Cover Get to know Angie Mead King and the milestones that define her remarkable life (Photo: Angie Mead King)
Get to know Angie Mead King and the milestones that define her remarkable life (Photo: Angie Mead King)
1 / 1
Angie Mead King is a woman who lives life at full throttle, shifting gears effortlessly between sustainability, entrepreneurship, and living her truth
Angie Mead King is one of those people who seems to have an extra gear in life. She’s an innovator, entrepreneur, sustainability advocate and overall an icon.
A force of nature, King champions what it means to live authentically. Whether she’s crafting jaw-dropping car designs, spearheading eco-friendly farming innovations, or advocating for inclusivity and sustainability, she’s a master of turning passions into purposeful endeavours, making her one of the most multifaceted personalities in the Philippines today.
Get to know King and the milestones that define her remarkable life.
She makes farming cooler
As if being a car enthusiast wasn’t cool enough, King is also an enthusiast for innovation and the environment. As a response to poor soil conditions on her property, she established in 2019 the King Tower Farm—a modern-day Eden that focuses on aeroponic and vertical farming.
The farm utilises hundreds of aeroponic towers that allow for efficient growth of crops without soil, reducing water usage and increasing yield.
Read more: Is Smart Farming The New Face Of Agriculture?
When soil conditions pose a challenge, vertical farming is the way to go. The King Tower Farm also operates within a state-of-the-art greenhouse to maintain optimal growing conditions year-round, despite challenges brought upon by the tropical climate.
What began as a personal project aimed at supplying fresh produce for her hotels and restaurants, the farm is now an innovative and productive agricultural site empowering local communities by sharing knowledge about sustainable farming techniques.
Her first love is in hospitality
While most know King for her ventures in the automotive world, her roots are in hospitality. She inherited her business acumen from managing the family’s iconic Victoria Court hotel chain, a pop culture mainstay in the Philippines.
During the pandemic, she rebranded several Victoria Court branches she handles, particularly in Pasay, Buendia and Malate, to Hotel Ava.
“Throughout the years of my life, I have always been about change... The pandemic has made me rethink how I operate my business, treat my employees and what impact I have on the community. I didn’t want to just go back to business as usual,” she said about the rebrand. “The departure from our former iconic brand is a truly difficult task but I am confident with our direction we're going to be able to make a difference.”
With Hotel Ava, King aims to inspire other companies by implementing radical changes in employee benefits and eco-friendly initiatives.
She is the queen of customisation
On top of all her passions, King’s greatest love lay under the hood of a car. Her passion for cars began at a young age, inspired by her father’s interest in automobiles. She has since built an impressive career around this passion, completing over 100 car restoration projects.
Read more: Angie Mead King on the cars she loves, modding, and the automotive industry
In 2012, she founded Car Porn Racing, a custom car garage that quickly gained a reputation for pushing the boundaries of automotive design and performance. The garage became known for its groundbreaking projects, including V8 engine swaps and some of the first performance air suspension kits introduced to the aftermarket crowd. Early standout projects included the eye-catching Nissan Cefiro art cars, the iconic BMVette, and the innovative Skyfiro pick-up.
King’s Car Porn Racing put themselves on the map when she got Akira Nakai, the legendary Japanese car tuner behind RWB (Rauh-Welt Begriff) Porsche, to build bespoke classic Porsche 911s in the country. The garage, which had become a haven for car enthusiasts seeking unique, high-performance builds, permanently closed in 2021, amidst the pandemic.
But her collaboration with Nakai continues to this day. The Japanese tuner would make regular visits to the Philippines, with his latest in November. Together, they produced some of the most eye-catching custom RWB Porsche 911s in Asia. King’s attention to detail and boundary-pushing designs have earned her a legendary status in the region’s car community.
However, not every road is smooth in the world of high-performance vehicles. In November 2024, she bid farewell to her newly customised Acura NSX after it was engulfed in an unfortunate fire along the South Luzon Express Way.
A champion for living authentically
King calls herself a “transwoman who drives.” While she’s known today as an inspiration and a powerful advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, King came a long way.
In 2016, even before her coming out, Facebook inadvertently outed King by notifying her contacts about her new Instagram account under her chosen name. This premature revelation led to a media frenzy, which she later described as shocking and unplanned.
Despite the unexpected nature of the outing, she found it ultimately liberating, stating that it relieved her from having to explain herself individually to friends and family.
“I didn’t choose to be a woman. I was born thinking I was a woman and I was born with the wrong body…,” she said. “We only have one life to live, and we should all try and live it as authentic as possible.”
She emphasises the importance of living authentically. Her experiences have also led to increased visibility for transgender issues in the country. Her story reflects not only a personal journey of self-acceptance but also highlights the broader challenges faced by transgender individuals in society.
Meet the Kings
Through every twist and turn, King has had one constant in her corner—her wife, Joey, a model and TV personality. The two met at a club in 2006 and got married civilly in Beverly Hills five years later.
Their journey together has not been without its challenges, particularly when King decided to publicly transition. The couple went through a difficult period, yet, through it all, their bond remained strong, grounded in open communication and mutual respect.
Read more: Love & Pride: Angie and Joey Mead King Speak About Their Marriage, Acceptance, and Breaking Barriers
Despite the challenges they faced, the Kings have emerged stronger together. They are now recognised as a beloved power couple in the Philippines, advocating for love, acceptance, and inclusivity within the LGBTQ+ community. Their journey reflects resilience and commitment to each other, celebrating their unique bond while facing societal expectations and personal struggles.
King shares her story, everything from her latest car projects to serene moments from King Tower Farm, on her social media pages. With every post, she offers her followers a glimpse into her multifaceted life, showing that authenticity and passion are at the heart of everything she does.
Syrah is Tatler Philippines’ Power & Purpose editor, where she spotlights extraordinary journeys shaping the Philippines and Asia. She covers business, innovation, impact, and culture—chasing the people, ideas and forces shaping how we live and think today.
