In the Beginning...

We take a look back at how it all started, the valuable lessons learnt, as well as what brought us to where we are today

- Marge C Enriquez

Naysayers pooh-poohed the launch of Philippine Tatler in 2001. Some went as far as telling Anton San Diego, that this society/general interest magazine would not survive. He was then writing society columns for Philippine Daily Inquirer and Metro magazine and for both gigs, he’d been tapped precisely for his apparent persuasive powers over the high and mighty. Still, taking on the job of editor-in-chief for another new luxury magazine seemed like a leap of faith.

Beneath his suave demeanour, San Diego has always been tenacious. Plus, he was gifted with an eye for aesthetics and a nose for what was appealing to readers. He envisioned Tatler as a magazine of superior quality that would “present the Philippines to the world in the best possible way”.

Twenty years later—following changes in ownership and management, economic crises and a pandemic, the magazine, rebranded Tatler Philippines, is still flexing its muscles with a thick glossy issue every month. That’s a certifiable feat, considering that many competitors have folded, cut back on their circulation, or gone fully digital. Steered by the new tenets of Tatler Asia, and with the team’s steady editorial voice, Tatler has become the trusted resource in bringing its readers the best in Power, Influence and Style.

Behind the eye-candy pages and stories of the high life lies the magazine’s heart, a well-oiled machinery headed by publisher Irene Martel Francisco. During Covid Lockdown 1 in 2020,