This is an excerpt from September 2026 Fashion POV
Rocio Escaño has always dressed like she has somewhere to be. As a child, that meant matching sets, coordinated accessories, and a mother who believed the headband should have something to say to the shoes. Today, it means colourful dresses, experimental silhouettes, the occasional sheer number, and a willingness to try something just because it might work. The difference is that now, she created a life around the very thing she has always loved: getting dressed.
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As co-founder of Continuiti, the Manila-based fashion rental service and shared closet she started in 2024 with longtime friends Ina Cruz and Sam Villavicencio, Escaño spends her days surrounded by clothes, hosting events, and working on social campaigns.
Rocio Escaño’s Style Icons: Rajo Laurel, Prada, and Family
“I’d describe my personal style as timeless with an experimental streak,” Escaño says. She likes colour, unusual proportions, interesting textures, and pieces with personality.
“I think dressing up should always feel a little curious,” she says.
She cites Rajo Laurel as a personal favourite, describing his work as “timeless and experimental.” Internationally, Prada, Jacquemus, Miu Miu, and Monique Lhuillier occupy similar territory in her wardrobe.
“I will always choose a coloured option,” she says. “If there was a coloured option, you know that I’ll be picking that one.”
Like her fashion sense, she describes herself as bubbly, and says that when she wears something too plain, she can feel herself shrinking into it. When she loves what she is wearing, the opposite happens. “Everyone around me will know that.”
Her grandmother, Ingrid Sala Santamaria, gave Escaño some of her earliest memories of fashion as ritual. She remembers dressing up to watch her grandmother perform, and being just as interested in what she would wear as in what she would play.
Her mother, Cathy Santamaria, carried that same attention into everyday life. Escaño recalls being treated like a Barbie doll, styled from head to toe.
“She never taught me to dress to impress other people,” Escaño says. “She taught me to dress with intention.”
That distinction is perhaps the key to understanding her style. Fashion has never been solely about labels or having the newest thing. It is about marking a moment, communicating before saying a word, and recognizing that getting dressed can change the way a day feels.
Continuiti’s Expansion Plans: Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and a New Sister Brand
Escaño has never been particularly interested in predicting where she will be five years from now. Five years ago, she expected to be in law school. Instead, she is running a fashion rental business, hosting events, working on social media campaigns, and considering what comes next.
She has since stopped treating the five-year plan as gospel. “I try to hold onto the vision much more tightly than the roadmap,” she says.
Continuiti itself was a name saved on Instagram in 2020, waiting through the pandemic for the world to catch up. Now there are conversations about expanding into Cebu, Davao, and Bacolod, alongside plans for a new sister brand focused on everyday clothing.
The irony is delicious: the woman who spends her days helping people rethink what they need to own is preparing to create clothes people can actually buy. Continuiti dresses people for the days they consider special. Its sister brand, Escaño says, will dress them for every day in between.
For now, she remains open to whatever else might enter the frame. It is a fitting approach for someone whose personal style depends on curiosity. She does not seem particularly interested in finding one definitive version of herself. She would rather keep trying things on.
Rocio Escaño knows what she likes. But she is still curious enough to keep finding out what else she might love.
Photographed by BELG BELGICA. Art Direction by TROY NONATO. Fashion Assistant KRISSIE TERUEL. Production by THESSMAR LECTURA. Hair by KURT ANDREI ROSALES assisted by ELAYNE ROSALES. Makeup by DOROTHY MAMALIO. Photography Assistant HALLVARD CANO. Shot on location at LAS CASAS FILIPINAS DE ACUZAR
Frequently Asked Questions
Rocio Escaño is the co-founder of Continuiti, a Manila-based fashion rental service and shared closet she started in 2024 with friends Ina Cruz and Sam Villavicencio, known for her colorful, experimental personal style.
Continuiti is a Manila-based fashion rental service and shared closet founded in 2024, dressing people for special occasions. The company is planning expansion into Cebu, Davao, and Bacolod, along with a new sister brand for everyday clothing.
Escaño names Rajo Laurel as a personal favorite for his timeless, experimental designs, alongside international labels Prada, Jacquemus, Miu Miu, and Monique Lhuillier as staples in her wardrobe.
Escaño credits her grandmother, Ingrid Sala Santamaria, for early memories of fashion as ritual, and her mother, Cathy Santamaria, for teaching her to dress with intention rather than to impress others.
No. Five years before co-founding Continuiti, Escaño expected to be in law school. She has since stopped treating a fixed five-year plan as certain, preferring to hold onto a vision rather than a rigid roadmap.
