Mitch: the chic entrepreneur

     One boring night last summer, I decided to create my first ever twitter account.  As I was getting the hang of using twitter and was following celebrities left and right, I searched for twits with 'Bicol' in it.  I am from Bicol (a region in the Philippines) and I would like to have twitter friends coming from the place where I grew up.  That's how I found this lady who, at that particular time, twitted about her trip somewhere in Bicol.  I followed her and she followed me back.  After a few months, though not regularly, she and I have been twitting.  I'm really glad that I have gotten to know her a little better...

Real Name:     MITCHIE MAY TRILLANA NOBLE
Nick Name:     MITCHI/MITCH

     Mitch, unfortunately, is not from Bicol though she told me she know some people from my region because of their business.  She is from Laguna and though wanted to take up a management course, ended up finishing a computer-related degree.  After college, she pursued a short class in fashion at Cora Doloroso Career Centre in Makati, Philippines.  Then just last year, she took up another fashion course at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines (FIP).

Here are some photos of Mitch while at FIP..

Here she is with her classmates...

Some more of her friends during her first term at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines...

Her awesome instructors at FIP, John and Paul Herrera...

Here she is at an FIP event when the graduating class showcased their collection...

With her classmates and Rene Salud, a prime fashion designer in the Philippines.

Some shots during the fashion show...

Here are some of the collection presented by the graduating class...

And here's the winning collection of the batch...

     In a nutshell, Mitch describes herself as the 'eat, work and be merry' type of person.  She told me in formspring that she'd rather travel around the world than have a large savings account.  I see her as someone who's funny, very observant and really down-to-earth.  She's a sensible person with deeper understanding of things, no matter how shallow they may seem at the surface. 

     One of the things i like about her, through following her on twitter, is her insanity to take notice of things unusual (and funny too) wherever she goes.  She can have fun and at the same time, be really focused on being productive.

     Right now, Mitch is in-charge of their family business.  She manages and is the designer for FASHIONOBLE, a family owned fashion boutique located in Laguna and catering to all fashion and lifestyle clothing needs.

Here's a photo of Mitch with some of her most recent clients wearing her designs...

Here's some more of her clients and her work...

     Mitch intensely enjoys what she does.  She designs for clients, talks to them... and she's really hands-on with most of the business stuff.  She's the one who decides what color and fabric to use, where to get them, and she provides instruction to her staff how to execute the design, the bead works and other intricate details.  For her, aside from client satisfaction, a great customer relation embedded on trust is equally important too.  

     If you would like to avail of their services,
you can reach them on this number
(+63) (049) 501 7552
or visit  FashioNoble at their shop located at:
National Highway, Brgy. Lewin, Lumban, Laguna, Philippines.
For other inquiries, you may email them at fashionoble@yahoo.com.

     Apart from her huge responsibility managing FashioNoble, Mitch also teaches embroidery class to a group of at least 60 (priveleged) kids at International School Manila (ISM).  Here are some photos for this year's embroidery workshop...

Some more pictures with the kids...

The workshop is a yearly thing she does for ISM that happens around September.  This has been going on for 6 years already...

     Mitch said that "it feels good teaching those kids how to do embroidery."  According to her, the kids were so attentive, interested and exhibits exceptional modesty despite being sons or daughters of who's who in the country.

     I wanna share this passage from her blog.  This is her response to my formspring question when I asked her of her greatest fear:

"I fear of being insufficient, of being indifferent, of being surreal because this is more than 'real' could ever mean to me for this is the only time i cared outside of myself.  I fear of being jaded by chasing moments I knew I’d never catch for distance seemed to have set our fate and we must learn how to live with it.  I fear of waking up one day only to realize that we really don’t need to live with it because it just won’t work anyway.  I fear of embracing you for I might forget how to let go.  I fear of placing my whole self on this because I am afraid to get lost.  I fear of falling, that’s one of my childhood fears.  And I guess the most part comes from my being restless… it keeps on pushing me to get ahead of myself and not live for today, to always look forward to tomorrow."

     Mitch is a dreamer, a romantic and at the same time a realist.  I admire her for being expressive and she also has this unbelievable humility that sometimes will make you wonder if she's just being a snob, totally indifferent or just unassertive.  But I don't think it's any of that... I think that behind that strong, go-getter, aggressive, business-minded lady -- is a shy, unassuming woman who needs to be assured of her beauty and true strength of character.

     Here's her take on insecurity:  "Insecurity is for those who always try to compete. Lumaki kase ako na hindi naka-tingin sa iba para gayahin or lagpasan sila.  What i am and what i do is give it my best. I don't hang around with fools.  I hang around wise people and try to get as much wisdom i could get."

     I am yet to have the pleasure of meeting her, and really, I can't wait!  With her attitude and optimism, this lady will certainly go a long long way.  A woman who can balance life, career and family, she is definitely someone worthy of emulation.  I wish more girls are like her.

     Thank you Mitch for allowing me to publish your photos and for sharing your story.  My readers and I have learned a lot from you.  Hopefully, this wouldn't be the last time we'll be seeing you here on my blog.

     And more importantly, thank you so much for showing us how you look.

*Photos used with permission from Mitchie May Trillana Noble