Filipino Designer: The Men of Michael Cinco

The Men of Michael Cinco

By Lalaine Chu-Benitez

Photo by: Eros Goze

Models: Paul Kiefer and Mauro Olguin

Shot on location at the XVA Art Hotel, Dubai

Much has been said about Michael Cinco’s women who live in a decadently elegant world all to their own, but not much about his men.  We take a look at the designers’ growing line of men’s fashion – his latest foray, inspired by the romantic Castilian style icon – the matador.

His affair with men’s fashion started a few years ago when the designer began tinkering with men’s couture styling during his collaboration with Bench Body in Manila.  Season after season, we would see a smattering of a few key pieces made for daring males when Michael Cinco would hit the runway.  He might be known for dressing up Hollywood sirens Sofia Vergara, Britnes Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Dita Von Teese, among others, but he has also garnered attention for some of his amazing pieces worn by Chris Brown and Will.I.Am.

This fashion season around, however, the designer unveils a more substantial, albeit mini-collection, that’s set to whet the appetite of his growing clientele of male fashionistas from Dubai-to-Singapore-Manila and beyond.

Inspired by the romanticism of the handsome matador, Michael Cinco Homme features an interesting assortment of tailored jackets, capes, hooded tops, and shirts matched with sleek trousers.  A focal point of the mini-collection is the richly embellished jacket which combines immaculate tailoring, classic detailing – florid forms and arabesque motifs, done in contemporary execution in the form of laser cut acrylics and rich embroidery.  Another good example of the old and the new intersecting is his industrial feel neoprene hooded cape punctuated by intricate arabesque embroidery – its veritable piece de resistance.

“Young, fresh, adventurous and is still in touch with his feminine side,” is how the designer describes the Michael Cinco man.  Certainly, his designs are not for the one-dimensional rugged male, but the multi-faceted man who is beyond raw masculinity – those who are brave enough to embrace the dramatically beautiful.

M5 Makes a Mark for the Philippines in Asian Fashion

Michael Cinco has just made a mark for the Philippines by being the first Filipino inaugurated as a member of the Asian Couture Federation, together with highly acclaimed Asian designers including Japan’s legendary Kenzo, Yumi Katsura, Junko Koshino, China’s Guo Pei, Singapore’s Frederick Lee, Indonesia’s Sebastian Kuniyawan, Korea’s Lie Sang Bong and etc.

The Asian Couture Federation or ACF is a newly formed organization based on the long-established Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The ACF aims to provide a “platform for recognizing, promoting and nurturing the most exceptional design talent in the region”.

Missing this season’s fashion event in Dubai, where he is a regular, the designer is also set to debut at the Singapore Fashion Week on the 16^th of October, where he is set to showcase his own brand of couture alongside international greats like Alexis Mabille, Julien Fournié, Stephane Rolland, Pierre Balmain, among others.