WITH CREATIVITY AND DRIVE IN PART HANDED DOWN BY HIS LATE BROTHER A NOTABLE DESIGNER HIMSELF MICHAEL LEYVA OFFERS WITTY AND GLAMOROUS GOWN AND DRESS FUSIONS OF EASTERN AND WESTERN STYLES, AND IS NOW THE TOAST OF THREE CONTINENTS

BY TIA KIM

From running the galleys of planes to becoming one of Manila’s new wave of designers, Michael Leyva has set a fresh tone in the Philippine fashion industry by merging classic aesthetic with modern techniques.

Leyva graduated with a degree in tourism from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. Afterwards, he joined Philippine Airlines as a flight attendant. With a stable career in the hospitality industry and the opportunity to see the world, he felt, nevertheless, that there was something on the horizon he needed to pursue… a new story that needed to be written.

So, in the footsteps of his brother, the late Brian Leyva, a renowned designer in the Philippines, Michael picked up the family mantel and continued the LEYVA brand. (He described his brother to Stargate People Asia as “a guardian angel, the wind beneath my wings that propels me to soar higher.”

Michael started his training in 2012 under one of the fashion stalwarts of that 7,000-island nation, Jojie Lloren. From then on, he accepted clients, and quickly became a buzz in Manila circles for his witty and glamorous gown and dress fusions of Eastern and Western styles. His celebrity clientele grew to encompass a roster of Filipino A-listers, such as talk show host, actress, and producer Kristina Aquino; actress, model, TV host, and recording artist Anne Curtis; and media executive and actress, Charo Santos Concio. He was named People Asia Magazine’s “Most Promising Designer of 2015” and Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “Millennial Fashion Designer of the Year” in 2017.

The year 2016 proved to be a departure for Leyva, quite literally, when he elected to pursue designing at the elite Central Saint Martins art school (a constituent college of the University of the Arts London) in London, UK, and it wasn’t long before he was well known on two continents. After bringing his ornate gowns to Los Angeles in the Downtown Fashion District, and within just one week of his arrival, Leyva’s pieces were seen on the Daytime Emmy Awards red carpet and stage. So, make that three continents.

After presenting his STARS collection of gowns at this year’s LA Fashion Week, Leyva tweeted that he was “in awe to be representing our country…It was indeed a great experience and an honour to showcase Filipino talent through fashion.”

His rise to becoming one of his native country’s most sought after designers is a story, as Leyva describes, of “hard work, dedication, and humility.”

Michael Leyva
instagram.com/michaelleyva