COMMUNITY >
#ILLUSTRADOSQUADGOALS I l l u st r a d o ’ s F i r st Eve r I n sta meet
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ailed as the selfiest people in the world, Filipinos are among the most – if not THE most – social media savvy people in the world. Naturally, we are good at curating our content, whether it’s about fashion, food, lifestyle, street photography, portrait, or even the simplest of things. We can turn “ordinary” into “double tap-worthy!” Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that some of the UAE’s best, most prolific and creative content creators just happen to be Filipinos. Recently, we gathered some of the best Instagrammers and bloggers we know for our first ever Instameet – an event that we judiciously called #IllustradoSquadGoals. The brief was simple: come join us for a casual dinner at the fabulous Fumé Neighborhood Eatery in Pier 7 at the Dubai Marina. What started out as a relaxed gettogether of writers, visual artists, and style
savants turned into a dynamic exchange of ideas, networking, and of course – a boatload of picture-taking and vlogging! “At Illustrado, we’re all about empowering communities and super-charging creative minds,” says Lalaine Chu-Benitez, EditorIn-Chief of Illustrado Magazine. “As Filipinos, we need to be responsible for nurturing each other’s growth, because we’re all in this together. Our platform has always been about openness and inclusiveness. Hindi na uso yung kami-kami, kanya-kanya, sila-sila. What happens to one happens to all of us, so we might as well make good things happen.” Thank you to Fumé for the wonderful eats! Check ‘em out at www.fume-eatery.com, or call +9714 421 5669. All photos taken by Mark Maniego.
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