Pinay power in La-la-land

LOS ANGELES – Filipina women are not only caregivers and nurses here. Now, more than ever, they are starting to branch out and to become admired figures in the glitzy and glamorous world of fashion; and esteemed professionals in the cutthroat environment of real estate.

Falling For Fashion

Well-known Los Angeles-based couturier Lou Razon-Chua’s big break came when her first Oscar gown was worn by no less than Filipino-American newscaster Denise Dador in 1992. The gown was featured in a pre-Oscar show on ABC-7 and earned notice and praises from celebrities, including Paul McCartney.

Lou Razon, or Maria Lourdes Razon-Chua, was born in Manila, on July 27, 1965. She is the third child among five girls of couple Bernardo Nucum Razon and Herminia Rivera Razon. Her mother was a hairdresser and used to own a beauty salon. For as long as she can remember, Lou says she had always dreamed of becoming a designer, technical designer, to be more exact.

"This has always been my passion, to design clothes for people to make them look more beautiful," she says.

Determined to follow the path laid down for her by her incessant dreams of creative endeavors, Lou took undergraduate studies in Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas where she majored in Interior Design. She then completed her studies at the Assumption College where she finished AB in Interior Design. Further studies in LA at the Art Institute/California Design College; plus Certificate in Fashion and CAD Design; numerous seminars and classes at the Otis Institute of Arts and Textile Design; and an internship with Tadashi (designer of special occasion dresses) prepared her for her career in fashion design.

Backed by her experiences, Lou ventured on her own to establish Apparel Designs Exclusive, Inc with shops in West Covina, CA (bridal and formal) and in Glendale, CA (Lou Razon). She’s been in the business for eight years, servicing both the Filipino community, as well as the mainstream market.

"Over the years, I have learned that in order to succeed, one needs guidance from the Lord," says this focused but very humble Filipina designer. "I’m happy to have chosen this path and I’m very proud to be a Filipino!"

Real Estate

Mel Ladia Macklin is one of the most successful Filipina realtors in Pasadena, California, working for Tri-Ladia First Creative Finance and Tri-Ladia First Realty Group.

The business was forged by broker Jack Harriman and Mel’s sister, Nova Ladia- Raven. The two have been partners for many years in a business that started with insurance and moved on to finance. After a while, Nova’s sister Hope Ladia-Chambers came in. She’s an architect who came into the company as a marketing/finance person in charge of doing loans. At that time, Mel already had her real estate license and was working as a referral agent for Century 21. The group, then called Jack Harriman & Associates, eventually asked Mel to join them when they opened their real estate department.

It was only a matter of time before people in the company noticed the presence of the three lovely sisters in their office in Pasadena, prompting Don Reid, their marketing manager to comment to Harriman: "You have all the Ladia girls working here. How nice to have a Tri-Ladia!"

The sisters/business partner relations pose a win-win situation for Tri-Ladia First Creative Finance and their clientele which is mainly 80 percent Filipino. Being Filipinos themselves, they are able to service their customers better. The Ladias trace their roots to Claveria, Cagayan. According to Mel, the family of six girls and two boys moved to the States when she was nine. By then she had already been speaking Ilocano and she never forgot the dialect.

"My clients can speak to me in Ilocano and I understand them perfectly, though I answer them in English. My Tagalog, though, is broken, but we can still communicate," Mel admitted.

She thinks that listening is the most important thing about being an agent, after all, it’s a service-oriented field.

"Listening is what makes a good realtor. Listening to what people really want. And eventually it boils down to how I’d like to be treated, that’s what it is. If I were to use a realtor, I would like to be treated the same way that I’m treating them," explained the former clothing designer who had a clothing manufacturing business in Irwindale that lasted for five years.

"But real estate is my first love. I’ve always loved houses. My parents also were in the real estate industry. They were buying and selling properties. My dad loves houses and I guess I picked that up from him. And as an agent, you get to see houses – everybody else’s house," Mel said, adding that for now, she has found her home in Tri-Ladia First Creative Finance.

"I have been fortunate enough to have been able to help people who’ve been turned down even after going to 10 realtors, looking for a house. There was even one client who said, ‘Mel, I’m not going to smile until I have that key in my hand.’ I was challenged," Mel said. "We have helped people who are janitors or teachers, it makes us feel good. It encourages us to stay in the business. And having this Filipino connection is really an advantage."