MANILA, Philippines — Anne Curtis, Jake Cuenca, Miss World Megan Young, Xian Lim, Shaina Magdayao, Sam Milby, Billy Crawford, Kim Chiu, the celebrity clientele on fashion designer Francis Libiran’s list goes on and on.
All his creations, Francis told Philstar.com, are his babies, so it is hard for him to name a favorite.
Among his recent works that he is proud of, however, is “Pinoy Big Brother” (PBB) teen housemate Kisses Delavin’s debutante dress.
This gown, Francis clarified, was not a sponsored one. Though he admitted Kisses got it for a good price, he insisted that the teen star paid for the fairytale-inspired dress she wore in her star-studded debutante party.
Although known to be generous in giving away clothes to celebrities, Francis stressed that most of his celebrity clients paid for what they wore, even if it seems as if the outfits were sponsored since the celebrities have been vocal on social media on how much they love their Francis Libiran looks.
He disclosed that since he finds it very hard to let go of his creations, he only gives away clothing to people he likes.
He likes Kisses. “She’s very sweet, down to earth and cute!” he said of the PBB housemate.
Kisses first sent him private social media messages requesting for him to make her debut gown. When they finally got to meet as he likes to sit down with a client when designing, he came up with a “gentle and girly girl” design that Kisses immediately approved.
The star, said Libiran, gave him full creative freedom to execute the design in any way he liked, though he also took Kisses’ suggestion of churning out a big gown.
Instead of going with bold colors, he opted for a pale pink to mirror Kisses’ youthfulness and femininity.
After photos of Kisses’ debut leaked, 20,000 followers immediately followed Francis on social media.
“Social media is very powerful for us,” said the designer, who sells on his own website, but still relies on boutiques in growing his business that now includes ready-to-wear bridal couture, jewelry, watches and bridal accessories.
At the recent Binibining Pilipinas 2017 coronation night, Francis had the privilege of dressing up Binibining Pilipinas 2017 Intercontinental Katarina Rodriguez.
Binibing Pilipinas Intercontinental 2017 - #31 Katarina Rodriguez. Philstar.com/Efigenio Christopher Toledo IV
Dressing up beauty queens, he noted, has always been a nice collaborative effort. “From (Miss International 2016) Kylie (Versoza) to Megan, I learned how beauty queens want to look onstage, what their best assets are, how they walk onstage, and what material to use with all these into consideration,” he explained.
Starting next month, brides and aspiring brides will have the chance to experience being styled like a celebrity or a beauty queen by Francis himself.
Francis and his team will start their trunk show tour at the Marco Polo Hotel in Cebu on July 21 and 22, at the Crimson Hotel Alabang on August 22 and at the Singapore Bridal Caravan on August 27.
Gowns and accessories are also available at marked down prices, with freebies and can be paid by installment at Francis Libiran Bridal at the second floor of Greenbelt 5 in Makati City.
Francis, who was featured several times in supermodel Tyra Banks’ “America’s Next Top Model,” believes that dressing up celebrities still have a big impact on his success as a designer since celebrities still have a great effect on people.
The bridal gowns of Hollywood stars or royalty, like Kate Middleton, are still sought after by brides, said the designer.
Though he does not find anything wrong about wanting to doll up like a celebrity, he also encourages one to “Don’t be afraid to be different.”