The Breakthrough Star

Fashion designer Michael Cinco tells Tatler what it takes to be at the forefront of the fashion industry, the obstacles and triumphs he’s been through, and how he has overcome them to become one of the leading international Filipino designers today

- Jove Moya

Wearing his trademark oversized glasses and black suit, the celebrated and probably the most well-known Filipino fashion designer at the moment comes on the Zoom screen with much flair and flamboyance. He readily apologises and says, “I am so sorry I am not techie,” dropping the phone he is using for the meeting. And we lose him for a moment. He adjusts the screen, and we begin an hour-long interview filled with anecdotes, laughter, inspiration and the story of a life that never gave up on its dreams.

He grew up in the humble city of Catbalogan in Samar, miles away from the metro where red carpets and runway shows happen. “My home is in the western Philippines,” Michael Cinco tells Tatler Editor-In-Chief Anton San Diego. “I grew up there with my siblings. We are eight in the family, and I am child number five.”

Significantly, no one in his immediate family and relatives near or distant, worked in the fashion industry. His father was a radio technician, while his mother was a homemaker. “We lived a very simple life, but well enough to survive,” he describes. So where, and how, did his dream to be a fashion designer start?

Since childhood, Cinco behaved differently. While his siblings and peers were outside playing, he preferred to stay indoors, with his eyes glued to their TV screen. “When I was a kid, I loved watching classic Hollywood films instead of going out and playing with other children. I think that was one of the reasons why I began to dream of being a designer,” he discloses. “These films exposed me to fashion and style.”