Meet the Filipino-Danish creatives carving out space for connection.
The Filipino community has long had a presence in Denmark, sustained through close-knit families and communities. But now, a new generation of Filipino-Danish creatives is reshaping Copenhagen’s cultural landscape.
Through their work, Romeo Espleta, Charmaine Lago, Gio Perona, John Vincent, and Nikki Blanco Benjamin blend craft with cultural memory. Their stories reflect a shared experience of growing up between worlds and the creative strength that comes from that experience. At the center of their orbit is the Mahal Kita Crue, a collective and event series that captures the heart of the Filipino community: connection, care, and celebration.
Born from late-night conversations about identity, memory, and representation, Mahal Kita, “I love you” in Tagalog, is a name that captures a platform that honors what it means to grow up between cultures, to make space where there wasn’t any, and to bring others in with you.
In just one year, the collective behind the name has transformed a nostalgic idea into a genre-defying event series spanning six editions, each one curated from the lineup and visuals to the energy in the room. In the spirit of generosity that feels distinctly Filipino, Mahal Kita is where music, design and community converge, and the party always follows.
But the founders, along with a growing circle of Filipino creatives, are just as invested in building a new kind of visibility that reflects their roots, their city and a shared belief in collective strength. Together, they challenge narrow definitions of identity and success and offer something richer in return: a world where you can show up fully as you are and be seen.
Mahal Kita is about continuity, about carrying culture forward with intention. They remind each other again and again that joy, art and belonging do not just appear. They are built together.
Gio Armani Perona
Gio is a stylist and model. Born and raised in Copenhagen to Filipino parents, he grew up between Amager and Vesterbro, surrounded by a tight-knit Filipino community but also acutely aware of what it felt like not to fit in. “As I got older, I realized I didn’t want to just follow the path expected of me. I found all my inspiration in fashion, hip hop and pop culture and it made me realize that I had other dreams and ambitions.”
That sense of rebellion became a path to self-discovery. For Gio, being Filipino isn’t about conforming to expectations but about reconnecting with something deeper and more enduring. Gio learned early on to navigate tension and choose his own direction. Today, that resistance lives in his work, in the way he shows up, and in the energy he brings to those who feel like outsiders. “I want to be someone others can look to and say, if he can do it, so can I. I didn’t grow up with someone like that, so now I try to be it.”
For him, creativity is survival, community is power and visibility is everything. “We come from something strong. We just have to keep showing it, in how we move, what we make and how we stand beside each other.”
The Mahal Kita Crue: John Vincent, Romeo Espeleta, Gio Armani Perona, Charmaine Lago, and Nikki Blanco Benjamin. Photographed by Lana Ohrinmenko for the September 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines
John Vincent
John Vincent, known to most as JV, 35, is a DJ and producer. Born and raised in Amager to Filipino parents, he grew up surrounded by music, cousins and culture, from breakdancing and karaoke to shared meals and loud, joyful gatherings.
Music became his way of carrying that energy forward. What started with dance evolved into DJing and production, and in 2023 he released his first vinyl album, KASAMA. A few years prior, he co-led creative workshops for street kids in the Philippines, an experience that reminded him just how naturally talent flows through Filipino culture and how powerful it is when that talent is nurtured.
“I went hard in my 20s to get where I’m at today,” he says. “But if you really love what you do, you stay a student. You keep evolving.”
For JV, music has always been about more than sound. It is about respect, for the craft, for the people, and for the culture that raised him. His focus now is on creating room for others to be seen, especially those who didn’t grow up with strong representation. “Not everyone had what I had. That’s why I want to help build it. So people know there’s a place for them too.”
Rooted in the values of his upbringing and driven by a desire to give back, JV continues to shape spaces where culture, creativity, and community meet, always learning, always reaching.
Charmaine Lago
“My parents met as pen pals, exchanging letters and cassette tapes from opposite sides of the world,” says Charmaine. “They were young, in love, and deeply committed to bridging two cultures. That love shaped me.”
Charmaine is the founder of 96Productions, a Copenhagen-based fashion production agency known not just for what it creates, but how it makes people feel. She was born in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and Danish father, and moved with her family to Denmark as a baby. Her upbringing, shaped by both Filipino closeness and cross-cultural connection, continues to influence everything her. At 96Productions, she has built a working culture grounded in mutual respect and emotional awareness rather than hierarchy.
Her approach reflects the world she grew up in. Caring for others, sharing responsibility and making space for people to feel safe are all part of her way of leading.
Charmaine sees it as part of her responsibility to help the next generation of Filipino creatives move beyond traditional expectations. “So many of us were raised to follow a script, be a doctor, make money, play it safe. But we’re proof that there’s another way. That you can create something on your own terms and bring your whole self with you.”
“If I can inspire just one person who looks like me to feel seen, that’s enough.”
–Nikki Blanco Benjamin
Nikki Blanco Benjamin
“The Philippines lives in me. I am the culture. It’s not something I need to go looking for, it’s already in me.”
To stylist and creative Nikki Blanco Benjamin, authenticity is everything. Born and raised in Amager in a Filipino household where the culture was always alive, she incorporates her heritage into every aspect of her work, from silhouettes and color palettes to ensuring diversity on set.
Her approach to styling is intuitive and personal. She often works Filipino references into her looks, sometimes subtly, sometimes boldly. One of her favorite examples is fitting a traditional men’s barong on a woman. “That’s what I love, reworking something with history into something that feels like me.”
Growing up as the only girl among her generation of Benjamin cousins, the side of the family she was closest to, and rarely seeing curvy Asian women represented, especially in fashion, Nikki often felt alienated. That sense of invisibility also sharpened her sense of purpose, and today her goal is to help shift that narrative and make space for others who haven’t always seen themselves reflected in the industry.
Representation remains at the core of her work. “If I can inspire just one person who looks like me to feel seen, that’s enough. That’s why I’m here.”
Romeo Espeleta
At 35, Romeo Cachuela Espeleta’s career has spanned fashion, branding, and concept development. His path has always been guided by instinct and a refusal to limit himself to one role.
Born and raised in Copenhagen to Filipino parents, Romeo has spent most of his life turning difference into direction. “Coming in with another culture, another reference point, that’s not a weakness. That’s your edge,” he says.
From founding a kidswear brand that landed in Harrods and led to local collaborations with Adidas and Uniqlo and recently making his own soda, Romeo’s work blends aesthetic clarity with emotional depth. Filipino values of care, respect, resourcefulness and joy are the through line. They inform the way he creates, collaborates and moves through the world.
That cultural perspective shapes everything from how he raises his daughter to speak Tagalog, to the community platform Mahal Kita, which he co-founded to uplift a new generation of Filipino creatives. “You don’t have to fit in to belong. You just have to be real.
“If you’ve got a vision, build your own hype,” he says. “You don’t need permission.”
See more of this story in the Anniversary Issue of Vogue Philippines, available at the link below.
By SARAH HØILUND. Photographs by LANA OHRIMENKO. Hair & Makeup: Kirstine Engell. Stylists: Nikki Blanco Benjamin, Gio Armani, and Cebuma Perona. Styling Assistant: Brandon Simon Ayson Poblete. Production: 96StudioCreation. Production Assistant: Michael Leonardo Sørensen.
