed famous Hollywood stars and Filipino celebrities--from Paris Hilton, Tyra Banks, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga to Anne Curtis and Heart Evangelista.

This girl knows how to rock her own style as she looks up and adores fashion icons like Rihanna, Beyonce, and even Vanessa Hudgens.

“I find their distinct styles successful in a way that they’re powerful, bold and relevant. Their outfits constantly keep you on the edge, just like how I want mine to be,” she said.

Gail is not the typical fashionista in the world of Vogue and styles. This short haired girl knows how to body drop and full hip throw a foe in the world of modern martial arts – as she is part of the Judo varsity of Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU).

The lady in training uniform, who can intimidate her opponents with her hand and foot techniques, disappears once Gail sets her eyes on trendy clothes to come up with an exquisitely blended garment for the stars of the showbiz and modelling industry.

She came across the world of fashion through a Facebook post of a famous creative director, Ryuji Shiomitsu. Her passion ignited when Ryuji invited her to be an assistant stylist in his team. She immediately submitted her application--the first step in turning her childhood dream into a reality.

Dreams do come true as she had been accepted in the Team Ryuji Shiomitsu. She recalled that specific ecstatic moment when she received the message from Ryuji: “You don't know how happy I was to receive his message. I must’ve looked at his message around 50 times or so. I couldn’t believe it.”

Gail still vividly remembers the first job she had when she was still a rookie. Her first shoot was for SPEED magazine with GMA Encantadia’s Hara Danaya, Sanya Lopez. The man behind the camera was no other than the renowned photographer, Doc Marlon Pecjo – who took shots of numerous famous celebrities like Miss Universe 2015, Pia Wurtzbach and the Primetime queen, Marian Rivera. Despite her lack of experience in the sphere of camera flashes, everything went well for Gail.

Everything was turning out well as she had styled well-known personalities in Showbiz like  Marlon Stockinger, Kiana Valenciano, Aljur Abrenica, Claudia Barreto, Leila Alcasid, Nico Bolzico and Arci Muñoz.  Her talent also styled famous models like Jach Manere, Jessica Yang, Cassie Reyes, Wanda Chen and Tessa Burton to name a few.

Fashion powerhouses like Gucci and Balenciaga inspired her in her work – she styled her clients based on  the celebrity’s visual peg while giving it a twist and spice of the team’s own take on style.

But the road as an assistant stylist also had bumpy parts. She shared her challenges as a stylist who once experienced carrying all twelve outfits while walking along Makati’s red light district.  

“The hardest part of being an assistant stylist is that you have no choice [but] to make everything work. What our boss says, goes, no matter what happens,” she reminisced.

“‘Yung pag punta sa shoot sa Paranaque, nakita ni Sir na kailangan mo pumuntang Quezon City para lang kunin ang isang jacket, gagawin mo ‘yun. Kung pagbalik mo sa shoot tapos hindi na pala gagamitin kasi hindi bagay, wala, ganoon talaga. Nung tumagal, mas naging madiskarte na ‘ko sa trabaho,” she continued.

Everything that was happening in the life of the young stylist was not planned as she never expected herself to be inclined in the fashion industry. She took up a program that was too far from the world of fashion - Communications Technology Management at AdMU.

“I knew I loved fashion but I never imagined I would be in the situation I am now,” said Gail.

Juggling both the responsibility of being a stylist and a student is hard for the 19-year-old girl. This made her choose between fashion and college life. She had to take a leave of absence from school because she had to handle her family’s financial situation first.

“By the time I started being in Team Ryuji back in May 2017, I was already bound to go back to school by August 2017. But when I saw all the opportunities being in the team could give me, I knew I had to make the tough decision of choosing between school and work. It’s a sacrifice I had to make, but it was definitely worth it,” she openly shared with The Dapitan Post.

In the world of the fashion, there will always be giants, but the giants did not step on the hardworking teenager for she never felt any discrimination as a young assistant stylist.

Gail shared that the fashion industry is really output-based: “All that matters to the people I work with is my output. I don't think it even occurred to the people I work with that I’m younger than they are.”

At a very young age, she was able to enjoy her passion as she styled the stars of the entertainment and modelling industry. Even if the difficult part of being a stylist is to stay relevant, she would “never forget how blessed [she is] to have stumbled upon something [she is] so passionate about.”

In the end of the conversation with the young passionate stylist, she left an inspiring advice to all fashion enthusiasts who aspire to enter the world of styling.

“Stay open. Going about different shoots, you will encounter different people with different perspectives and different styles. Learn from all them as much as you can.” Theresa Clare K. Tañas