That the Philippines has a passion for fashion should come as no surprise. We are well known for our love of watching beauty pageants, award shows and galas (including their red carpets), and glam movies and TV shows. So it’s no wonder we’ve sparked generations of Filipino fashion designers all set to set the world ablaze.
Right now, the Philippines can boast multiple designers featured in fashion shows and red carpets all around the world. Some of these have client lists that include royalty—both the literal kind and the Hollywood A-list variety. Better yet, these world-famous designers don’t just bring a Filipino aesthetic to global attention, but also local materials and stories.
Keep reading to learn which Filipino fashion designers have dressed our Queen Bee, whose bags have made their way to the hands of the Queen of Belgium, which have clients that include actual princesses and Disney princesses, and more! We’ve included where to shop their designs, in case you also want to wear your Pinoy pride to glam occasions.
1. Michael Cinco
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Dubai-based Michael Cinco is one of the top names among famous Filipino fashion designers. Born in Samar, Cinco studied in Paris and London before launching his store and fashion line in Dubai in 2003.
Cinco’s international client list includes Jennifer Lopez (who has worn his designs multiple times), Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Sofia Vergara, and many more top celebs from Hollywood, as well as Bollywood and the Middle East. In May 2024, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey wore a powder blue Michael Cinco princess gown to the Cannes Film Festival premiere of The Count of Monte Cristo.
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Where to get his designs: Michael Cinco’s shop can be found on the third floor of Building No. 4 of the Dubai Design District in Dubai, UAE, and is open from 10AM to 8PM, Monday to Saturday. Learn more from michaelcinco.com, from which you can also purchase his designs, or his Facebook, MichaelCincoCouture.
2. Monique Lhuillier
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No list of Filipino fashion designers who’ve made it big globally can fail to include Monique Lhuillier, a darling of the awards season’s red carpets. This US-based designer has fashion houses in Los Angeles and Manhattan. Best known for her bridal, ready-to-wear, and lifestyle designs, Lhuillier’s gowns are frequent flyers on the red carpets of shows like the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, and more.
This Cebuana designer’s client list is like a who’s who from the world’s most famous and best dressed. Her designs have been worn by first ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, princesses like the UK’s Beatrice and Norway’s Ingrid Alexandra, and America’s Got Talent hosts Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara.
She’s dressed Barbie girl America Ferrera and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, both Halles of Hollywood (Bailey and Berry), and some of our fave singers ever—Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, and Demi Lovato.
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Lhuillier has also designed wedding dresses for celebs like Reese Witherspoon, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Sophia Bush, and P!nk. Her design was used as the wedding dress for Dakota Johnson’s character Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Freed.
Where to get her designs: Monique Lhuillier flagship stores can be found in Melrose Place, Los Angeles, and on Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, in California; on Madison Avenue in New York; and on South Audley Street in London. She also has retail locations for her designs all over the world. Learn more from moniquelhuillier.com or follow her on Instagram, @moniquelhuillier and @moniquelhuillierbride, or Facebook, OfficialMoniqueLhuillier. Brides-to-be may also want to follow her on Pinterest (m_lhuillier).
3. Francis Libiran
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Francis Libiran gained international kudos when his Hello Kitty couture collection was featured on America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion (Cycle 18). Having impressed host Tyra Banks, he returned to ANTM in Cycle 22. This shot the architecture-student-turned-fashion-designer to style fame among local celebrities and socialites, and he then went on to showcase his work on runways in Toronto, Canada; Tokyo, Japan; Portland, Oregon; and more.
Libiran’s celebrity clients include Banks herself, who has worn his designs more than once. He has also dressed ska queen Gwen Stefani, Twilight star Nikki Reed, Aladdin star Mena Massoud, Spice Girl Melanie B, rapper Saweetie, and Broadway and Hollywood actors Billy Porter and Darren Criss. For the small screen, he designed actress Angela Bassett’s gown in the season finale of American Horror Story: Hotel.
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Where to get his designs: Check out Libiran’s websites (francislibiran.com and francislibiranbridal.com) for more on his collections, although soon-to-be-wedded couples can visit his bridal store on the fourth floor of Shangri-La Plaza East Wing in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Follow him on Facebook at FrancisLibiranOfficial and FrancisLibiranBridal.
