IN a highly competitive fashion industry, styling is a profession that requires a strong heart and a massive dose of creativity—traits that 39-year-old celebrity stylist John Lozano has gotten off by heart. 

With 20 years of experience in the industry, it is no exaggeration that he has become one of the sought-after stylists of some of the biggest and influential names in show business. 

And his secret to success is quite simple yet life-changing—you do not necessarily have to be the best in town, styling is all about giving the best service to your clients and making them feel like ‘they are the most important people in the world.’  

For Lozano, good attitude and excellent service have allowed him to remain in the industry for two decades. 

In an exclusive interview with republicasia, the sought-after stylist narrated his triumphs and struggles and what life lessons he picked up along the way. 

‘Styling chose me’ 

Lozano began his fashion styling career at the age of 19 after being featured in a magazine project called “25 most stylish students in Manila.”

“After that, the editors of the magazine thought, since I can style myself or I guess, I have a good sense of style, [that] I can do it as a profession. So they started getting me to style editorials when I was still in college,” he said. 

Despite making an early start in the industry, Lozano admitted that styling was not originally part of his master plan in life. It was initially something he did as a sideline for fun. 

“It was never really sort of the path that I chose… But I’m also a believer of “things that are meant for you will always find [their] way” so I guess, it’s not really more of a choice, but it was more of what was meant for me.” 

A Theater Arts graduate at the prestigious University of the Philippines Diliman, Lozano first ventured into the world of event direction. 

He directed two Live AIDS (22 and 24), the longest-running musical comedy variety show in the Philippines organized by UP SAMASKOM. The show has produced top comedy actors, including Kaladkaren Davila, Giselle Sanchez, Tuesday Vargas, and Ate Glow. 

Aside from being an event director, he also entered the fields of brand management and marketing.

Yet despite taking many career endeavors, he would always find his way back to the path that taught him many life lessons—fashion styling. 

“So many times I’ve tried to do other things… but I always find my way back to styling. So it was never something that I chose, [styling] was something that I guess chose me,” he said. 

A bump in the road

Everyone will always face struggles and hurdles regardless of the career they choose to enter. In the case of Lozano, one of his biggest challenges as a stylist is to meet the client’s expectations without losing your creative identity. 

One thing he realized in his styling journey was that pleasing everyone is not sustainable nor beneficial to your creative growth. 

“There will always be people who are not happy with your work or simply people that are not in tune with your aesthetic or how you do things, and that’s fine,” he shared. 

“You bend over backward just to give this particular client what they want, but at the end of the day, is it something that you want? Is it something that fulfills you? Is it something that makes you happy?” 

For him, adjusting your creative branding to suit someone’s liking will only cost you in the long run. And his advice for his fellow stylists: 

“In any career, you do things for other people obviously because this is a service-driven industry, but you also do things for yourself, and only then can you truly enjoy your work because you’re not just doing it because you want to please someone, but you’re doing it for yourself.” 

Working with the stars

Struggles, of course, are not without rewards. In his two decades in the styling industry, Lozano has styled some of the biggest stars in the country, including Lea Salonga, Gary Valenciano, Sitti, Morissette Amon, James Reid and Donny Pangilinan, among others. 

He reiterated, however, that there is no such thing as a big or small artist in styling. 

“As stylists, we provide the same service to everybody, so there’s no particular moment where we’re working with this one bigger [artist] or whatever. All of them are big. We give them the service worthy of a big star,” he said. 

And working with the stars has taught him one biggest lesson in life—professionalism. 

For Lozano, being professional means always giving your best effort to your clients since they put their trust in you. It also means mutual respect between the stylist and clients, not overstepping each other’s boundaries. 

A believer in young talent

Incredible talents are meant to be shown, not to be kept. This is one thing that Lozano has been trying to champion for years. 

As a believer in young talent, he believes the country is home to many talented young stylists waiting to be tapped and discovered. 

“There are so many talented stylists in the industry, and I’m not afraid to name them or call them out and tell them that they’re talented,” he said.

Lozano recently served as a judge in a fashion competition for new designers and told republicasia that celebrating new talents is one way for the industry to move forward. 

“I want to push the younger ones more and really try to give them as many opportunities as [possible] because the industry has to keep going forward, it cannot be stopped with the same people (established stylists) over and over again because otherwise, how are we gonna grow?,” he said. 

As for the young stylists in the industry, he has two pieces of advice: seize every opportunity and be patient. 

“If you let go of opportunities, then you wouldn’t have the chance to really spread your wings and fly,” Lozano shared. 

He believes that rushing things is not fruitful in any career journey, and there is a perfect time for everyone. They only have to wait patiently, “if it’s meant for you, it’s gonna happen.” 

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Managing Editor: Henrick Chiu 
Creative Director: Sven Gaffud 
Producers: Danica Rae Ulanday, Yan Bernardino, and Joshua Gerona
Writer: Joshua Gerona 
Video Editor: Joshua Ramos 
Graphic Artist: Jadelyn Isiderio 
Photographer: Jb de Leon 
Makeup Artist: Thazzia Falek, assisted by George Dillinger
Hair Artist: Bernard Navarette 
Production Staff: James Anduyan