How fashion designer Michael Leyva kept his slain brother’s dream alive | ABS-CBN

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How fashion designer Michael Leyva kept his slain brother’s dream alive

How fashion designer Michael Leyva kept his slain brother’s dream alive

RHIA GRANA

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Updated Mar 28, 2023 08:32 PM PHT

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It was almost 14 years ago when Brian Leyva showcased his collection at the Bench Fashion Week. The hardworking Leyva was one of the most promising young designers of the late 2000s. But in a tragic turn of events, he was mugged and gunned down on the night of March 29, 2010, which led to his death two days later. He was 28.

It is for this reason that joining the recently concluded Bench fashion event was very meaningful for Brian’s younger brother, Michael. As lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil puts it, “Brian designed for Bench Fashion Week 2009, a year before he was gunned down by a holdupper. Fast forward to the present and Michael takes a bow in #BenchFashionWeek SS2023 with his collection of jewel-colored gowns that are such fashion gems. Bravo, Michael, you are now flying high!”

If not for his brother Brian, whom he considers his “guardian angel,” he wouldn’t be where he is now, says Michael. In fact, he would not have considered a career in fashion. Michael was a Tourism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and was initially planning to pursue a career as a flight steward.

Back then, he would often catch his Kuya Brian working on his designs in the family living room, and the older Leyva sometimes asked Michael to buy sewing materials for him in Divisoria. Still, Michael never imagined himself following in his designer-brother’s footsteps. “I just admired him a lot,” Michael says.

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Michael describes Brian, who is 10 years older, as “very simple,” “tahimik,” and “sobrang intellectual.” As the fourth and fifth among six boys, the two were closest to each other and even shared a room at the family home. But each had his own personality. “[Kuya Brian] was the type of person na seryoso with what he was doing. Makakausap mo lang siya kapag tapos na ang ginagawa niya,” Michael offers. “Ako medyo mas maingay, mas outspoken, mas madaldal.”

After Brian’s death, Michael started to entertain the idea of continuing what Brian had started: a fashion career. At that time, Michael realized he wasn’t happy working as a flight steward. “I knew it was my brother’s ultimate dream to become a fashion designer ever since he was young,” Michael tells ANCX. “I thought, why not continue my brother's legacy?”

But Michael had zero knowledge in fashion design, which was also why he wasn’t completely convinced shifting to making clothes was the best idea. Finding himself at a crossroads, he ‘consulted’ his kuya. “I asked for a sign,” he says, “kung papayagan ba niya ako na maging fashion designer na katulad niya.”

The sign came in a dream. Michael, who already somewhat started making dresses had, in reality, a client who wanted a red gown made. In the dream, he was already working on the gown but could not finish it. “I was staring at the mannequin and then lumapit si Kuya sa akin and he told me, ‘Ako na ang tatapos.’ So I felt like ito na ang go-signal niya na, ‘Sige Michael, let’s do this together.’”

When Michael took on that red dress, that’s when he realized he had what it takes to be a fashion designer. “You may start with zero background but as days pass, you will learn everything step by step, basta gusto mo lang ang ginagawa mo. From then on, nagtuluy-tuloy na,” he says. “I felt like my brother reincarnated thru me.”

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Michael describes Brian’s passing as the “darkest days” for the Leyvas. Since the entire family was somehow involved in Brian’s work, they grew that much closer. “That is why it became very difficult for the family to move on.”

But when Michael started to pursue the same career, things started to get a little lighter. “It somehow became easy for us to cope with the situation,” Michael says, “kasi nabuhay ulit ang diwa ni Kuya with me doing what he used to do inside our house. May tela ulit, may makulay ulit, may makina ulit.”

In 2016, Michael took up fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, which eventually paved the way for several milestones in his young fashion career. He was able to showcase his works at fashion shows in Dubai, Moscow, Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur. He got to dress up Kris Aquino for the Hollywood premiere of the “Crazy Rich Asians.” “It was really an unforgettable moment for me,” Michael says, “because I never thought that I'd be experiencing a Hollywood premiere in L.A. at that time.”

So far, his designs—sometimes dreamy, often showstoppers—have been worn by numerous celebrities, from Anne Curtis to Pia Wurtzbach to Vice Ganda. He is also the preferred designer of a number of VIPs from Philippine politics including First Lady Liza Marcos.

The 32-year-old designer is looking forward to building his brand internationally in the years to come. “It's not just going to be Michael Leyva Manila. Hopefully, there’s also going to be Michael Leyva New York or Michael Leyva Paris,” the designer says, smiling.

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It’s also his dream to one day make a dress for the former US First Lady Michelle Obama. “I feel like she supports young designers. And I also like her style, it’s so straight to the point, so sleek.”

Michael admits that despite what he’s achieved, there are times he would be the first to doubt his abilities. “Parang pakiramdam ko hindi ko siya kaya,” he says. When he’s faced with challenges, a big project, an important client, or a great opportunity, he would always go back to the day his Kuya appeared in his dream and assured him they would work together.

“There was never a day when I felt that my brother had left my side,” says Michael. Which is why his 10th anniversary show at the National Museum of Natural History last October was also his way of honoring and celebrating his brother’s guidance. “He’s always beside me throughout this journey.”

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