Mich Dulce (born Michelle Dianne Lopez Dulce on May 8, 1981) is a

Filipina Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino, English, or other Philippine languages. Despite formerly being subject to ...

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

, milliner, corsetiere, feminist activist,

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, artist and

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

of bands Death By Tampon, Us-2 Evil-0 and The Male Gaze.

Biography

She graduated from the Poveda Learning Center in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

(now

Saint Pedro Poveda College Saint Pedro Poveda College (more commonly known as Poveda, formerly known as the Poveda Learning Centre and Institución Teresiana) is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational school in the heart of Metro Manila's Ortigas Business District, Qu ...

), and attended the Ateneo de Manila University where she earned a college degree in Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Management and Communications Track. She worked with professional designers like Jessica Ogden,

Marjan Pejoski Marjan Pejoski (; born 1968) is a Macedonian fashion designer who lives and works in the United Kingdom. He studied at the Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design. He is mainly known for designing Björk's iconic swan dress, which the ...

and Cecile Zamora. After college, she attended a series of short Courses at the

London College of Fashion The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate study, short courses, study-abroad courses and business t ...

and

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short ...

both in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She returned to the Philippines to pursue further studies in design at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

and the Philippine International School of Fashion. In 2004 she went to the United States to study Merchandise planning at the

Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 2005 she opened Store for All Seasons with Cecile Zamora. In 2006, Dulce was one of the 14 housemates of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

Pinoy Big Brother ''Big Brother'' () is a Philippine television reality competition show broadcast by ABS-CBN, Kapamilya Channel, TV5, and GMA Network based on the Dutch reality television franchise '' Big Brother''. Originally hosted by Willie Revillame, ...

: Celebrity Edition. She left the house after suffering from asthma brought on by anxiety attacks and was treated at the Philippine Heart Center. She was evicted after she opted not to return to the BB House within the requisite 24 hours of medical advice. In 2009, the Mich Dulce label was first sold globally, with stockists in Manila, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Beginning in 2010, she focused on her career as a milliner and corsetiere, gaining popularity for her bespoke period style corsets that can take off up to 6 inches on the waist. In March 2017, Dulce founded Grrrl Gang Manila, a feminist collective that aims to create safe spaces for women both online and offline.

Notable clients and commissions

Celebrity Mich Dulce millinery wearers are American Pop star

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

, Vogue Nippon Editor and fashion icon

Anna Dello Russo Anna Dello Russo (born 1962) is an Italian fashion journalist. She is a creative consultant and editor-at-large for '' Vogue Japan''. Early life Dello Russo was born in Bari in Southern Italy. She has a brother and a sister. Her father, a p ...

, socialite

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

, British singers

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. After signing with Epic Records in 2008, Faith released her debut album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?'' (2009), which produced the UK ...

and

Shingai Shoniwa Shingai Elizabeth Maria Shoniwa ( ; born 1 September 1981), known professionally as Shingai is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and actress, best known as the vocalist and bassist for the English indie rock band Noisettes. In 2017, she l ...

. Mich Dulce millinery has been featured on the American show

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...

Leighton Meester Leighton Marissa Meester ( ; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is known for her starring role as Blair Waldorf on the CW television series ''Gossip Girl'', which ran from 2007 to 2012. She has also appeared in fi ...

> as well as on other cast members on the same show.

The Carrie Diaries ''The Carrie Diaries'' is a young adult novel, the first in a series of the same name by American author Candace Bushnell. The series is a prequel to Bushnell's 1997 collection ''Sex and the City'', and follows the character of Carrie Bradshaw ...

also featured Mich Dulce millinery in the pilot episode. British music icon

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK ...

wore a bicorn by Mich Dulce as part of his stage costume with his band Adam Ant and The Good, The Mad, and The Lovely Posse. The hat was featured extensively in his album '' Adam Ant Is The Blueblack Hussar in Marrying The Gunner's Daughter'' and in much of the publicity around the mentioned album, continuing to be worn onstage until 2017.

Fashion Awards

In 2002, Mich was a finalist for the Paris Young Designer's Competition and 1st runner up in the MEGA Young Designer's Competition. In 2004 she was nominated for Revolutionary Designer of the Year at the MTV Style Awards, and in 2007 she won the Fashion Designer of the Year Award for Streetwear at the MEGA Fashion Awards. In February 2010, Dulce won the prestigious British Council International Young Creative Entrepreneur (IYCE)

International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year The International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year (IYDEY) is a British Council award that is part of the International Young Creative Entrepreneur (IYCE) programme, which has been developed with 100% Design, a commercial interior design fair ...

(IYDEY) award for Fashion at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...

Filmography

Television

*'' Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition'' (2006) *''John en Shirley'' (2006–2007) *'' The Wedding'' (2009)

Discography

Us-2 Evil-0

*Dirty Debutantes (2011), EMI Records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dulce, Mich 1981 births Ateneo de Manila University alumni Alumni of the London College of Fashion Filipino fashion designers Filipino television actresses Living people Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition contestants Actresses from Quezon City Singers from Quezon City Star Magic Alumni of Central Saint Martins Fashion Institute of Technology alumni 21st-century Filipino women singers Filipino women fashion designers