THE DESIGNER | CREATIVE DIRECTOR | EDUCATOR


ABOUT ERESEL

For Eresel Rhea, fashion has always been more than a profession. It has remained a part of her life through different careers, interests, and stages of personal and professional growth.

Her path into fashion, however, was not a direct one.

Before becoming a designer, Eresel studied International Hospitality and Travel Management at Santa Isabel College. She initially imagined herself joining her family’s baking business, but her career took her elsewhere. She went on to work in different industries, including marketing and sales training and high-end real estate.

Those years gave her practical experience in business, marketing, communication, sales, and working with people skills she would later rely on when building a fashion brand of her own.

Fashion was always there in the background.

While in college, Eresel modeled part-time and had her first glimpse of the industry from in front of the camera. Years later, while working in marketing and sales training, she was invited to conduct seminars on “The Latest Trend in Marketing Profession.” While researching fashion marketing for one of her presentations, she found herself becoming more interested in the industry itself.

At some point, fashion stopped being something she simply enjoyed. She wanted to learn it properly and become part of it.

Eresel eventually left her corporate career to study at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, where she trained in fashion design, garment construction, pattern making, draping, couture techniques, styling, embellishment, accessories, and fashion marketing.

In 2012, even before completing her studies, she established what would later become AsurioPinafico Fashion House.

Over the years, Eresel developed a design identity she describes as stylish sophistication with an edge, a balance of elegance and individuality, femininity and strength, refinement and visual impact.

Her work has never been limited to one particular aesthetic. She enjoys exploring silhouette, proportion, texture, movement, detail, and construction. Travel, culture, people, and even changes in her own perspective influence the way she approaches design.

As Founder and Creative Director of AsurioPinafico, Eresel has spent more than a decade in fashion, working across custom and occasion wear, bridal, and couture. Along the way, she has experienced both sides of running an independent fashion house: the creativity people see and the business behind it.

Years in the industry have taught her that talent and creativity are only part of the equation. A fashion business also means understanding clients, managing production, making financial decisions, working with people, positioning a brand, solving problems, and learning how to adapt.

Outside fashion, Eresel has also held leadership and management roles in other business ventures, giving her further experience in entrepreneurship, operations, decision-making, and organizational leadership.

Eventually, these different parts of her professional life found another place to come together: the classroom.

FROM STUDENT TO EDUCATOR

In 2026, more than a decade after graduating from the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, Eresel returned to FIP, this time as an educator.

She began teaching the Business of Fashion Masterclass, drawing from her experience as a designer, creative director, brand founder, and entrepreneur.

Her classes go beyond the creative side of fashion. She introduces students to what it actually takes to build and operate a fashion business, from understanding the industry and luxury market to production, operations, branding, entrepreneurship, customer experience, and the everyday decisions that come with turning creative talent into a viable career or business.

For Eresel, teaching is not about having all the answers.

It is about sharing what experience has taught her, helping emerging creatives recognize possibilities for themselves, and giving them knowledge they can use as they find their own way forward.

FIP Class of 2013.
FIP Educator, 2026.

Eresel does not see designing or teaching as something she has finished learning.

There is still more to explore.

Today, she continues to work as a fashion designer, creative director, brand founder, entrepreneur, and educator. She continues to create, build, learn, and teach while staying curious about where her abilities might take her next.

For Eresel, growth has never been about collecting titles or proving how much she can accomplish.

It is about remaining curious and having the courage to discover what else she can become.