Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco is poised to conquer Paris.
He will present his autumn/winter 2016 couture collection at Paris Haute Couture Week, which will be held in the French capital from July 3 to 7.
Cinco’s show, a collaboration with the Asian Couture Federation, is a landmark for the 44-year-old designer – he has previously shown at fashion weeks in Dubai, Miami, Los Angeles, Singapore, Australia and the Philippines but this will be his first time presenting in Paris.
Born and raised in the central Philippine province of Samar, Cinco moved to Dubai in 1997.
His creations have been worn by celebrity including Beyoncé, Sofia Vergara, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. He is also the first Filipino designer to be featured on the reality-TV fashion show America's Next Top Model.
Aside from showcasing his couture collection on the Paris runway, Cinco will also present a special collection of affordable couture-inspired pieces.
“The Asian Couture Federation has always had a fundamental belief in the importance of supporting Asian couture talent,” says Emily Hwang, vice president of the Asian Couture Federation. “We are delighted that Michael Cinco is one of the first couturiers that we are collaborating with to create an affordable and accessible collection.”
Santiago in final of Romania's Got Talent
Filipino contestant Resciebelle Santiago has reached the final of reality-TV singing competition Romania's Got Talent. During this week's semi-final, the 26-year-old impressed the judges and viewers with her performance of Beyoncé's hit Drunk in Love, qualifying in the public vote for the grand final on June 3.
Santiago auditioned for the programme in March, singing Whitney Houston's classic ballad I Will Always Love You. She received a standing ovation from all four judges and the live studio audience.
She had flown to Romania on a two-week holiday with her Romanian boyfriend, who encouraged her in the spur of the moment to have a go at the show’s open auditions.
Santiago grew up in a poor family in Manila. At the age of 15, she began performing as a singer in local restaurants and bars. She previously appeared on Philippine television in the singing contest Pinoy Pop Superstar.
Vanity Fair names Andi Eigenmann best dressed
It was not only actress Jaclyn Jose – who on Sunday became the first Filipino to win the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival – who got a nod at the prestigious event.
Andi Eigenmann – Jose's real-life daughter and co-star in Brilliant Mendoza's film Ma' Rosa – was chosen by Vanity Fair magazine as one of the festival's best-dressed guests, a list that also featured Hollywood A-listers Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Blake Lively.
Eigenmann was cited for wearing a gown created by Filipino designer Patty Ang.
“I am in tears! I can’t be any more grateful!” Eigenmann posted on social media.
“Let me just steal a little ‘beauty queen’ moment for myself to encourage women like me to never give up on their dreams. To make sure to never be afraid to dream big. Because yesterday, my lifelong dream has finally come true. And what’s even sweeter is that it’s only the beginning. I encourage all young women to spend our lives with positivity and love.”
In Ma' Rosa, Eigenmann plays a daughter distressed at the prospect of raising money to free her parents, played by Jose and Julio Diaz, who have been arrested for selling drugs in their convenience store. The film marks the first time Jose and Eigenmann have appeared on the big screen together.
During Jose’s acceptance speech for her best actress award, she was accompanied onstage by Mendoza and Eigenmann, who was visibly elated and tearing up.
Jake Cuenca wins best actor award in Brazil
Another Filipino actor was honoured this week: Jake Cuenca won the best actor prize at the World Cinema Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for his performance in the thriller Mulat (Awaken). The film, directed by Marian Diane Ventura, also won the Best Narrative Feature award.
In the movie, 29-year-old Cuenca plays a man who falls for a mysterious woman (played by Loren Burgos) who is hiding a mental illness. Mulat also co-stars Ryan Eigenmann.
Another Filipino movie, Happy New Year, won Best Film at the recent Festival de Finos Filmes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Directed by Joseph Israel Laban, the documentary tells the story of doctors and nurses attending to people injured by fireworks during New Year's Eve in Manila.
artslife@thenational.ae
