Interview: John Lozano on Styling Stars, Leading Brands, and Owning His Creative Path

What drew you to a career in fashion styling, and how has your approach evolved over the years?

In college, I started styling editorials as early as 19. I started with a magazine before [called] Chalk, where they had this feature on 25 of the most stylish students in Manila. After that, Chalk approached me to see if I wanted to style an editorial, because I guess they liked the way I styled myself. That was how it started. But a key takeaway here is that I started when celebrity styling wasn’t a career, so I saw the evolution, not just of my personal styling, but the landscape in general; how things have changed in terms of sourcing, pulling out and how styling was just based on directives or pegs for magazines.

And then how it evolved into celebrity styling and knowing your clients, dealing with personalities and personal taste. Because when you style editorials, the models just wear what you want them to wear. But when you style celebrities, you must keep so many things in mind. So, to answer your question, that was how my approach evolved. It started out just in my head, styling a look and I make the model or celebrity wear it. But down the line, as it got more competitive, as personalities got more empowered, their personal tastes started to matter, as opposed to before, when it was just all the prerogative of the stylist.

Are there any specific moments or projects that you consider turning points in your career?

As I mentioned, I never really saw myself pursuing a career in styling. So, a turning point would probably be when I finally sort of accepted and realised that this is where I’m supposed to be. There was one year when I was pursuing a different career already. I was sort of toying with the idea of leaving the country and pursuing this career. A bit of trivia: it was makeup. I took up Theatre Arts in college and my major or thesis was stage makeup and costume design. I was gearing up to go abroad, pursuing it and all these things, when a client came to me and started booking me – and that client was Lea Salonga. You can’t say ‘no’ to a Lea Salonga, you know?

So, when they started booking me for her projects, I had to put the other “career” on hold. That was one of the first few times when I realised that as much as I wanted to brush off styling because I thought it wouldn’t go anywhere, that it was not going to be a career or that I needed something more stable… it just kept coming back to me or I kept being led back to styling. This happened several times. Eventually, I ended up embracing it and here I am today.

What was it like collaborating with high-profile clients like James Reid, Donny Pangilinan and others?

The good thing about my clients, and this I can truly say, is that I get along with them. I enjoy their company and assume they enjoy mine, too. I never really felt like, ‘My God, they’re so high profile, their demands are so high and all of that’ because luckily, I get them and they get me.

It’s all work, and whether or not it is a high-profile client, they’re all the same to me. Yes, work is work, regardless of whether it is someone like Sir Gary [Valenciano], Lea [Salonga], Donny [Pangilinan] or a model, it’s the same for me. Everybody that you work with, you have to take the time, at some point, to get to know them because as a stylist, the most important thing is to make sure that your client is comfortable. I don’t mean comfortable in the physical sense, but comfortable about what they’re wearing.

Do you have a memorable red carpet or editorial look you’ve styled?

Last year, there was a Star Magic Christmas ball and I was styling [Donny Pangilinan]. We had his outfit ready. He was wearing it while waiting in the room to get called to go down, and we were watching the live stream of the red carpet when we saw another artist wearing the same thing.

It wasn’t even similar, it was the exact same thing, so everybody was panicking. Good thing I was 10 minutes away and had extra clothes in the car. I had to find the U-turn and run back. Mind you, this was 10 minutes before he had to go down. I gave the outfit to my assistant who picked it up at the lobby, brought it up and got Donny to change. And, you know, crisis averted. But yes, there are a lot of moments like this!

Your role as Chief Marketing Officer at BYS is quite distinct from styling. How do you juggle both responsibilities and what excites you about each role?

I’ve always been a multihyphenate for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was young and even back in college, I was styling, hosting and doing theatre while I was studying. I have always been doing so many things, which is why it’s not really that hard for me; it’s just a matter of time management. I always believe that if you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t take long. The common thread of everything that I do is the ability to create and express my imagination in different forms. With BYS, it’s creating campaigns and mounting Fashion Week. It’s being able to see things come to life, from a vision to reality.

How do you stay creative and motivated while managing multiple roles in two dynamic industries?

Honestly, I think I have more inspiration and creativity than I need. It comes in everything. Even social media, the people I meet and the people I work with. There’s a never-ending flow of creativity, inspiration and motivation. I’m lucky that I get to experience and see these things, and they help me with the things that I do.

I’m like a sponge in the sense where I take in everything I see and experience, and I’m able to convert it and translate it into the work that I do. There was one film that flipped the switch for me when I was young, American Beauty. There was a scene where one of the characters was taking a video of a plastic bag just flying in one corner because there’s wind. He said, “There’s so much beauty in the world.” As a young kid, watching that struck a chord with me, that there’s always beauty in everything, even in the ugliest things.

So, to answer your question, there’s no limit to inspiration and creativity. There will always be something that will inspire people. They just have to look at it from a different perspective.

What legacy do you hope to leave in the creative industry?

It’s that there’s no limit to what all of us can do. Whenever you’re in doubt or whenever you think there are things you can’t do, at least creatively, always ask yourself, “Why not? Why can’t you do it?” I think all of us, especially creative people, are full of ideas. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look or finding inspiration, whether it’s with social media, TV, film, friends or places you go. I guess I will be an example of someone who wants to do it all and makes it happen. I’m fearless in a way where I’ll just do it, whether it’s marketing today, styling tomorrow or directing events another day. The opportunities are endless — and you just have to take it as you go along.