COMING INTO HER OWN

Rocio Zobel is a digital influencer, style muse and the latest ambassador for the Belo Medical Group. With her captivating charm, beauty and distinctive flair, she draws audiences in effortlessly. As a shining example of the new generation of global Filipinas, she is making a significant impact on the world stage

- By Shauna Jay Popple. Photography by BJ Pascual. Creative Direction by Eldzs Mejia.

For some time now, Rocio Mercedes Zobel, the fifth child and youngest daughter of businessman Iñigo Zobel and former model Maricris Cardenas, has been the talk of the town in the most discerning circles in Manila, New York and Andalusia.

But today, after recently wrapping up student life in the Big Apple (before that was boarding school in England at Worth Abbey, which her father attended in his youth), she's claiming her rightful place in the spotlight—not just as Philippine society's 'It' girl, but as one of fashion and beauty's most intriguing new faces and tastemakers.

As she graces Tatler Philippines's cover this month, Zobel isn't simply representing the multi-generational family legacy of her surname; she's returned as a young woman and budding entrepreneur. We (family, loved ones, her social media followers, brands, stakeholders, the media and those fascinated by Philippine aristocracy), have watched this lovely girl grow and evolve publicly, as she's started to navigate a vibrant career trajectory as an up-and-coming fashion designer and rising personality, all while mastering the art of mixing aspirational fabulosity with grounded relatability.

Having completed her studies in fashion design and photography at Parsons School of Design, her shuttling back and forth between the family base here and the East Coast has slowed down, unless Wishi, an online styling app where she concurrently works, books her for a styling gig stateside. What shows no sign of slowing down, however, is her schedule.