Michael Leyva once thought his future would be spent in the skies, doling out orange juice and adjusting seatbacks as a flight attendant. “I loved to travel,” he recalls with a soft laugh, “and I thought that being a flight steward would let me see the world for free.” But eight months into the job, he knew it wasn’t for him. “It was too monotonous,” he says. “Every day was the same.”

Little did he know, his next act would take him even higher.

His journey into fashion began not with ambition, but with grief. After the sudden passing of his brother Brian—a fashion designer himself—Leyva was left with a handful of unfinished client gowns and a family wondering what to do next. “My mum and dad asked if I wanted to continue what he started,” he says. “I didn’t know anything about fashion. Nothing about sketching, nothing about fabric, but I felt like I needed to do it for him.”

Related article: All The Fashion News You Need To Know Right Now

He recalls working on a red gown, and feeling stumped about how to design the rest of the dress. “I remember asking for a sign,” Leyva recalls. That night, he dreamt of that red gown on a mannequin. “I was staring at it, frozen, not knowing how to finish it,” he shares. “Then, in my dream, my brother appeared beside me. He took the pins from my hand and said, ‘I’ll finish it for you.’” He pauses, eyes misting. “That was it. That was my sign to continue my journey in fashion.”

From those humble beginnings—he recounts a hilarious story of having to hold fittings at Starbucks, sneaking into the bathroom with borrowed passcodes from other cafe patrons—Leyva has become one of Southeast Asia’s most sought-after designers. His atelier now hums with the energy of seamstresses, sketches, and Swarovski crystals. His gowns, ethereal and painstakingly detailed, have graced runways from Dubai to Los Angeles. Most recently, one of them appeared on Leyva’s longtime friend and fashion muse, Heart Evangelista, on the cover of Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore’s July 2025 issue.

Related article: Heart Evangelista Is Living Her Truth, And She’s Just Getting Started

“Designing for Heart is always a joy,” Leyva says, beaming. “She’s kind, she’s gracious, and she gives you so much creative freedom. For this cover, I wanted her to look immaculate. I’m very religious, and I see Heart almost akin to an angel. That was the vision.”

The resulting dress is a vision in itself: delicate in its fragile white colour yet dramatic in its swooping hood and a daringly low neckline, it showcases Leyva’s signature eye for balancing his couture sensibilities without losing focus of the wearability that he promises his clients. “I always tell my team, it can be couture, it can be detailed, but it must be wearable,” he says. “Because that’s the magic: it must feel luxurious, but you have to feel like yourself wearing it.”

Leyva’s philosophy is deeply collaborative. He begins every commission with a conversation. “I always sit with the client first,” he explains. “I want to know how they want to feel. What do they want to look like? What are they dreaming of? Because when they wear that gown, they must feel confident. They must feel special. They must feel beautiful.”

It’s this emotional intelligence, paired with impeccable craftsmanship, which has earned him a loyal following. “When someone wears Michael Leyva, I want them to feel expensive,” he says with a laugh. “But more than that, I want them to feel like the most beautiful version of themselves.”

As proud as he is of his international success, Leyva remains rooted in his Filipino identity. His work often incorporates elements of the terno, the traditional Filipiniana dress with butterfly sleeves. Just a few days before we sat down for this interview, he crafted 200 individual ternos for attendees at a government inauguration in the Philippines. “Each one was different,” he says. “Because every person is different. You have to design for the individual.”

Related article: Ins And Outs: Here Are All The Major Designer Changes In Fashion

He’s also quick to champion Filipino craftsmanship on the world stage. “Filipinos are hardworking for sure, but it’s the heart we put into every stitch that makes our work stand out,” he says. “There’s soul in what we do.”

Still, he admits that Southeast Asian fashion has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. “The talent is there, the passion is there,” he says. “We just need the exposure. The platform. And most importantly, we need to support each other. When one of us rises, we all rise.”

If you ask Leyva what his proudest moment has been, he doesn’t mention the celebrities or the couture week appearances. Instead, he talks about the early days when gowns were assembled by hand at night, and the marquee of Michael Leyva was virtually unheard of. “I couldn’t even afford a coffee back then,” he says. “But I showed up. I gave my 110 percent.”

Now, with a thriving brand and a seat at fashion’s proverbial table, Leyva is looking ahead. His dream? Dressing the likes of Kate Middleton or Michelle Obama. “I love Michelle’s style,” he says. “She’s not afraid to experiment. Plus, she supports young designers, which is the kind of visibility that means everything.”

For the next generation of Filipino designers, Leyva has this advice: “Even if you’re not the best, give your heart. Be grateful, and keep showing up. Because if you love what you’re doing, everything else will follow.”

From stewarding the skies to stewarding fashion dreams, Leyva’s journey is a reminder that greatness doesn’t always begin with grand ambitions. Sometimes, it starts with love, loss, and the courage to keep going. With each gown stitched from memory and meaning, he’s not just elevating Filipino fashion; he’s lifting everyone who sees themselves in it.