SOUL SISTER

Models, style-setters, best friends-Lou Yanong and Jach Manere talk about their decade-long friendship, favorite fashion moments, and empowering style choices

- MARIAN SAN PEDRO

STYLE TALKS

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER? WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU TRULY ADMIRE ABOUT EACH OTHER?

LOU: Some people are seasonal, but Jach to me isn’t just a chapter. Our sisterhood is non-negotiable. There are a lot of things Jach doesn’t show. What I love about Jach is she doesn’t know how good she is at almost everything and with that, she remains humble. Plus, she’s always one call away. Everyone needs a Jach in their life.

JACH: Lou and I have been best friends since our first year in college. We even met each other on the very first day during our student induction program and from then on, it has been a solid decade of friendship, love, laughter, and doing weird and blithe things together. I admire how she’s grounded, how she loves her family, how she treats other people with respect and kindness. It’s the little things that really show who she really is as a person.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE EXACT MOMENT YOU FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH FASHION? WHO IS YOUR STYLE INSPIRATION AND HOW DID THEY INFLUENCE YOUR CURRENT STYLE?

L: I was seven, and it has to be my mom. My mom collects Barbie dolls and she would have dresses made for us that looked like our favorite doll. So, I would look like a rockstar one day and a ballerina the next. Fashion shows individuality—that’s what I learned from her. Whatever makes you feel more you this moment is your style.