In a world where trends come and go, some things just stick. For the Philippine car community, one name has been holding it down for over a decade: Kev Carlos. He’s not just another car guy—he’s a culture builder.
And now, after 100 meets and 16 years of growing the Stance Pilipinas community, it’s time to celebrate a milestone that’s way bigger than just numbers.
From shady parking lots to full-blown international recognition, Kev’s meets have always been more than just about cars. They’ve been about style. Storytelling. Showing up. And most importantly—community.
Before we get into our Q&A with Kev, here’s a quick moment to look back at how one simple idea evolved into a movement that shaped—and continues to shape—Filipino car culture.
Looking back 16 years ago, did you ever imagine Stance Pilipinas would hit 100 meets and become this influential in Filipino car culture? How are you feeling about it?
It felt fast and was like a blur. From the period of 2009-2013 there were only a few builds, and we thought it would never be a “staple” for car modification.
Some thought that “Stance or lowering a car aggressively” is only a fad. A definition of a “stance” car evolved as we all understood and felt that it boils down to the overall appearance of the car – how it looks and sits. The beauty of it is style and stance evolve each year.
What inspired you and the founding crew to start Stance Pilipinas, and what was that very first meet like?
We met through the forums back in 2009 and decided to have a meet 2 years after. Picking the location and having a common schedule was the toughest part.
We posted the flyer and gathered 17 cars. It was very laid-back and relaxing. Just meeting and talking about slammed vehicles and the growing lifestyle overseas.
It’s such a feat to keep the momentum going for over 16 years – but for the first few years of starting Stance Pilipinas, what can you say were the biggest challenge/s when organizing a car meet?
Choosing the venue, several venues charge a premium since there are only a few choices around the Metro. Some parking lots were converted to establishments. Hopefully we can get more venues around the Metro.
One of the main challenges is maintaining the “homegrown” feel of the community. For some meets – we do it privately just to remind us of the original core DNA of the group.
How has the vibe or culture of the community evolved from meet #1 to meet #100?
Personally, I think it’s the same laid-back meet (if it’s private). What’s heartwarming is that several of the active attendees now have families that they bring to the meets.
Also, the addition of “race”/performance”-oriented builds/drivers/cars brought a twist since some started to join around 2016.
What do you think sets Stance Pilipinas apart from other car groups or fitment communities, both locally and globally?
Homegrown and focusing on the Filipino community in and out of the country.
Stance Pilipinas welcomes car owners from different walks of life, from daily-driven cars to exotics, all sharing the same passion for our local automotive scene. That is something we are very proud of.
Was there a specific meet that felt like a turning point — when you realized, “this is bigger than just a group of car guys”?
Coming from some of the founders, we felt that it started to grow when the international recognition came from various groups abroad. We started to have global guests around 2015.
When several brands also wanted to tap into the automotive scene. When the Jalen Green event happened, cars and sneaker events were not a staple globally. For some brands, it served as a blueprint of things to come.
Visiting the Filipino automotive scene in the U.S. in 2023 really opened my eyes—I realized that we’re building some of the best cars out there, even by U.S. standards.
If you could share, what’s the craziest or most unexpected thing that’s ever happened at one of the meets?
Tough call, but the first thing that came to my mind was during the Adidas Jalen Green event. Rain was expected on that day.
It was rainy season, and we were planning to “deploy plan B” – Jalen will come out from the 7th floor (not the mural). It was raining at Macapagal Highway with dark clouds, but it didn’t rain at the venue.
We proceeded with plan A (unveil the mural with Jalen). Plus, my car (Nissan Silvia) was acting up suddenly (not sure what was happening—I found out it was a fuel pump problem after)—I thought it would never make the roof deck.
I was in tears after. Haha (that whole event was a month in the making – car, venue, and guests)
You’ve seen countless builds over the years—is there a particular car or setup that still lives rent-free in your mind?
In Manila, the green bosozoku Supra of our friend (Franz Lasco) was ahead of its time back in 2014. It received global recognition as well.
Globally, it would be Takashi Mori’s ER34 Skyline in Japan. I had a good number of moments in this car. From riding with the car to Japan’s underground meets. That car has become a staple of Japan’s car culture as well.
Stance Pilipinas has had international recognition — how does it feel to see a Filipino-rooted movement resonate globally?
It feels like a full circle moment since one of our original plans is to showcase the Filipino automotive scene globally. The founder of the Fatlace forums was Mark Arcenal (a Filipino as well).
It also opened doors for a lot of us, careers were born (in and outside the automotive world), people met through the meets. Venues and small businesses had media exposure through some of the guests.
Personally, I treasure the people I meet during the meets the highest since we share the common passion for cars. It’s heartwarming that we can be proud that the car scene in the Philippines is continuously growing – not only Stance Pilipinas but as a whole.
If you could talk to your 2009 self, right before launching the first car meet, what would you tell him?
Maybe save or preserve the old car platforms and wheels? The prices and demand have changed over the past few years. (AE86, air-cooled Porsche cars, S-Chassis, R-Chassis, E30s) Back then, cars were more accessible for everyone. Hopefully, we could have saved a few more cars back then for us to enjoy.
Also, just keep enjoying the process. Keep creativity high.
With 100 meets under Stance Pilipinas, what’s next for the community? Do you have plans on how Stance will evolve in the next 5–10 years? Does that include EVs in that horizon?
A few laid-back meets, and we will revisit our DNA with a number of small meets. A toy collab is semi-confirmed. Hopefully a collab with a sneaker brand? (We all use sneakers during the events) or an automotive brand. Hoping we can visit the US once again for a meet really soon. EVs? Yes, please. We’re curious and waiting.
As the scene continues to shift and evolve—new platforms, new builds, and even EVs on the horizon—what remains constant is the heart behind it all.
Here’s to the past 100 meets and to the many more still to come.
Here’s to the culture you’ve helped shape—and the generations who’ll carry it forward.
The culture is better because of you – Happy 100th meet, Kev!
