‘My Nanay keeps me grounded’

Sewn into the very fabric of Michael Leyva’s soul is humility despite his gleaming name in the Philippine fashion scene. His clients come from the upper crust of society, even from the portals of power. Despite his fame—and fortune—he remains grounded.

The reason: “My Nanay.”

Merly Leyva, his mother, is his anchor, the enabler of his dreams. He does good in life because of his conscious effort to make her happy.

“My mother taught me that it is always important to keep my feet on the ground. She keeps me grounded,” he says. That lesson comes in handy because with his prominence in the fashion stage, it is very easy to be swept by the tides of egotism. But fame and arrogance are not in the tapestry of Michael. Not to a man whose life was once a beadwork of challenges. Not to a man who knows—and looks back to it with pride—that “once upon a time my mother had to pawn her jewelry so I could pay my tuition in college.”

“I was not born rich. My brothers and I would spin a bottle as to who would have the last extra slice of pizza. We would go to school with a promissory note to take the exam because our parents did not have the money yet. But my brothers and I were rich because of my mother’s love. We were rich because we knew we have the support of Nanay and Tatay,” he says.

Nanay Merly is quintessential in her simplicity. Her modesty borders on being shy. But where her motherhood is needed, she becomes a staunch supporter of her son.

“When they were growing up, the only thing I taught Michael and his five brothers was to be kind. Maging mabuti sila. Huwag mag-bisyo (To be kind. Never to have a vice). I have six boys and not one of them gave me and my husband a problem,” Nanay Merly says.

Nanay Merly owned a bakery before she opened a canteen in a school in Antipolo. Her husband Bobot Leyva used to run a construction business until he suffered a stroke in 2010. Michael would pass by his mom’s canteen before going to the University of Santo Tomas where he finished BS Tourism. He would eat first his lunch in the canteen because his allowance was only good for his transportation fare from Antipolo to Manila. By dinnertime, he would be back home.

“Antipolo has always been home to me,” Michael says. With his earnings from being a designer, he built a gorgeous, three-story home in a subdivision in the heart of Antipolo City, with his brothers Roy and Eric as the architects. Instead of leaving his parents in their ancestral home in the city, Michael brought them with him. The artsy home — peppered with artworks, some by masters like National Artists Bencab and Arturo Luz — was a product of his dreams to provide for his parents.

Michael admits that he was an average student in college. But he had superior dreams — a better life for his family.

“I work hard for my family. My driving force is my family. And my late brother Brian,” he says. He mentioned the name of his brother with reverence in his tone and a throttle in his voice. Not long after did tears flow down his cheeks. There was dignity and devotion in his unbidden tears.

His older brother Brian was the “original designer in the family.” He was a central figure in the Leyva household, often seen in the living room sewing dresses and gowns. Every member of the family supported his budding career in fashion design. His brothers would accompany him to Divisoria to buy textile. His mother would help in the beadwork. His father would hitch him in his motorcycle to deliver the gowns to his clients. Brian had an encompassing presence in their lives until a tragedy befell him: He was robbed of his cellphone and shot by the thief on the eve of Michael’s college graduation. He was in a coma for two days until he succumbed to a bullet that pierced through his head on March 31, 2010. Emotional bedlam befell the Leyvas.

“Kung sa paa lamang sana siya binaril, naalagaan pa sana namin siya (If only he was shot on the foot, he would still be alive today and we would be able to take care of him),” Nanay Merly says, her eyes devoid of tears, her voice still heavy with grief.

Michael recalls that his mother egged him to attend his graduation while his brother was fighting for his life at the ICU. He did. But did not remember anything about the occasion.

But Nanay Merly remembers the circumstances before that fateful moment. “Michael and I came from my daughter-in-law’s house because I had to borrow a bag from her that I would use for the graduation. Before Brian was shot, Michael was on the phone asking Brian what color of shoes would match the blue top I would wear.”

After his brother was laid to rest, Michael asked his family never to sell or discard the sewing machine and other things of his brother. He eventually found a job as a flight attendant. He only lasted six months in his job. Then he picked up from where his brother had left off: fashion design.

He did not know anything about the craft but he knew “Kuya Brian would guide me.” Day and night, he prayed to him. He coasted along until he was able to sew, so to speak, a thousand and one threads. Before 2010 ended, he could already make a dress.

“I was not born a fashion designer but my Kuya Brian was. When you do something that you do not know, you have to like it. You have to tell yourself that you like it. I love my Kuya Brian that much that I would learn from the sketches that he did before he passed away. I never knew that it was also God’s design that I would have this career,” Michael says.

With his earnings, Michael went to Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion design. He also availed himself of mentorship sessions with veteran fashion designer Jojie Lloren.  He coupled his new learnings with grit and eventually he began to be noticed.

Hard work and dedication to his newfound passion have become his armaments to succeed. He knew that the OG designer in their family was Brian but he took up fashion design to keep the memories of his brother alive.

Soon his name became a buzzword among those into fashion. He became a brand name. He is so trusted that fame became Michael’s twin.

“Masaya ako para sa anak ko. Maligaya ako na naipagpatuloy niya ang mga ginagawa ni Brian. Masaya ako dahil suportadong buong pamilya ang career niya. Kahit kailan, walang issue ang mga anak ko. Hindi sila nag-away (I’m happy for my son. I am joyful that he is able to continue what Brian was doing before. I’m happy because our whole family supports his career. Ever since, my children have no issues against each other. They don’t fight),” Nanay Merly says.

Has Nanay Merly gotten used to her son’s fame?

“Ay hindi pa rin. Mahiyain ako (Not yet. I’m the shy type),” she quickly says. But her son’s close friends — like Kris Aquino and her sons Bimby and Joshua, Vice Ganda, Heart Evangelista and Rep. Len Alonte -— are fans of her kare-kare, which she cooks for them when they visit their home.

How proud is Nanay Merly of her son Michael? She kept quiet. And with a glance at her son, she communicated an ocean of emotions. Words, that moment, were inadequate to verbalize the pride of being a mother to a dutiful son.

“With my Nanay, every day is Mother’s Day. It brings me so much joy to make her and Tatay happy. And they have simple happiness. I am happy when they are happy.

“I will continue to work hard because of them,” Michael concludes. *