MANILA, Philippines – Ahtisa Manalo graced the Miss Universe 2025 stage with cherished Filipino tradition as she brings to life the festival queen in her national costume titled “FESTEJADA: Queen of Philippine Festivals.”
The 26-year-old beauty queen from Quezon province unveiled the ensemble during the Miss Universe National Costume presentation in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, November 19, just days before the coronation night on Friday, November 21.
Made by renowned Filipino designer Mak Tumang, the ensemble is a homage to the Filipinos’ deep-rooted tradition of festivals and a way to honor women who shaped our history.
In a video released by Empire Philippines titled “AHTI5A 4 U-National Costume,” the designer looked back on how the meaningful concept began, how it evolved, and how the final masterpiece came to life.
Mak first revealed that he rarely receives opportunities to design national costumes since he is widely known for his majestic long gowns and evening attires. So when Ahtisa personally called him to ask if he could create her national costume, he immediately said yes.
“Way back in college, I took up production design. Na-immerse kami sa costume history, costume designing and execution, of course. ‘Yun talaga yung background ko bago ako naging fashion designer. So nung sinabihan ako na gagawa ng costume, na-excite ako kasi mapapakita ko ‘yung other side of me,” he said.
(Way back in college, I took up production design. We were immersed in costume history, costume designing, and execution, of course. That was really my background before I became a fashion designer. So when I was told that I’d be making a costume, I got excited because I was finally going to be able to show the other side of me.)
During the planning stage, Mak said that Ahtisa told him she wanted to become a festival queen, which meant the look had to be light, danceable, big, and of course, beautiful.
From that idea, he decided to use the traje de mestiza silhouette, noting that the traditional Filipina attire had not been showcased on the Miss Universe stage in recent years. Its iconic components such as the baro (blouse), camisa (embroidered blouse), panuelo (shawl), tapis (wrap-around skirt), and saya (skirt) became the building blocks of the concept.
From merging the festival queen idea with the traje de mestiza emerged “Festejada,” with its character inspired by Maria Clara, the dignified heroine of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and is considered to be the ideal model of a modest Filipina.
This characterization defined the upper silhouette, while the skirt transformed into a vibrant tribute to three major Philippine festivals.
The pattern of the multilayered skirt took inspiration from Pampanga’s Giant Lantern Festival, locally known as Ligligan Parol. Its radiant design resembles a brilliant display of lanterns that symbolize hope and unity.
Next, the colors of the skirt captured the joyful palette of Lucban’s Pahiyas Festival, featuring green, yellow, orange, pink, and red — shades long associated with bountiful harvests and abundance.
Lastly, its texture referenced the designs of the floral floats of Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival. The texture is created through more than 65,000 individually sewn heat-pressed petals crafted from glitter fabric.
To further add the Filipino heritage flair, Mak used piña fabric in the upper portion of the ensemble, one of the most luxurious and culturally significant textiles in the country.
He embellished the panuelo and mangas (sleeves) with embroidered palay (rice) grains, a nod to one of the nation’s most important sources of livelihood. Fan-shaped elements were also inserted in the design to complement its overall festival theme.
Completing the look is a stylized peineta, a decorative golden comb designed with colorful flowers and leaf patterns that crown Ahtisa as the ultimate Filipino festival queen.
“First reaction ko nung nakita ko, syempre sobrang tuwa kasi ito yung pinagpaguran namin. Wow, sobrang ganda! Ito na yung pinapangarap ko, nabuo na,” he said. “Kaya sana magustuhan ng mga Filipino yung hinanda namin para sa kanila.”
(My first reaction when I saw it, of course I was so happy because that’s what we worked hard for. Wow, it’s so beautiful! This is what I dreamed of and I hope the Filipinos would love what we prepared for them.)
Ahtisa Manalo hopes to bring home the fifth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines. The coronation will be streamed live on the Miss Universe YouTube channel on Friday starting at 9 am, Manila time. – Rappler.com