The debut issue of Vogue Philippines is here, lead by accessories designer Bea Valdes, a native of Manila, as Editor in Chief. The magazine’s first-issue cover story features Filipino-American model Chloe Magno, lensed by British Filipino-Egyptian photographer Sharif Hamza. Pam Quinones styles Chloe Magno with a special focus on adding local designers to the mix in this story and throughout the issue./ Hair by Raymond Santiago; makeup by Robbie Pinera

The first issue of Vogue Philippines will be on newsstands August 31.

The covers and cover story focus on the three main islands of the Philippine archipelago—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Water serves as the thematic connector of the islands and not a separator

“Our hope was guided by the Filipino values of Malasakit (deep empathy), Bayanihan (community), and optimism that defines so much of our culture,” shares Editor-in-Chief @_beavaldes_. “Instead, this bounty was showered on us, openly and generously, by so many of our fellow countrymen.”

Vogue Philippines is online and written in English.

There’s a wonderful article on bamboo architecture coming of age in the Philippines, launching from an article about Elora Hardy and her work on bamboo architecture in Bali. AOC has two posts on the Hardys — one about Bali’s famous Green School and anoher on Elora’s expanding her father John Hardy’s [the jewelry designer] commitment to bamboo architecture with Ibuku, a design and construction company.

AOC loves the less commercial and superficial-people vibe in this first issue of Vogue Philippines that doesn’t give up a high-fashion attitude with plenty of beauty. Yet, they are talking about sustainability, indiginous peoples in the Philippines, artisans. This issue is aspirational and educational both.