Sponsor 
MANILA – November 13, 2013 – As part of Marikina City’s shoe festival, the "Mayor’s Gala: A Benefit Dinner" was held to raise funds to support the city’s local shoe industry.
Selected styles from the fashion show during the event will be auctioned off to raise funds to support rescue and relief operations in the areas affected by typhoon Yolanda. Photographs of the items will be posted online to accommodate bids.
Leeroy New, who was among the designers featured in the gala, said that although the event was originally intended to support the shoe-making industry in Marikina, the program was adjusted to contribute to relief operations in Visayas, through the auction of the shoes.
"I think everything that we are currently engaged in has to adapt and accommodate what needs to be done to help and show some kind of solidarity with the people affected. We are simply expanding our sphere of responsibility in the ways we can," New said.
Attended by art patrons, the gala was held on November 12 at Kapitan Moy Museum in Marikina City, the shoe capital of the Philippines. Guests included Councilor Eva Aguirre-Paz, Malabon City Mayor Antolin Oreta III, San Juan City Vice Mayor Francis Zamora, and filmmaker Brillante Mendoza.
At the gala, guests dined on traditional Filipino dishes, including the popular Kare-Kare. The sumptuous spread was served by Kusina ni Kambal.
Brian Tenorio and Angel Aquino hosted a fashion show featuring prominent personalities in shoes made by local shoe companies and designed by artists Andre Chang, Brian Tenorio, Kristel Yulo, Leeroy New, Maco Custodio, Nereku, and Vania Romoff.
The designers turned shoes into works of art, with Andre Chang’s futuristic cowboy boots, Brian Tenorio’s clear, Cinderella-esque shoes, Yulo’s feminine pieces in nude satin, Maco Custodio’s eye-catching designs in candy pink and green, Leeroy New’s fantastic and edgy creations, and Vania Ramoff’s elegant snakeskin stilettos. There were also Nereku’s unique convertible designs, including a pair of shoes with a detachable vest.
On his collection for the show, New said he focused on manipulating the heels of the shoes by sculpting them and sticking to a very basic body. "The forms I used were simply an extension of works that I’ve already been doing. Along with the five functioning pairs I made, I also did two shoe sculptures not necessarily made for strutting the catwalk," he said. "I’ve always been fascinated with shoe design simply because I find the silhouettes very sculptural even though I’m not really a big shoe freak," shared New, added that he rarely buys shoes for himself.
Proceeds of the gala will be used for the Sapatero Scholarship Fund of Marikina City. The fund will help sustain the city’s shoe industry by sending local scholars to schools that offer programs on shoe-making, design, manufacturing and marketing.
“We need to sustain the thriving shoe industry in the next ten or more years in order for Marikina to continuously compete for the local and international market. Through this scholarship program, we can assure that Marikina will still have the industry’s best assets – its people and their contribution to our sustainable industry,” Marikina City Mayor Del De Guzman said.
The art and craft of Filipino shoemaking is in danger of disappearing completely in the next ten years, the invitation to the gala said. The Sapatero Scholarship Fund was set up to train and engage the next generation of shoemakers and designers, ensuring that the Filipino shoemaking heritage lives on.
