Filipino fashion designer on making it big in the US

David Tupaz

When this then-aspiring Filipino fashion designer went to America to make a name for himself, all he brought was a luggage—and, in his own words, “whatever was in his heart and mind.”

That was some 20 years ago. With a bagful of talent and prayer, David Tupaz today makes couture dresses for elite clients in the USA, particularly in Las Vegas (where he is currently based), Los Angeles, and New York. Today, his name is synonymous with gowns that possess simplicity, glamor and elegance seen in the works of no one else.

“Living and working in America, especially in New York, was like going to class everyday,” Tupaz told the Inquirer in a one-on-one interview at his home in Las Vegas. “It's quite an experience meeting the people who you dream of becoming.”

Making it in the USA as a fashion designer is one thing. But hitting the industry big time as a Filipino is a story that we don't hear everyday.

“Fortunately for me, I never felt any discrimination. Here in the US, as long as they know you have the talent, they'll support you,” he said.

Suffice it to say, it was rather a gamble for Tupaz to leave his promising job in a high-end department store in the Philippines for a life of uncertainty in the US.

“I firmly believe in the talent of the Filipino people. When I came to the US in 1986, I really wanted to show everyone that we can be as good as anyone, if not better,” he said.

After years of working in New York, he moved to Los Angeles. In 1997, Tupaz put up his company, aptly named David Tupaz Couture. Through his company, Tupaz makes “event dressings”--clothes people don't normally wear everyday (but when they do, they become stars, Tupaz said).

In 2003, Tupaz's work, for the first time, was featured in the Los Angeles Fashion Week, one of the most anticipated events in the fashion industry. That marked a milestone in his career, boosting his profile as one of the most successful designers in the West Coast.

It wasn't always smooth sailing for Tupaz though. According to him, the company he put up didn't really take off until 10 years later, taking its sweet time to build a solid reputation as a fashion house that mean serious business. But when it did find its stride, it was one job after the other.

With a hectic schedule for Tupaz, making dresses left and right for various clients, it's no surprise that he hasn't gone back to the Philippines since 1994, when his grandfather passed away.

“Most of my clients are Americans. When you're in this business, you have to be hands-on. They don't want to deal with secretaries, they want to deal with me. In more ways than one, I'm like a one-man band,” the fashion designer said.

Someday, he'd like to come back to the Philippines and open a school that would teach students the business side of the fashion industry, something he had to learn for himself the hard way.

“Right now, the fashion industry in the Philippines is more of a cottage industry still. Professionalism is something I learned here in America. Someday, I'd like to share those knowledge to other aspiring young talents,” Tupaz said.

*** This article has been edited for TWIST. The original version of the article ran in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in December 31, 2011 under the Pinoys of the World section ***