4. Rajo Laurel
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Some of you may know Rajo Laurel from his stints as a judge on local television shows Project Runway Philippines and Drag Race Philippines, or maybe when he’s name-dropped by local celebrities. But there’s so much more to this fashion designer, who imbues his colorful and dramatic personality into his sense of style.
Laurel trained in Los Angeles, New York, and London. He is known for his avant-garde yet elegant designs and his redefinition of the traditional Filipino terno—this is a Filipiniana gown with distinctive butterfly sleeves. More recently, Laurel’s style has championed the cause of modern Filipino pride plus sustainability, with a focus on local materials.
His designs have graced runways in New York, Paris, London, and more. The House of Laurel, a demicouture brand he partnered with his sister to create, sells his collections locally and internationally. As for where else you might have seen his designs, supermodel and TV host extraordinaire Tyra Banks has worn several of Laurel’s gowns.
And Filipino celebrities have brought his designs to notable events abroad. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray wore an asymmetrical Rajo Laurel dress on the red carpet of a New York City movie premiere in April 2024. The previous year, Lea Salonga performed at the White House for US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in an off-the-shoulder sequined black gown by the designer. She had previously worn a Rajo Laurel pantsuit to the 71st Annual Tony Awards.
Where to get his designs: RAJO, Laurel’s ready-to-wear line, has stores in Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, and in the main wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong. The House of Laurel store can be found on Villena corner Manalac streets in Makati, Metro Manila. Go to the Stores page on rajolaurel.com for full addresses and contact numbers, or to book an appointment.
5. Mich Dulce
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Fashion designer, milliner, and corsetiere Mich Dulce is a multihyphenate in and out of the style scene—she’s also an actress, artist, vocalist, and staunch feminist.
But let’s focus on her fashion chops here. Having trained in London, New York, and Paris, Dulce uses her know-how of European millinery techniques to create hats and headpieces that showcase Philippine raw materials. Her brand makes sure these materials are sourced in a way that is ethical, sustainable, and with an element of social enterprise.
Dulce’s designs have graced the heads of international celebrities like singers Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Regina Spektor, Soko, and Adam Ant; British actress Katherine Kelly; and fashion models and icons Paris Hilton and Georgia May Jagger. Her work has also graced the small screen in TV shows like Gossip Girl and The Carrie Diaries.
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Where to get her designs: Dulce has a studio in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines; for appointments or orders, email [email protected]. Learn more from michdulce.com, or follow @michdulcestudio on Instagram or MichDulceStudio on Facebook.
6. Oliver Tolentino
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No list of Filipino fashion designers who’ve grabbed international attention can be complete without mention of red carpet veteran Oliver Tolentino. This Bataan native is based in Beverly Hills, California—an address fitting for his Hollywood A-list clientele.
In a feature for the Golden Globes, Tolentino says he’s known fashion was his life’s ambition since he was just 7. His mother supported his dream, encouraging him to learn how to sew and buying him fashion magazines.
And his early inspirations have led to a style that’s all about glamor. He has dressed a veritable who’s who of global celebrities, including Carrie Underwood, Carrie Fisher, Emmy Rossum, Jamie Chung, Gina Rodriguez, Katie Couric, Fergie, Mel B, and more. His designs have graced the red carpets of the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, Emmys, and just about any other award show you can name. They’ve also been featured on the small screen in shows like America’s Next Top Model (cycles 17 and 18), American Idol, E!’s Fashion Police, The View, The Early Show… and the list continues.
Where to get his designs: Visit Tolentino’s store at 247 S Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA. Learn more from olivertolentino.com or follow @theolivertolentino on Instagram and the Oliver Tolentino Facebook page.
7. Furne One Amato
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Born and raised in Cebu before taking the Dubai fashion world by storm, Furne One Amato harmonizes a design aesthetic that’s simultaneously edgy and mystical and never anything less than dramatic.
The symphony of his style has his client list filled with music icons like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, and Mariah Carey. Supermodel Heidi Klum is a friend and frequent client, as he mentioned in an article for the Golden Globe Awards, he regularly works with her on Germany’s Next Top Model.
