Aspiring models as young as four are training on Saturdays this month in Dubai under Filipino fashion designer Benj Dela Rosa, whose Calivo Couture label is behind the emirate’s newest talent development program.
The initiative, billed by its organizers as the “first Pasarela De Moda Summer Edition 2026 Modeling Workshop and Fashion Show,” opened its first session on July 4, 2026. Three more Saturday sessions follow before participants walk the runway at a closing showcase.
Dela Rosa has structured the program around four skill areas, each led by a different specialist. The personality development track is handled by Dr. Rex Bacarra, a Filipino educator long based in the UAE who has taught at institutions including the American College of Dubai and Rabdan Academy and has been named among the Gulf’s most influential Filipinos for several consecutive years. Hair and makeup instruction falls to Mau Piodena, while Bethoven Filomeno leads the segment on fashion photography.
Runway technique, the fourth component, is being taught by international model Anna Llagas, who works with the female participants, and Filipino-Dutch model Dexter Zamora.
The finale is set for July 26, 2026, at Sunday Suites Hotel Deira on Al Muteena Street, the property formerly operated as the Grand Excelsior Hotel.
Dela Rosa, who traces his roots to Aklan province, launched Calivo Couture in 2018 and built its early reputation by dressing finalists at pageants and community events across the Emirates. His name derives from Kalibo, the Aklan town he hails from, and his collections have frequently drawn on hand-woven piña cloth and abacá silk sourced from the province.
