MANILA, Philippines — Filipino purse designer Neil Felipp shared how his fashionable clutches got featured in the popular movie "Crazy Rich Asians."
In the movie, his handbags were mostly carried by Astrid, played by Gemma Chan.
Felipp is a young designer based in Cebu whose intricate, handmade bags have been carried at gala events by celebrities such as Anne Curtis, Heart Evangelista, Sarah Lahbati, Pia Wurtzbach and Megan Young.
Felipp told Preview Magazine that his designs were personally recommended by "Crazy Rich Asians" book author Kevin Kwan to be part of the film adaptation.
Neil said, "It was through a personal recommendation by the author, Kevin Kwan, who asked if I would be interested to have my minaudieres used in the film, 'Crazy Rich Asians'."
He added, "Of course, I immediately said yes since it would be a privilege to part of a historical Hollywood film."
Neil also shared how he finally met the book author, "We were only able to finally meet after a year or two when he visited Cebu to promote his third book, 'Rich People Problems,' which I'm greatly honored to have the Neil Felipp brand mentioned in as well."
The young designer described his style, "My design aesthetic is ethereal elegance. The stories that inspire every minaudiere I make are mostly drawn from dreams. I design them in a way so that they have an equal balance of subtlety and are still able to deliver impact as a statement piece."
He also mentioned that his key design elements are "the intricate brass detail." He added, "Once you go deeper into each collection, [there's a] story that each piece holds."
Felipp uses a distinct, long-lost wax casting technique to craft the tiny golden figurines into his clutch bags.
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