When Heart becomes reputational collateral

Reputation today no longer moves in straight lines.

- RON JABAL

It travels across relationships, households and associations, often without permission and rarely with nuance. In a highly polarized environment, reputation is no longer judged solely by what a person does. It is increasingly shaped by who that person is connected to. Truthfully, proximity, not action, now shapes public trust. This shift has profound implications for how public figures, business leaders and institutions manage their reputational capital.This is where reputation becomes collateral.

The public experience of actress and fashionista Heart Evangelista offers a timely and instructive illustration. She is not a policymaker. She does not vote on national budgets, sit in legislative hearings or decide the direction of public policy. Her professional domain is fashion, art and culture. Yet during moments of political controversy involving her husband, Former Senate president Francis Escudero, she is periodically drawn into public scrutiny.

Not because of action. Not because of evidence. But because of proximity.

From a reputation management perspective, this distinction matters. Using the Reputation Capital or Rep-Cap framework otherwise known as the Jabal Formula, which treats reputation as a form of strategic capital built on trust, credibility and resilience, moderated by risk, Heart’s case shows how modern reputations are increasingly tested by association rather than conduct.

Trust remains the foundation. In Heart's case, trust is largely intact. Among fashion audiences, cultural communities and brand partners, she is generally perceived as authentic and professionally independent. The public largely understands that she does not exercise political power and does not benefit from political decision making. However, trust today is rarely absolute. It is contextual.