All about Michael Cinco: Dubai's designer to the stars to showcase celebrity gowns in US exhibition

The Filipino couturier, who has dressed Rihanna, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, is the focus of an upcoming showcase at the prestigious SCAD SCAD Museum of Art

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His designs have been paraded down the red carpet by the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Jennifer Lopez, but soon the work of Michael Cinco will be displayed somewhere for a little longer than one night only.

The Filipino designer, who is based in Dubai, is the subject of an upcoming exhibition at Savannah College of Art and Design's SCAD Museum of Art.

The museum, located in Savannah, US, is giving fans a chance to get a closer look at the couturier's intricate and elaborate work, which has also decorated Hollywood A-listers such as Beyonce, Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Filipino designer Michael Cinco is the subject of an upcoming exhibition in the US. Courtesy Michael Cinco
Filipino designer Michael Cinco is the subject of an upcoming exhibition in the US. Courtesy Michael Cinco

Scroll through the gallery above to see a selection of celebrities wearing Michael Cinco.

The exhibition, which marks Cinco's first solo museum show, will take place between Thursday, October 3 and Sunday, January 5, 2020, and will bring some of the designer's most recognisable work from the UAE to the States.

"They want to exhibit the dresses worn by celebrities," Cinco told The National, adding that his team was busy getting gowns ready for the show. "I never dreamed my clothes would be in a museum, but I'm glad and I'm so lucky."

Among those bound for SCAD is the voluminous, fairytale-worthy number worn by Devdas star Rai to the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, a captivating number that saw the Bollywood actress dubbed a modern-day Cinderella.

Another gown worn by Rai at Cannes a year on, a crystal-encrusted sheath finished with a statement train designed to resemble a butterfly's wings, is also expected to feature among the pieces on display.

"This exhibition ... explores [Cinco's] unique global perspective, evident in his use of French couture techniques alongside traditional Filipino textiles and embroidery methods," a statement from SCAD detailed.

Designers previously showcased by the museum include British punk favourite Vivienne Westwood, Venezuelan-born Carolina Herrera and China's Guo Pei.

Cinco, who founded his eponymous label in Dubai in 2003, after moving to the UAE from the Philippines, has also dressed stars on screen, such as Mila Kunis in 2015's Jupiter Ascending and Kris Aquino in 2018's Crazy Rich Asians.

The SCAD exhibition is not his only showcase taking place this autumn, as the designer has also collaborated with Ballet Philippines on a couture collection to celebrate the dance company's 50th anniversary this September.

Cinco has designed a number of gowns inspired by Swan Lake, as well as a collection of costumes to be worn by dancers during a gala performance of the ballet.