Character Development

Over the course of a few days, a myriad of interesting characters walked in and out of an abandoned warehouse. Initially, a couple of them climbed in through a dingy, open window — but that was before the rest discovered an entrance nearly engulfed by the surrounding vegetation at the back of the building. No one knew the warehouse’s history, so it's interesting to wonder what the old, derelict walls thought about the group of young things romping about taking pictures.

The vast array of characters ranged from an outspoken rapper to a Winona Ryder character from an 80's cult film. What force brought such an eclectic mix together, you might ask? 

Sometimes we tend to latch onto a film, T.V. show, book, or musician and subconsciously (or consciously) incorporate a certain character’s look into our wardrobe. Everyone chose their characters based on who influenced what they wear or embodied the style they already possessed. Without a doubt, they all came as themselves in this abandoned warehouse, albeit with some added pizzazz from their favorite fictional or just super cool real-life personalities. 

Which characters have influenced your own style? Take a peek below and see some answers brought to life. 

Andrea, 20, Photographer and Artist

“She’s a Japanese model/entrepreneur. She’s into this Gyaru style. She was one of the people who made it famous.”

“I only got into their [Japan's] real culture when I was in college. I started reading about their styles and their culture, then when I went to Japan – I went crazy talaga.”

ANDREA'S THING 

“I’m into cutesy macabre stuff. People get really disturbed when they look into my sketchbook – it’s full of nudes and blood.”

Check out her blog here.

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Andrew, 20, Guitarist for She's Only Sixteen and Dearest,

“People call him and his bandmates “Thrift Punk”—oversized shirts, caps, dirty sneakers. I love how effortless it looks. I also love how stylish it actually means to find the right amount of things to seem chill. Like, I see how his band dresses and I know they don't just grab whatever they find. You gotta look for that right broken shirt or old hat!”

“I used to dress up so cleanly but now I invest in a good weird t-shirt when I see that I'd be using it til I’m old or it's that right amount of simple.”

ANDREW'S THING

“Fast internet. Or just internet, really. I realized late one night with friends that having internet in your bedroom is extremely crucial. Sounds a little elitist but it's so true. You procrastinate, tweet, watch videos, download movies—all from the comfort of your bed. Internet shapes your personal culture, somehow. Different genres of artists come up within our local music spheres, inspired by the likes of Mac DeMarco or The Strokes. Where would we be without internet?”

Check out She's Only Sixteen's music here, and Dearest,'s music here. 

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Tim, 21, Illustrator

“He has this style – at the same time, it’s just really effortless and flexible.” 

TIM'S THING

“I’m a big marine biology nerd, since I was a kid.  I could tour you through an aquarium just by myself, identifying each fish and telling you what they’re like. That, and martial arts.” 

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Niki, 19, Singer/Songwriter 

"I love Veronica’s shoes in the movie. She wears mary janes, flat brown boots, and oxfords - they’re just so cool. And I like how she wears crop tops with high-waisted skirts and cardigans. She kind of brings an American twist to the naughty school girl look... Like Veronica, I like wearing crop tops with matronly bottoms. It's interesting when the bottom half of your outfit looks lolo-ish and the top half looks like something a supermodel would wear."

NIKI'S THING

“I am a singer-songwriter. And a creative writing student. My passions are music, writing, and I also love fashion and art. I have this little journal I bring with me all the time and I just kind of doodle in it.” 

Check out her music here.

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Vicky, 21, Student Jock at Jam 88.3 and Candy Magazine Contributor 

“It was more of finding the characters that already had it, like “[o]h hey, that’s something I would wear.” 

“Daria is just one aspect of me, but I feel like there are many different sides to how I dress up.” 

VICKY'S THING

“I think my thing is talking and communicating. I’m never the smartest person in the room. I’m never the most logical – not even the most artistic or creative. A mediator between the audience and the idea – I think that’s my thing. Like really trying to communicate in a way that’s palatable and understandable and accessible.”

Check out her blog here.

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Janeena, 21, Model, Host, and Blogger

“It’s more of the aesthetic that I chose because I just love how clean and polished whites look on a put-together ensemble.”

