Little Miss Controversial plus Mister Brainy Introvert equals a dynamic duo that ignites everything they touch.

PHOTOGRAPHY BJ Pascual
CREATIVE DIRECTION Loris Pe&ntilde;a
STYLING Yanna Lopez
The set for the L&rsquo;Officiel cover shoot featuring Pinoy Big Brother winners Mika Salamanca and Brent Manalo was styled to evoke a dark, moody, and smoke-filled atmosphere&mdash;a striking contrast to the bright, celebratory chapter they are currently living in. Mika stunned in a sultry, cinematic soft-glam ensemble, while Brent countered with an anti-glam, edgy aesthetic. Both made a striking statement in carefully curated Gucci La Famiglia selections. On set, it felt as if they were seasoned pros, captivating the camera and taking directions flawlessly. In reality, Mika and Brent share that this sudden rise to popularity is unfamiliar territory, one they are navigating with grounded confidence and grace. 
Attention has long followed Mika. Backed by a YouTube following of more than four million, she was sharing her life before her Pinoy Big Brother journey. Her videos, however, were never meant to be public initially. &ldquo;We always record videos. My cousins and I love making singing and acting clips, mainly because my mother and some of our family members are abroad. Whenever I perform at school or join singing contests, they can&rsquo;t be there to watch, so we always document it on video and send it to them. Sometimes, I even create special performance videos with acting. It&rsquo;s for them&mdash;always for them,&rdquo; says the 25-year-old stunner.

ON BRENT: Direttore Gucci single-breasted GG wool jacket, GG cotton poplin shirt, GG silk cotton tie, GG wool pants, embroidered knit cotton socks, and lace-up shoes; all GUCCI ON MIKA: Incazzata Gucci wool natté coat with Double G buttons, knit wool turtleneck, Signora pumps, and Jackie 1961 medium shoulder bag; all GUCCI

ON BRENT: Figo Gucci leather jacket with Horsebit and cotton denim pants with Horsebit detail, both GUCCI ON MIKA: La VIP Gucci printed silk twill shirt, Flat Marmont belt, GG cotton canvas fabric skirt, Gucci Crest earrings, and Jackie 1961 medium shoulder bag; all GUCCI

One of those videos eventually went viral: a very young Mika in her P.E. uniform, running before breaking into a dramatic rendition of Sarah Geronimo&rsquo;s Sino Nga Ba Siya? A full-circle moment followed last year, when she released her own recorded rendition under Star Music. &ldquo;Singing has always been my dream, and I know in my heart that I&rsquo;ll keep pursuing it until something blossoms from my music. What I didn&rsquo;t expect was for the spotlight to shine on my younger self. Kung mas may ambisyon ako ngayon, mas may ambisyon &lsquo;yong batang ako. I feel so proud that my inner child has been healed, and that her voice has finally been given the stage she deserved,&rdquo; shares Mika.
Unlike Mika, who thrives online, Brent is candid about his discomfort with content creation. Modeling was his first job, but the pandemic forced a pause, prompting him to try his hand at content creation. &ldquo;I started creating content at home during the pandemic, and it kind of took off. Honestly, I think everyone was just bored, so they gave me a chance. I only made a few videos; it wasn&rsquo;t the most comfortable thing for me. I don&rsquo;t like it, and I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll ever do it again,&rdquo; Brent shares with a laugh. Perhaps it&rsquo;s the introvert in him that once made sharing his life online feel uncomfortable enough to stop. Yet, that very trait is what surprises many. Behind his fashion-forward exterior is a 27-year-old achiever who graduated valedictorian in high school and graduated cum laude in Advertising from De La Salle University. &ldquo;I was just a lucky guy. I was never the smartest in class. Growing up, I was always the average student. For some weird reason, when it was time for me to graduate, that&rsquo;s when I exceled,&rdquo; Brent shares. He continues, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to have those in my credentials, but I&rsquo;m often mistaken as dumb&mdash;like an airhead, or as if I don&rsquo;t know anything beyond styling myself. I come off that way because of how I carry myself.&rdquo; It also comes as no surprise that Brent wasn&rsquo;t drawn to acting at first, but everything shifted once he experienced firsthand how the craft truly works. &ldquo;Acting was too awkward for me. When I experienced taping for The Broken Marriage Vow, being stuck in Baguio for two months was the hardest job I&rsquo;ve ever taken. But when I saw how passionate all my veteran co-actors were, it rubbed off on me. It gave me a sense of purpose,&rdquo; according to Brent.

