Filipinos had a new form of expressing pride when Miss Universe Philippines Catriona Gray walked the runway for designer brand Sherri Hill during the New York Fashion Week.
Gray was one of the models who presented Sherri Hill’s stunning evening dresses at the Gotham Hall on September 7 (September 8 in Manila) and got to wear two pieces in its collection, one glittery pink gown and a yellow sequined gown with a cape.
To be included in such a sought-after event is a big achievement for any Filipino model and Gray’s countrymen couldn’t be more proud of her.
Filipinos extended their praises in a mixture of wit and humor in the comment’s section of the post on Sherri Hill’s official Facebook account.
The funny comment started off with a positive remark toward Gray, then proceeded to jest that the greeting came from wordplay of local areas and international ones.
Others stretched it to refer to common brand names of products.
The Filipina beauty shared her excitement to take part in the Sherri Hill fashion show on her Instagram.
Aside from Gray, Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach had also graced the runway for Sherri Hill earlier this year.
The couture company is one of the sponsors of the Miss Universe pageant on December 17 in Bangkok, Thailand.
From charity work to the crown
Gray once shared in an interview that her pursuit in pageantry came from the noble purpose of doing charity work in Tondo, Manila.
“Parang here I was complaining about my situation in my life, feeling down, then here are these people na ang saya-saya but with so little. Parang I was never the same after,” the 24-year-old said.
Also, she was inspired by a close friend, Miss World Philippines Valerie Weigmann, whom she observed drew supporters on being a beauty pageant candidate.
She first joined Miss World in 2016, where she landed a spot among the top five finalists. Determined to get a crown, Gray joined another pageant closer to home, the Binibining Pilipinas last March.
She finally got the winning title this time, and subsequently made her the country’s representative for Miss Universe 2018.
Aside from being a beauty candidate, Gray was also chosen as the new ambassador of the Love Gala and Ripple Awards, a project that promotes help, change and healing, this year.
Gray also runs her own blog called cat-elle.com where she shares her own designs for clothes and advocacy project called Paraiso.
Gray has a Filipino mom, Normita Elisa Gray and an Australian dad, Ian Gray. She was born and raised in Cairns, Australia. —Artwork by Uela Altar-Badayos