As a child, Francis Libiran dared to dream. Against all odds, he decided to become a fashion designer.
“When I was eight, I dreamed of creating beautiful clothes. I would sketch clothes at the back of my notebook and hide it from my parents because I knew they wouldn’t be so supportive. Growing up, that dream didn’t fade — it stayed at the back of my mind and in the core of my heart,” says Francis, whose passion and love for fashion is eternal.
Fast forward to last Dec. 2, when the seasoned artist celebrated his two decades in the industry with a show aptly titled “Dare to Dream: Francis Libiran celebrating 20 years of passion and purpose.” The Grand Ballroom of City of Dreams Manila in Parañaque City overflowed with people important to the designer — celebrities, fashion personalities, family and friends. And yes, his proud parents were in the audience.
A career of two decades is definitely no easy success story. Francis says, “Twenty years in the fashion business is no joke. Twenty years of success means 20 years of inevitable challenges that led me to where I am today. I am overwhelmed because in a span of two decades, I was able to be of service to others — make them look good, feel good, and pay it forward to the community.”
For this designer, success is a team effort of like-minded people who share the same vision. To reach the end goal, it takes a lot of faith, hard work and discipline. “I’ve learned the importance of having faith and being tenacious. Dreaming is not enough. You also have to do the work,” he says.
Furthermore, above and beyond his work is confidence in himself. “You have to believe in yourself; believe that what you want will happen — with the right amount of faith and hard work.”
Twenty years in fashion has opened Francis Libiran to the international platform. In recent years, he has dressed up Hollywood celebrities and personalities such as Darren Criss, Mena Massoud, Billy Porter, Nikki Reed, Gwen Stefani, Angela Basset and the iconic Tyra Banks of America’s Next Top Model. This global Filipino designer is set to create a mark with a bigger dream.
He says, “I am now ready and challenged to create more wonderful works of art and take on the global stage. My excellent team and I will never stop climbing mountains, dreaming bigger and making dreams come true.”
With the spotlight on him, this designer remains humbly unfazed by his success. His dedication to his vision, artistry, his team and people is quite admirable. Makes you wonder, after all that’s said and done, who is Francis Libiran?
“I am still that eight-year-old boy who would lock himself inside his room and sketch his dreams. He is filled with vision and purpose to add beauty in this world. He is a dreamer and will always be a dreamer,” Francis ends.