Ragazzo B Gucci washed certified cotton denim shirt, frameless mask sunglasses, ; both GUCCI

Ragazzo B Gucci washed certified cotton denim shirt, belt with interlocking G buckle, washed certified cotton denim pants, frameless mask sunglasses, loafers with Horsebit; all GUCCI

What truly unites Mika and Brent is their undeniable will to win and their loyalty to each other. Something they proved by emerging as the first ever big winners of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition, a season featuring talents from both Sparkle GMA Artist Center and Star Magic. She&rsquo;s from Sparkle, and he&rsquo;s from Star Magic. Fate seemed to seal their status as the duo to beat. &ldquo;It began with a simple task&mdash;pick a rope, without knowing who&rsquo;d be waiting on the other end. When I pulled mine, it was Brent. That moment sealed our partnership. From then on, we promised to be a duo for as long as we could. Even when pairings were reshuffled, we always said we had to excel, or if given the chance, choose each other.
We were given one last chance to pick our final duo if we won a challenge. I did. And in the end, I still chose him,&rdquo; explains Mika. Despite his tendency to challenge expectations, Brent had only given himself a month inside the house, at most. &ldquo;For a reality TV show, usually the ones who win are the loudest, the funniest, and the ones with the bubbliest personality. I didn&rsquo;t even bring a lot of clothes, and I didn&rsquo;t have enough toiletries with me,&rdquo; he says. He would soon prove his own assumption wrong, as he lasted four months in the house and ultimately won with his best partner,Mika. &ldquo;We came from similar backgrounds and even similar traumas in life. We&rsquo;re both misunderstood in many ways. The more I got to know her, the more I realized how understanding she is; she really gets me, and if she doesn&rsquo;t at first, she takes the time to try. Everything about her felt genuine,&rdquo; Brent says. He adds, &ldquo;Mika and I really showed how a collaboration between two managements could work because we stayed close from beginning to end. I think we also proved that we weren&rsquo;t there just to win. It was more about getting to know ourselves better and showing people who we are behind the camera, even though cameras were everywhere,&rdquo; Brent explains when asked what he thinks led to their win.

Miss Aperitivo Gucci embroidered sequin stretch fabric dress, GG nylon tights, GG Marmont mini earrings, and Bombshell pumps; all GUCCI

GG Marmont mini earrings, GUCCI

For Mika, winning the grand prize was just a bonus; what truly made her time in the house worthwhile was regaining something she had lost. &ldquo;Before I entered, all the bashings from my past really crushed my confidence. Ang hirap kasi, when you keep reading bad things about you, you start to believe them. But thanks to Kuya and my housemates, I found my self-confidence again. Being there forced me to face my emotions, and that&rsquo;s how I rediscovered myself,&rdquo; she shares. 
Brent said the experience taught him to embrace vulnerability and see the beauty in making mistakes, realizing that growth comes from what you learn and how you choose to redeem yourself. With Mika, because she found what she was looking for inside the house, she chose to let go of the money she won. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt that the win wasn&rsquo;t just mine, it was given by the people, so I had to return it to them. God gave me this win so I could help, and that&rsquo;s why I decided the right thing to do was to donate the one million to Duyan ni Maria, the organization we also supported inside Kuya&rsquo;s house. I remember when we did a task for them, we came in last. I thought to myself, &lsquo;They deserve better than this.&rsquo; So, when I became the big winner, giving back was the only right thing to do,&rdquo; Mika shares.

