In an exclusive interview with MEGA, Creative Director Mond Gutierrez gives us an insight into the biggest Halloween event for celebrities and creatives—the annual Opulence Ball
The Opulence Ball debuted in 2019 with the tagline “Let Them Eat Cake!” With an entirely A-list guest list and a myriad of brands and media involved, it was undeniably a successful night devoted to the country’s biggest and brightest stars. But for Creative Director Mond Gutierrez, the reception the event received was not something he had expected when he first conceived of the concept.
In an exclusive interview with MEGA, Mond revealed that the 2019 party was initially meant to be a semi-intimate affair for only a hundred of his friends. Interestingly, he attended Adam Levine’s Halloween party in Los Angeles the year before, and that—coupled with Heidi Klum’s famed annual gathering—was what inspired him to do the same in home territory. Everything snowballed when friends, advertisers, and possible partners showed interest in the concept, ultimately turning the Opulence Ball into a red-carpet-worthy event. Now, the much-awaited Halloween party is back and bigger than ever, with the theme falling under mythology, folklore, and ancient times.
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What to expect from Opulence
Mond had been sitting on the theme of mythology and folklore for three years due to the pandemic. But given the success of Let Them Eat Cake! in 2019, he and his team knew the concept had potential. “The vision for Opulence is to really own Halloween as a regional tent-pole event in the Philippines,” Mond shares. “I really feel like this has a lot of potential in owning this time of the year as ours. And, of course, we want to partner with brands and titles and supporters that share that same vision as well.”
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In line with that vision, Mond promises that this year’s Opulence Ball will be a lot bigger in terms of programming than the 2019 debut. Since he and his team have had three years to think about this party, it will have entertainment to the scale of international DJs, burlesque and vogue dance performances, and even a fashion presentation from none other than Furne One Amato. “It’s a much bigger program on a much bigger stage,” he highlights. The stage, in this case, is Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City, which he notes will be decorated in a way that looks authentic to the theme yet modern.
A fashion extravaganza
While brainstorming for Opulence Ball 2023, Mond had to ask himself, “How can we take it higher? How can we take it to the next level?” Thus, mythology and celestial beings seemed the obvious next step. Explaining this concept, he remarks, “We still want everything to be beautiful, and we want people to feel good about themselves and really get excited to get glammed up, so it’s really more of a fashion event this year.” And to the fashion enthusiasts tuning in from social media, he says he hopes they get inspiration from the thought and creativity put into the costumes. “Halloween is the one night a year where you can dream and fantasize,” he says. “Just have fun, look at beautiful things, and be creatively inspired.”
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Continuing on, Mond divulges that they worked with local designers and glam teams to make their concept a reality, even having a hand in giving attendees inspiration for their looks. And in choosing a designer for the fashion presentation, he explains that they wanted someone who would fit the theme and drama of Opulence. With that in mind, they landed on Furne One Amato of Amato Couture, who will be showcasing his collection that will be brought in from Dubai. “We’re excited to work with him because he’s also such a visionary. He’s more than just a fashion designer, and I really commend him for his creativity and his out-of-this-world mind,” he remarks. And, of course, who could forget the Best Dressed competition? On that note, he mentions that they will award more than one this year.
Opportunity for more
But what is Mond personally looking forward to the most? According to him, it’s about bringing people together and watching them enjoy themselves in a setting he describes as a “melting pot of different creatives from all different fields.” Adding to that, he says, “I just want to watch all my friends and all our guests have fun. This is really my gift to them more than anything.”
Beyond that, he mentions that there have been talks about possibly opening up the Opulence Ball to the public, making it a multiple-day event, or even turning it into a travel series where they take the opulence theme and bring it to other cities within and outside of the Philippines. “So there’s a lot of ideas being thrown around, but, obviously, we want to be sure with how we want to proceed with this concept because it is my baby,” he remarks on their talks to expand. “But we also want to make sure that we’re doing it correctly. So for next year, I’m sure we’ll have a lot of other surprises.”
Notably, before ending the interview, Mond expressed his gratitude to the brands and the titles that believed in him and his team back in 2019. “We had a lot of pushback and a lot of doubt, but we were able to create something really special and I really plan to do the same thing for this year.”
Photos: THE OPULENCE BALL and MOND GUTIERREZ (via Instagram)
