Morii captures the beauty of life
WHEN IT COMES to women in the MPL Philippines scene, two notable individuals would stand out.
Mara Aquino, who started her career in Season 7, became one of the most welcomed additions to the scene as she lit up the atmosphere with her lively energy. Her hosting didn't just stay in the Philippines as she traveled abroad and delivered a spectacle in the M3 and M4 World Championship, and MSC events.
But it wasn't just her who made a name under the spotlight as caster Chantelle Hernandez likewise brought a degree of entertainment, wit, and a pint of analysis in the Filipino broadcast. Since her debut in Season 4 and her emotional return in Season 8, Chantelle has been another fan favorite.
Eventually, their success became an inspiration to other aspiring female talents who wish to make their name in the professional MLBB scene.
While these two have made a name for themselves in the MPL, they both recently decided to go beyond their MLBB roots and launched a cosmetics store Morii Labs.
To them, Morii isn't just a business, as it has a profound meaning in their lives.

While both Chantelle and Mara are enjoying their current roles in the MPL, they realized that being a talent isn't something that lasts. It was a topic that the two of them conversed and reflected on.
"Chantelle and I were talking about this and we're like, 'After MPL, what are we? What do we do? We can't just be per show, per project, per season. What's something that we could leave behind?" revealed Mara Aquino to SPIN.ph
This wasn't only limited to the two of them as Mara even shared her perspective with her fellow talents and encouraged them to be more than on-screen personalities.
"I've always told them to have something else other than the MPL. You cannot put all your eggs in one basket. So the fact that people are thinking about their own business, having your own business is one step closer to securing your future," reflected Mara.
The MPL host added: "Not relying on someone else to hire you. Not relying on someone else to want you. Not relying on someone else to see your worth. But instead, you're putting a product out there that you believe in that you know will benefit somebody and that you know that can be successful."
But it wasn't just about the fleeting time of their careers in front of the cameras as they also pondered on the legacy that they'll leave.
"Even last year, I was thinking like, 'How will people remember me? What do I leave behind?' And this time, I was thinking like, 'What's something that we could leave behind and something that can make people feel good?" said Mara.
And so Mara, Chantelle, and one of their partners decided to establish Morii Labs. Initially it wasn't supposed to be named as Morii as explained by Chantelle to SPIN.ph.
"Originally dapat 'Paint and Pout' yung name niya. 'Paint and Pout' kasi parang paint for the face, tapos naging Morii kasi parang mas relatable siya to me and Mara," explained the MPL caster.
The name echoing a philosophical insight, made the pair discover the need to live their moments to the fullest due to the nature of their careers as talents.
As Chantelle pointed it out: "Ibig sabihin ng Morii is 'to capture a fleeting time.' So parang sa amin dumating na kami sa point in life wherein work dito, work diyan, and we don't get to enjoy the good things in life. So with Morii, it's a reminder that you live life to the fullest."
And besides serving as a reminder in life, Morii is also an inspiration to women in esports.
"We do interviews for MPL esports, na nasa mundo tayo na dominated ng male. So if someone like me and Mara, kung kami yung nakikita mostly ng mga tao that we represent women," reflected Chantelle.
She added: "So parang ganun din yung gusto namin madala na empowerment, ma-inspire din sila with our story kasi both me and Mara, meron kami mga sariling struggles in life."

Hopefully, Mara and Chantelle could fulfill their Morii by bringing the best in their casting careers, while establishing a successful business venture.
However in the cosmetics industry where there are loads of competitors, making a breakthrough will be a tall order for Morii's founders. While some may argue that Mara and Chantelle's experience as talents would serve as a marketing boost, the pair realized the difficulties of running a business.
There were so many factors that the pair failed to consider given that their business venture is something new and as Mara puts it...overwhelming.
"It's definitely something very, very overwhelming in terms of, at least, it's not something I'm familiar with. Because with this, you really need to do your social media. Actually, that's something that we need to improve on," Mara Aquino told SPIN.ph.
"When you're a host, basically, you're selling your skill. Once you get a certain experience, you're like, if I get a project, then I know I will get paid for like a couple of months. I know I get paid."
Mara further explains: "But with this, how do you get your product out there? How do you get people to try this? What makes your product different from others? It's super challenging."
It was a struggle for Mara to market the product and she even went live online for six straight hours, without eating anything. Despite her talkative and energetic display in the MPL stage, Mara even admitted to SPIN.ph na "Hindi ako marunong magbenta."
But marketing is only one problem as there are other things she has to deal with.
"So yeah, it's quite hard in the beginning. Also, because it's such a new venture in terms of one, marketing, two, like stocks, inventory. How do we send it out? How do we get people to buy it? When something is new, it's scary."
And to add to the burden, only the partners were heavily involved with everything, as Mara revealed: "We didn't hire. It's just us. So, we didn't hire."

Through all of these challenges, it is up to Mara, Chantelle, and their partner if they have what it takes to make it succeed. The trio may be friends in real life, but as the saying goes, establishing a business with friends could rattle the bonds within.
At the end of the day, results will matter and the success of their business will be a priority knowing that each has invested their money, hoping that everything will not go down the drain.
With only limited resources, everyone in the team needs to work together to produce the desired output and Mara did hint on some issues that they endured.
"Our schedules couldn't meet and then it's like, 'Hey, if this is our goal, we need to make time for it.' So that's our biggest challenge because we have different jobs. Si Chantelle she casts a lot. Ako I have different projects, and out partner also has different projects," started Mara.
"We should be putting equal amount of time or more time sa business namin because this is our business. This is ours...Because this is something that if it becomes successful, we can leave the other part-time jobs that we have, and focus on this, and it's something that we can call our own," she further clarified.
Ideally it would be best for the three of them to be working together, however the added stress of building the foundations in a startup might yield some potential backlash.
"I had a talk with Chantelle and I said, 'Hindi tayo mag-aaway ah. Hindi tayo mag-aaway," said Mara.
While it may be a questionable decision to establish a business with friends, Mara then explained the benefits of working alongside her close peers.
"What's great about doing business with your friend is that you trust that person.
You trust that person and you wanna see each other succeed. Sa akin kasi, at the end of the day, you want people in your life with good values. I feel like the partner that I chose has good values," she reflected.
And with the strong bonds that have been formed comes the ultimate goal, the success of everyone.
"If anything, it should be something fun and it feels so much better when your friends are successful with you. Ako ang vision ko talaga, pag ako yumaman, gusto ko yung mga people around me, I give them opportunities also," revealed the MPL host.
"Para hindi lang ako yung nakaka-afford ng trip, hindi lang ako nakaka-afford ng bag, hindi lang ako nakaka-afford ng iPhone. Gusto ko lahat tayo afford natin 'to. Hindi lang dapat ako yung successful, dapat kayo successful din, para masabay niyo rin ako, para lahat tayo pupunta doon."
No matter what happens with Morii Labs, at the end of the day, it's the moment that truly matters. From the hardships all the way to the success, the Morii spirit remains.
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