JANEENA'S THING
“I'm a lifestyle host and model. I also love music and performing, it has been a passion ever since.”

Check out her blog here.

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Ross, 18, Graphic Artist and Illustrator 
“He’s my favorite character. I’m practical like him. I put comfort over everything. Sometimes that makes me look slobby like him, but I don’t really care – I just want to be comfortable.”

ROSS' THING 

“I want my thing to be art and that’s what I’m trying to learn to do.”

Check out her blog here.

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Maqui, 19, Model and Visual Artist
“A lot of my pieces now are black or any shade of gray. I also add a tinge of hip-hop, since I dance. I think I just saw myself in the character.”

MAQUI'S THING

“Art. Visual Art.”

Check out his blog here.

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Arianna, 19, Filmmaker and Ukulele/Glockenspielist of super wild party girls! (SWPG!)
“She has slammin’ style. I’ve already been into the kind of schoolgirl style that she wears and it’s more like seeing [other] people [on screen] wear it that makes it quite cool.”

ARIANNA'S THING

“Film is my thing.”

Check out her work here, and SWPG's music here.

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Ariel, 20, Fine Arts Student, Ukulele/Percussionist of super wild party girls! (SWPG!)

“My friends told me she reminded them of me, so I got into it and I was like “damn!” Her clothes are pretty like… I would wear that.” 

“I think it's similar in the way that she dresses like the olden times, like mod and all, ‘cause I’m into that also.”

ARIEL'S THING

“I laugh a lot. It’s really noticeable when I laugh because it’s either I laugh really long even when people stop laughing or I laugh at parts where other people don’t laugh, so everyone just looks at me weird.”

Check out her blog here.


Photos used in the collage were taken from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Article by Sammi
Editorial headed by Niki

Interviews by Sammi and Gaby

Photos by Arielle, Andi, Andrea, and Meg

Makeup by Miky and Nikki
Special thanks to Ariel, Arianna, Maqui, Janeena, Tim, Andie, Vicky, Ross, and Andrew for modeling, and to Mia, Katrina and Garie for assisting  

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Niki grew up in Manila and is currently a college student majoring in Creative Writing. Her favorite food in the world is chocolate, but bacon is a close second. She loves fashion, art, travel, old TV shows, films, and music. She is also a singer-songwriter. You can check out her music at https://soundcloud.com/nikicolet :)

Sammi is a walking Studio Ghibli character in her imagination, in search of a hidden kingdom of cats and/or the next greatest panini sandwich to enter her life. Her fantasies may include being a can’t-touch-this hot tamale hip-hop dancer or the lead in a magical girl anime. But then again - why not be both? 

Gaby is used to working quietly in the background. The Thing is her first big attempt at taking the lead. She isn't sure how it is going to go, considering that most of her time is spent trying to get her dog to listen to her. On most days, you would find her at her computer, excessively bookmarking links to DIY projects and articles about teenage wunderkind.




Meg is currently taking up Multimedia Arts. She loves to paint and take pictures.

Presumably human (although we have our doubts), Andrea is a Padawan of art, fashion and photography, a feminist, a non-conformist and a Pastafarian. And also seems to like speaking in third person.

Arielle is currently a fine arts student (Information Design). She loves taking pictures, watching movies, going to new places, hoarding books and collaborating with other people to make things. She would like to pursue a career in photography, film and design (yes all three) in the future.

Miky is currently studying to be a teacher. She hopes to do a lot of things with her life. Changing the world is one of them.

Not a fan of being in the spotlight at all, you’ll find Garie behind the scenes always. She’s the girl behind the lens, those smooth beats on an easy playlist and the platter of scrumptious cookies. BTS is where she works, and it most definitely works for her.

Mia is a design student who wishes to travel the world. She enjoys waking up early in the morning for green tea and football. The universe is huge, yet she doesn't feel so small living in it.

Andi would rather be behind her camera taking the photos than in front of someone else's. She enjoys capturing moments and looking back on them just as much as she enjoys living in them. Follow her on instagram: @andifandino.