Filipino designers are famous for clothing A-listers in bold, ornate gowns on red carpets all around the world, and the UAE is home to a slew of them. Michael Cinco, Furne One, and Ezra Santos are well-known around the world for their gorgeous fairy-tale gowns, adorned with beading and crystals and suited for any princess.
The history of this burgeoning group of UAE fashionistas that are catching the world by storm.
Michael Cinco
Michael Cinco was born in the Philippines’ Samar Province and has lived in the UAE since 1997, starting his own label in 2003.
Cinco has earned a reputation for crafting seductive evening gowns and bridal attire with long skirts and elaborate embroidery, inspired by the golden age of film and its dazzling actors. This was expanded to include men’s couture in 2012.
Furne One, Amato Couture
Furne One (born Fernando Barios) was only supposed to be travelling through Dubai on his way to the Philippines when he had a chance meeting with a textile buyer named Rashid Ali.
The two founded the couture label Amato in 2002, with a shared vision; the name means “beloved” in Italian. Amato Luxe, a ready-to-wear boutique in Dubai’s Design District, debuted in 2017 and is now branching out into the metaverse with all-digital gowns.
Garimon Roferos
Garimon Roferos, a native of Davao City, earned the prestigious Concours Internationale Des Jeunes Createurs de Mode D’Incitation prize in Paris in 2004, before moving to Dubai in 2010 to work under Michael Cinco’s direction.
He launched his own fashion label in 2016, specialising in opulent bridal gowns with white-on-white beading and embroidery. He also creates evening and party gowns, which are frequently patterned and always full skirted and feminine. He also sells a line of high-end abayas.
Ignacio Loyola, Atelier Ignacio
Ignacio Loyola started his own house, Atelier Ignacio, in Dubai Design District, after studying at Istituto Marangoni in Milan and winning Dubai’s Runway Art in 2009.
Loyola is a highly experimental brand that has created collections out of rubber bands and paper, and now has a showroom filled with crystal-encrusted daywear. During the epidemic, Loyola switched to creating face masks, which it currently sells in a variety of styles, including one with rainbow gem stones.