Il Principino Gucci stretch GG velvet devoré shirt, stretch GG velvet devoré pants, and GG Marmont pendant chain necklace; all GUCCI

Flora Gucci printed quilted twill dress and Gucci Crest signet ring, both GUCCI

Strangers when they entered the (in)famous Bahay ni Kuya, they emerged with a connection deeper than friendship&mdash;one as tight as family. Much like Gucci&rsquo;s La Famiglia collection, which frames the brand as a family of personas, Mika and Brent, different as they may be, stand as each other&rsquo;s protectors and confidants, making sure that each will always have a place at the other&rsquo;s table. Serving as the first taste of Demna&rsquo;s creative direction for the brand, the collection exudes boldness and extravagance. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s such an empowering feeling wearing these pieces,&rdquo; Mika says when asked how she felt about the curated sets she wore from the La Famiglia collection. A devoted Gucci consumer, Brent shares that his first-ever Gucci piece was a necklace. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s vintage, and I got it from Europe. I still have it to this day; I really treasure it,&rdquo; he shares. However, his current favorite Gucci piece would be his Beatrix tote. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m into tote bags lately. I wear them at least once a week. I don&rsquo;t usually wear bags, but every chance I get to bring a bag, I bring it with me. I like it because it&rsquo;s very spacious,&rdquo; Brent says.

Pesantone Gucci Silk crêpe de chine shirt, 1955 Horsebit belt, silk satin georgette trousers, and Jackie 1961 medium shoulder bag; all GUCCI

Ereditiera Gucci silk crêpe de chine dress, Signora pumps, and Borsetto medium bag; all GUCCI

The future burns bright for Mika and Brent. Mika is still riding the high of Lipad, the children&rsquo;s book she released last year that encourages stepping out of one&rsquo;s comfort zone and dreaming big. She&rsquo;s also gearing up for a major milestone&mdash;her first studio album, set to drop this year. Brent is eager to stretch himself creatively, with hopes of starring in an indie film or a K-drama adaptation. Together, they&rsquo;ll reunite with some of their PBB housemates in the ABS-CBN and GMA co-produced series The Secrets of Hotel 88, slated to air in the first quarter of the year. &ldquo;BreKa&rdquo; may have a huge support system, but they cheer the loudest for each other. &ldquo;Who am I to complain? I get to work with my best friend every day. At the same time, I want to see her grow and collaborate with other actors. It&rsquo;s also her dream to focus on her music, which she&rsquo;s pursuing now,&rdquo; says Brent. &ldquo;I feel like the bond Brent and I formed inside the house, the comfort we have with each other, will never really change. Wala nang makakapagpatibag. He&rsquo;s one of those people I&rsquo;ll always turn to. Even though I was considered controversial when I entered the house, he never looked at me differently. Brent welcomed me with open arms, never caring about the issues I had in the past,&rdquo; confesses Mika. 
As they navigate both the highs and the noise that come with fame, Mika and Brent choose focus over distraction&mdash;moving forward with intention, momentum, and each other.

ART DIRECTION Eugene David
SENIOR DIGITAL EDITOR Maura Rodriguez&nbsp;
FASHION ASSOCIATE Frances Laman&nbsp;
MAKEUP Thazzia Falek&nbsp;
HAIR Aries Manal&nbsp;
GROOMING Bhads Castro&nbsp;
PRODUCTION DESIGN Aren Dale Santos Of Adset
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DESIGNER Manuel Tarroja&nbsp;
VIDEO DIRECTOR Aijalonica Lei&nbsp;
CAM-OPERATOR Van Mariano&nbsp;
GAFFER Francis Calaguas&nbsp;
SHOOT ASSISTANT Teresita Gabat&nbsp;
PHOTOGRAPHER&rsquo;S ASSISTANTS Damian Estrellis, Richard Detita, John Paul Dela Cruz, Abel Santos, Jilmer Carlos, Edmil Santos SET MEN: Regie Alcayde, Alexander Hapayan, Erickson Salvante, Vincent Salvante, Mark De Castro, Romy Dela Cruz

Twin Flames: Mika Salamanca and Brent Manalo

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

Twin Flames: Mika Salamanca and Brent Manalo

Hommes

James Reid Leans Into Cowboy Cool at Netflix Philippines' 'Next On' Event

Hommes

Sam Nivola, Mike Faist, and Will Price are Dior's New Ambassadors

Beauty

This Skin-Tightening Treatment Promises a Sculpted Face in Under an Hour

Culture

Bad Bunny Shows off His Star Power at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Beauty

Elevate Your Shower Routine One Body Wash at a Time

Hommes

Ron Dorff and Lipault Join Forces To Upgrade Your Entire Travel Wardrobe

Hommes

Sombr Is Valentino’s Latest Brand Ambassador