This is an excerpt from the MEGA April 2025 cover story
Pia Wurtzbach and Ho Ngoc Ha have a lot of things in common. Both are tall, radiant, and armed with killer smiles. Their statuesque frames make it easy for anything to look good. Ho Ngoc tends to favor minimalist, almost sculptural silhouettes, while Wurtzbach is a chameleon. She can wear a bold leather outfit just as easily as she can be pictured in a cozy, cable-knit sweater.
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As early as 1909, a Danish botanist named Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word “phenotype”, which refers to a person’s observable traits that partly stem from their genes. For Wurtzbach and Ho Ngoc, it is hard to describe their phenotype as anything other than impossibly beautiful.
But if DNA and the shiny end result it produces are the only things that matter, then this would be an entirely different story. Wurtzbach and Ho Ngoc are more than the sum of all their parts.
Wurtzbach is a model, host, and former beauty queen. Ho Ngoc is also a model and a well-respected singer and actress. Both women are household names in their countries of the Philippines and Vietnam. In fact, one can also successfully argue that their reach breaks geographical barriers through their social media presence.Their Instagram accounts alone sit comfortably in the millions.
In 1965, American intellectual and writer Susan Sontag wrote an essay entitled “On Style”. She suggests that fashion is not just about how something looks. It is also a means of expression. According to her, “every style is a means of insisting on something.”
It is hard to imagine that BVLGARI appointing two firsts in Southeast Asia is anything but a deliberate choice, especially in choosing women like Pia Wurtzbach and Ho Ngoc Ha, who represent fashion as a force of change.
In partnering with BVLGARI, Ho Ngoc says “I would never compare myself to a brand with over 140 years of legacy. But I do see myself in BVLGARI, especially in the Serpenti symbol—a snake that constantly sheds its skin to evolve and grow stronger.”
When it comes to fashion, she says, “Southeast Asia is thriving, and the world is recognizing our journey with newfound respect. The world moves in cycles—ups and downs, light and dark. We all experience highs and lows, and right now, we’re in a moment of incredible growth.”
Wurtzbach also echoes this sentiment. “Being the first Filipino to be named a friend of the house is something I’m deeply grateful for. However, I try not to dwell on it too much because it can feel overwhelming. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to open doors for more Filipinos to be recognized internationally, whether in fashion, luxury or on the global stage in general.”
She adds, “I know this is just the beginning—there will be more of us. With or without me, I know this shift will happen, but I’m honored to be a part of that story.”
Read more about Pia Wurtzbach and Ho Ngoc Ha’s insights on women empowerment and cross-cultural collaborations in MEGA’s April 2025 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photographed by ANDREA BELDUA. Creative Direction by PATRICK TY. Styled by ROKO ARCEO. Sittings Editor PEEWEE REYES-ISIDRO. Production JONES PALTENG. Makeup JUSTIN SORIANO (Pia Wurtzbach) and RUBY NGUYEN (Ho Ngoc Ha). Hair JECK AGUILAR (Pia Wurtzbach) and HUYEN LE (Ho Ngoc Ha). Photography Assistant JV RABANO. Videographer LORENZO CORRO. Shot on location at RAFFLES GRAND HOTEL D’ANGKOR, KRONG SIEM REAP CAMBODIA. Special thanks to JESHA ABAD OF BVLGARI PHILIPPINES.
