Michael Cinco presents Egypt-inspired collection in country for first time

Dubai-based designer introduced 'Impalpable Dream of Egypt', which was first shown at Arab Fashion Week

A gold lame minidress blends ancient Egyptian flair with 1970s New York disco. Photo: Michael Cinco

Filipino designer Michael Cinco has made his debut show in Egypt.

As part of the New Alamein Festival, the Dubai-based designer showed off “The Impalpable Dream of Egypt” collection on the country's north coast. The collection was first presented at Arab Fashion Week in Dubai in October.

Golden looks paired in black with lavish, intricate decoration were on show as models were also covered with gold henna on their faces in a nod to the ancient history and culture of the country.

In the finale, Queen Nefertiti herself was once resurrected in a robe with a three-metre train covered in many beads.

"Like an enigmatic journey through the annals of Pharaonic legacy, the models strode with an empowering elegance that resonated with the echoes of bygone rulers and the enigmatic remnants of a civilisation etched into the sands of time," Cinco said about the show.

The designer also previously said he was inspired by Egypt’s man-made structures such as the Great Sphinx, the Pyramids of Giza as well as the Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings tombs.

Cinco, who moved to Dubai from the Philippines in 1997, established his label in 2003. Inspired by the golden age of cinema and its glamorous stars, he has built a reputation for creating romantic evening gowns and bridalwear, full-skirted and covered in intricate embroidery. In 2012, this expanded to men’s couture.

In 2016, Cinco made history when he became the first Filipino designer invited to Paris Haute Couture Week; in 2018 he was behind one of the most memorable Cannes Film Festival red carpet moments as he dressed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a powder blue, Cinderella gown.

"My dream to become a designer started when I was a kid. I loved watching classic Hollywood films," Cinco told The National in 2019.

"One of the best films I've ever watched and that inspired me to be a designer was My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn. It was like a dream, with the most beautiful costumes I'd ever seen in my life. When I watched that movie, I knew I would be a fashion designer someday."