In February 2024, Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa delved into her "businesswoman era" with her lifestyle brand, SOLA.
She has so far launched three clothing collections, plus, a body care line called ORA.
Kylie's success is a natural extension of her academic background.
Before rising to fame as a beauty queen and celebrity, she earned a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Ateneo de Manila University
In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) on November 20, 2024, Kylie said her parents, Ari and Raquel Verzosa, who are both restaurateurs, boosted her confidence to pursue her own ventures.
"I always grew up in a business-minded family who has, like, hotels and restaurants," she said.
"And from that, I always wanted to have something of my own."
Kylie's parents, who own the Forest House restaurant in Baguio, saw it close in 2020 during the pandemic. They later reopened and rebranded it as Raquel's Cuisine by Forest House.
But she clarified that although her parents' business acumen served as an inspiration, she is not directly involved in their restaurant ventures.
The actress explained, "The restaurant is not mine. It's my parents'. So I won't claim it's mine. And I never claimed it's mine kasi parang that's my parents' work."
KYLIE VERZOSA: PURSUING HER OWN PATH IN BUSINESS
Her movie and TV projects had helped her not just with the capital, but also broadened her horizons.
She said, "I pursued showbiz first and acting, and then I felt like this was the best transition into the business that I want.
"Something about beauty, fashion, making people feel good. So now we have SOLA and now we have ORA."
Read: Kylie Verzosa reflects on SOLA's successful first year
Kylie expressed gratitude for her business partners who have guided her throughout the entire process.
Her parents' upbringing and support also proved to be invaluable, as Kylie applied business advice and lessons she learned from them to her own venture.
In particular, it was from her parents that Kylie learned the importance of having a trusted team.
"My parents just pushed me to have my own at a very young age... And something I picked up from them, I think it's to get the right people and to delegate tasks to them, and think that you won't be able to do this alone."
While Kylie would consider stepping into the food or restaurant business, for now, she is keen on exploring opportunities within her current industry.
Kylie explained, "I don't think it's gonna be my forte. But I would love to have one.
"Because of SOLA, I know there's so much work that goes into a business that we don't see. I would rather expand my business or go into other things than maybe have a restaurant.
"Because I also saw that the e-com space was parang there's so much opportunity in it. Rather than restaurants, you have rent, you have staff, you have people, and you have overhead, and you have wastage.
"Compared to like an e-com business, which is like maybe more up my alley."
EXPLORING MORE PROJECTS IN 2025
With SOLA celebrating a successful first year, Kylie is now ready to embrace acting projects once again.
She confirmed that she'll be involved in several films in 2025—a prospect she's eagerly anticipating, as she truly misses being on set.
She told PEP, "Yes, next year I'll be doing a few films. So, miss ko na rin siya. I really wanna get back on set.
"This year, I just wanted to explore and venture into new things. I did a Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week.
"And then, inalagaan ko muna yung SOLA until it has its legs to walk on. And then next year, I'll be back on set."
For the moment, Kylie is staying tight-lipped about the details of her upcoming film projects.
She said, "I can't say yet. Abang-abang na lang. But it's gonna be with Viva."
And with mention of Paris Fashion Week, could this mean we'll be seeing more of Kylie in the international fashion scene?
Kylie expressed that she would definitely love to pursue that opportunity.
"I would love to still do it in the future. Maybe not a lot... But when I'm invited, yes, sure."
READ MORE: