Sam Sadhwani: A slice of the big Apple

MANILA, Philippines - One of the freshest faces on television is not really a stranger to the world of celebrity. Meet Sam Sadhwani, one of the new hosts of etc’s locally-produced show ETC HQ.  

Sam is the daughter of model, fashion journalist and style icon Apples Aberin. As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. So like her mom, Sam always knew she would find a place in a field that has something to do with fashion. 

In an interview with The STAR, the 21-year-old beauty, who also inherited her mixed looks from her Indian businessman father, says, “My mom is so happy for me! She is very supportive. She’s never pushed me to go into fashion and all that. But even in college, I always knew I would be in a job that has to do with it. I want to be in a field of fashion. That is the one thing I knew, like wherever I go I want fashion to be incorporated into that. Thankfully, this (ETC HQ) incorporates fashion into the show. It’s amazing that I get to do this!”

This is Sam’s first on-cam experience. She just graduated last month with a Communications degree from Ateneo De Manila University. In the past, there were some offers to try out hosting and even show business. “But I was just focusing on school, then right before my graduation came, right after college, I have a job.”

In ETC HQ, Sam is sent to different hotspots to discover what are the trends that the Filipino youth are into, plus the latest and hippest happenings in the entertainment and fashion scene. 

“I’m still getting the hang of it,” admits Sam, adding that she underwent workshops to improve her hosting skills. It helps, too, that she felt the welcome right away from her co-hosts Mike Concepcion, Julia Sniegowski, Patti Grandidge and Kim Jones; and the overwhelming support of the cheerleaders at home. “My family, they’re my No. 1 fans. My father, he enjoys seeing me on TV. My mom can be blunt with me, but she’s very proud of me. They are very affirming parents.” 

Sam is a self-confessed TV junkie and naturally, she’s into shows that delve into fashion such as The Carrie Diaries and America’s Next Top Model, which are being aired on etc. While she watches a lot of shows, she also reads a lot. “My favorite book is The Little Prince. I grew up with it and I love it. I also love Pride & Prejudice, and I named my dog Mr. Darcy (because of the book). I have fashion books also for casual reading. I love romance books that are timeless like Little Women,” she shares. 

When it comes to fabulous dressers, she looks up to “Audrey Hepburn because she’s very sophisticated, elegant and classic, and that is ideally how I want to dress. There’s Anna Wintour, of course, the editor-in-chief of Vogue. And my mom, I go through her closet all the time! I love the way she dresses. I definitely borrow her clothes, she borrows my clothes, too! We’re the same size, it’s just that she’s taller. But our closets are practically merged.”

Interestingly, her personal style was featured in a recent issue of Vogue India, which scoured Asia for chic, young women who also have Indian descent. In her feature, Sam said that her most prized fashion possession pays homage to her Indian heritage. “My mother gave me a pair of Indian gold hoops passed down to her by my grandmother, and I hardly ever take them off,” she was quoted by the magazine.

Sam talks about the stint, “It was weird because someone just e-mailed my mom asking if they could feature me on Vogue India. How could I pass that? So a shoot was set up here. It was fun and very casual.”   

As for her beauty regimen, she believes in not messing too much with one’s face with make-up. “I don’t do anything too much, I don’t put anything too much, but I cleanse a lot. I mean, my mom always tell me, to always cleanse and moisturize, just that really.” 

Obviously, she takes the advice of her mom, from the everyday stuff to the bigger concerns in life, to heart. She adds that her mom, while a busy working mom, has always been hands-on with her and her younger brother, Martin. “I would always accompany her to her shoots, tag along wherever she goes. Growing up, I had a good idea what her work was. But at home, she’s not any different. She’s just my mom. My best friend. Whatever she advises, I listen to her.”  

She says she has never felt pressured to look or behave a certain way just because she has a famous parent, neither has she been pressured to follow in the footsteps if not surpass the achievements of her mom.

“Of course, I want to be known as me, and not just the daughter of Apples Aberin. I want to forge my own path, of course. But being compared to her is the biggest compliment!” 

There are many dreams Sam wants to fulfill like taking up graduate studies abroad, but she’s “young and loving it” and seizing every opportunity that will help fine-tune her goals in life. Through the etc show, she’s already enjoying the lessons on â€œbeing able to come out of my shell and be more outgoing,” adding that “throughout the process, what I’m most looking forward to is making new friends definitely, and learning to be more comfortable with myself.

ETC HQ Season 2 airs every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. etc is on seen on free TV RPN-9, Sky Cable Ch. 14, Destiny Cable Ch. 14, Cable Link Ch. 34 and Cignal Ch. 14, Dream Satellite Ch. 6 in Metro Manila.