It isn’t just Hollywood that enjoys his designs, though: Bollywood star Urvashi Rautela has glammed up in his gowns, as have multiple beauty queens, including Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Earth 2019 Nellys Pimentel, and even non-Pinays such as Miss Universe contestants from Bahrain, Brazil, and Pakistan. Amato is also a staple of fashion week showrooms, including the Harbin International Fashion Week in China and Dubai Fashion Week 2023.
For more from this designer, follow @furneamato and @amatoofficial on Instagram or the Amato Couture Facebook page.
8. Rafé Totengco
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Beautiful things come in small packages, if clutch and minaudiere designs by New York-based designer Rafé Totengco are anything to go by. A Bacolod native, this Filipino fashion accessories designer has had Hollywood celebrities grasping at his designs for years. Rafé (pronounced “RAH-fee,” shortened from his full name “Ramon Felix”) accessories reflect Totengco’s multicultural career, melding fashion, craftmanship, and art into one small package.
Totengco’s star-studded client list includes Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon, Orange Is the New Black’s Laverne Cox, Bedazzled’s Elizabeth Hurley, singer Demi Lovato, and tennis superstar Serena Williams, among others. Another Sex and the City star, Kristin Davis (who plays Charlotte) was spotted toting a Totengco bag in a scene for SATC spin-off And Just Like That.
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Where to get his designs: Shop Totengco’s website for his collection of clutches and signature minaudieres.
9. Amina Aranaz-Alunan
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Another multi-hyphenate on this list, lifestyle personality Amina Aranaz Alunan is well known for founding fashion accessories label ARANAZ with her mother Becky and sister Rosanna. But she is also the co-founder and president of the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA) Design Institute and a founding member of the Philippine Fashion Coalition.
Aranaz bags are a fave among Manila’s chic crowd, but paps have seen them in the hands of international celebrities and even royalty. Queen Mathilde of Belgium has carried the Gaia and Mira clutches on different occasions, Sofia Vergara has shown off her Maui clutch, while Sienna Miller attended a polo game toting a Marais woven wicker bucket bag.
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Where to get her designs: Head to aranaz.ph to find out how you can tote your own Aranaz tote or clutch. Aranaz stores can be found in Power Plant Mall and Greenbelt 5 in Makati, Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa, and soon in Opus Mall Bridgetown in Pasig.
10. Dennis Lustico
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Triathlete and fashion designer Dennis Lustico brings his love of bold colors to the dresses he designs. Known for modernizing the classic terno, Lustico often takes inspiration from colorful wildflowers and other blooms he encounters during his travels and triathlons.
In Paris Fashion Week 2022, he showcased the Spring/Summer 2023 collection from his label DeLustico. By then, he was a veteran of PFW, having shown his designs in 2016, 2017, and 2018. His designs were also hailed in the “Bench Presents Ternocon” show at the Spring/Summer 2024 Rakuten Fashion Week held in Tokyo, Japan.
In February 2024, Filipino-American actress Liza Soberano—known not just for her many lead roles in Philippine TV and film but recently also for her role in the Hollywood teen horror-comedy Lisa Frankenstein—wore Lustico’s coconut terno top to music collective 88rising’s Moon Rising Gala in Los Angeles, California. This was not the first time we saw Lustico’s ternos in Hollywood, though. The year before, Fil-Am actress Ana Cruz Kayne (who played Supreme Court Barbie) wore a pink terno top to the LA premiere of hit summer flick Barbie. Kayne was eager to showcase her Pinoy pride, wearing Lustico’s nude terno top with leaf appliqué to the London premiere of the film as well.
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Where to get his designs: Lustico’s shop can be found at 1167A Antipolo St., Brgy. Valenzuela, Makati City. You can call +63918-9211269 for an appointment.
Did we miss anyone on your fashion watch list? Name names, because we’d love to feature more of our Pinoy talent going global.
In the meantime, check out more stories on Filipino fashion and design here:
• Love Local: 10 Filipino Bag Brands to Shop From
• Love Local: 10 Filipino Shoe Brands to Shop From
• Love Local: 10 Filipino Women’s Fashion Brands To Check Out
• Top Cebuano Home Furniture and Décor Designers
