Hats off to this young, achieving Pinay designer!
Filipinos may best know Mich Dulce as one of the participants in the reality show Pinoy Big Brother a few years ago, but today, more and more people know her as the top winner in the Feb 2010 London Fashion Week where she got the International Young Creative Entrepreneur (IYCE) Award for Fashion, besting over other young creative entrepreneurs from Bangladesh, India, Libya, Lithuania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Syria and Turkey. Dulce has found a delightful niche in the fashion world by focusing on millinery – the design, manufacture and sale of hats.
Mich talked more about her hats in an interview after her victory. "Millinery is not so developed in this country – we don’t really wear hats... I thought it would be interesting to work on it and make hats a fashion statement. It’s a simple accessory, easy to wear. More and more people are getting into it!"
Mich has always been enthusiastic and passionate about her work, whether in music, film or fashion, and this has set her apart from the other young designers who vied for the right to represent the Philippines in the search for the International Young Creative Entrepreneur. The global search was launched by the British Council to encourage creative entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and other countries to establish a professional trade network of young people in every part of the fashion industry, including design, production, marketing and communications.
Mich Dulce was one of ten finalists between the ages of 25 and 35 chosen from around the world to take part in a tour of the London and Nottingham fashion industries. They had the opportunity to build contacts and see the best of the UK fashion industry during London Fashion Week. Mich, along with the other finalists, had to give a presentation to a panel of leading industry figures in the UK, demonstrating keen understanding of the vision for the fashion industry in their respective countries.
During the awarding ceremonies held last Feb. 20, Mich received her award from Dolly Jones, editor-in-chief of Vogue UK, and Andrew Senior of the British Council’s Creative Economy unit. Mich’s prize includes a grant money of 5000.00 pounds to be used on a collaborative project with the British Council. Dulce is expected to help make hat-making a commercially viable enterprise.
The London victory tops the many accomplishments that Mich has under her hat. In 2002, she was a finalist for the Paris Young Designer’s Competition and first runner-up in the MEGA Young Designers Competition. In 2004, she was nominated for Revolutionary Designer of the Year at the MTV Style Awards, and in 2007, she won the Fashion Designer of the Year Award for Streetwear at the MEGA Fashion Awards.
Born Michelle Dianne Lopez Dulce on May 8, 1981, Mich is not only a fashion designer; she is also an actress and a vocalist of two bands, Death By Tampon, and Us-2 Evil-0. In 2006, she was one of the 14 housemates of ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition who had to leave the house due to asthma attacks.
Mich graduated from the Poveda Learning Center in Quezon City and attended the Ateneo de Manila University where she earned a college degree in Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies and Communications Track. After college she attended some short Summer Courses at the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design both in London. She returned to the Philippines to pursue further studies in design at the University of the Philippines and the Philippine International School of Fashion. In 2004 she went to the United States to study Merchandise planning at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
Mich has worked with different theater companies doing costume design. She also worked with professional designers like Jessica Ogden, Marjan Pejoski and Cecile Zamora. She currently owns a clothing store called Store For All Seasons along Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City,Philippines.
Ever since she studied and focused on the art of hat making in 2005, Mich has crowned the heads of many celebrities and famous personalities with a beautiful array of creative headpieces. All her hats are handmade and styled distinctively, using sculpted fabric. Last year, Mich expanded her skill set by studying the art of Period Corsetry to complement her entry into the bridal market.
Leading British Fashon Designer Sir Paul Smith once said that the world doesn’t need to produce more clothes or factories – just individuals who can approach the business of fashion in highly creative ways. Pinay Fashion Designer Michelle Dulce certainly fits the bill! Hats off to you, Mich! (AJPress)
( Published April 21, 2010 in MDWK Magazine p. 2 )
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