WHILE driving through the particular stretch of Los Angeles that can now be called home to fashion designer Oliver Tolentino’s newly opened boutique, it’s hard not to be awestruck. Your eyes widen as you pass intricate window displays and elegant storefronts – there’s John Varvatos to the left, Alexander McQueen just a few doors down.  These are the designers most only see on the shoulders of pin thin celebrities (and in fact, paparazzi frequent the place hoping to catch a glimpse of Katie Holmes or perhaps Nicole Richie – whoever the latest fashionable starlet of the hour might be) or for the dedicated fashion fanatics, the runways.  These are the boutiques where the price tags would make the average consumer’s eyes bug out, but it’s what any fashionista would probably trade her soul (or bank account) for.  It’s also the very world where Julia Robert’s “Pretty Woman” character is snubbed on account of her “unsuitable” attire.  Yes this is Melrose Avenue, the Mecca of not just high end “clothes”, but rather, works of art – this is the world of couture.

It is both amazing and supremely impressive that Mr. Tolentino can now count himself among these famous designers, with a spot of his very own on the infamous avenue.

Not bad for a boy born and raised in Orani Bataan, a town in the Philippines far far removed from the glitz and glamour of Oliver’s current West Hollywood digs.

But it’s important to note that Oliver himself is quick to never forget his roots, and is in fact extremely proud of his Filipino ethnicity.  So much so that his shop reads “Oliver Tolentino Manila.Los Angeles”, informing the visitor from the get-go that yes, Oliver Tolentino is based in the Philippines, and yes, he is first and foremost a Filipino.

“It’s funny but with my last name Tolentino, a lot of Americans would assume I was Italian,” Oliver laughs.

“But in fact I opened this store to show everyone what the Philippines can do and how beautiful and intricate Filipino workmanship is…I’m proud to represent Filipinos out there in the fashion world,” Oliver says.

But before he could start making a name for Filipinos everywhere in the notoriously brutal fashion world, Oliver was perhaps just like anyone, a kid with an enormous dream.

“When I was just a little kid, I use to watch TV and movie stars and really get excited just to see all of their beautiful clothes,” Oliver recalls.

“Since I can remember, I have always had a passion for fashion…I always knew that this is what I wanted to do.”

Oliver displayed his love for creating clothes early on, learning how to sew from his in-house seamstress at the tender age of seven.

“I loved watching her sew,” Oliver remembers with a distinct sense of longing.

“She saw how interested I was and taught me how to use the sewing machine – that was really how I got my start, when I was seven.”