(From left) Mark Bumgarner, Pia Wurtzbach, Leyna Bloom. Images: Instagram/@piawurtzbach, @leynabloom
Fashion designer Mark Bumgarner stood by one of his muses, Pia Wurtzbach, as the first Filipina ambassador of a global cosmetic brand to have graced its recent runway show at the Paris Fashion Week.
Bumgarner appeared to be referring to the claims of Fil-Am transwoman Leyna Bloom countering the introduction to Wurtzbach when she attended the French cosmetics brand’s “Le Défilé ‘Walk Your Worth” fashion show in Paris last Sept. 23.
Bloom — who was also part of the show as a runway model — stressed that she brought honor to the country as the first Filipina and the first member of the B’laan tribe to have done so.
But Bumgarner was not taking Bloom’s words for it, as he commented on his Instagram post that he is standing by the Miss Universe 2015 titleholder.
“Pia is the first Filipina L’Oreal ambassador to walk in LeDefile. I stand by it,” he wrote on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@markbumgarner
Pia Wurtzbach. Image from Mark Bumgarner’s Instagram StoryThe fashion designer also replied to one @keisyoudontknow, while calling out a certain individual who claims to be Filipina “when it’s convenient.” He, however, didn’t identify whom he was pertaining to.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@markbumgarner
Bumgarner is one of the go-to designers of celebrities and several beauty queens, including Wurtzbach, Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee, Miss Intercontinental 2015 first runner-up Christi McGarry, and Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, to name a few.
‘Soul-searching as a nation’
A day after congratulating Wurtzbach as the “second Filipina” to be part of the show, Bloom shared on Instagram that she had been bearing the brunt of remarks that she’s “not Filipino enough.”
“In the past 24 hours, I’ve heard the painful reminder that I’m ‘not Filipino enough.’ How many times have I heard this my whole life… It’s heartbreaking to witness how, as we strive for progress, we sometimes forget who we are and where we come from,” she said.
The model also noted that the past incident reminded her that Filipinos “struggle to embrace and celebrate” their true identity, while some people of “mixed heritage with white foreigners” are more recognized.
“The Philippines has been shaped by many nations, but in that process, it feels like our collective soul has been fractured. We have so much soul-searching to do as a nation,” she said. “Does my skin, my hair, and my African heritage mixed with Filipino really threaten a country that prides itself on healing people around the world?”
“How contradictory is that? Those in power question my credibility and authenticity, while children of mixed heritage with white foreigners receive more recognition and value than even full-blooded Filipinos,” she further added.
Bloom also shared photos of her Philippine passport and a tattoo of the sun that is usually seen on the Philippine flag on her Instagram Stories.
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@leynabloom
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@leynabloom
The recent “Walk Your Worth” event was not the first time Bloom represented the French cosmetics brand in a runway show. She was also part of L’Oréal’s fashion show in Paris in October 2021.
Aside from Bloom and Wurtzbach, Filipina-Canadian influencer Stephanie Valentine also pranced the runway of the French brand’s recent fashion show. She’s also known as “Glamzilla” to her followers.
Wurtzbach has yet to address Bloom’s remarks, or comment on Bumgarner’s post, as of writing.