Mark Bumgarner

Mark Bumgarner wasn’t supposed to be a fashion designer. Earlier in his life, he was worlds away, making a name for himself as a professional race car driver. He eventually realised that fashion and design were his calling and decided to switch careers. “I fell in love with the fashion industry by accident,” he told Tatler. “I started with having zero business knowledge to making it my full-time career.”

Once he started doing something he loved, Bumgarner quickly found success. He grew his brand from the bottom up and established himself internationally. Now, he can say he’s dressed celebrities like Pia Wurtzbach and Aishwarya Rai, as well as the Austrian pop singer and heiress Victoria Swarovski. “My ambition for the future is for us Filipino designers to have a global platform to show our creativity,” he said. “I believe in the Filipino creative, and the world needs to know about us.”

In 2023, Michelle Dee wore a custom Mark Bumgarner gown at the prestigious Miss Universe Philippines pageant. Not only did Dee nab the crown, but she also won the Best in Evening Gown award. Minimalist and elegant, the black gown was a daring move by the designer, who opted to move away from the sparkly, maximalist dresses typical of most beauty queen pageants. “I wanted Michelle to shine, not the dress,” he explained in an Instagram post. “It was a risk, in the sea of bling!”—one that certainly paid off.

Michelle Dee went on to compete in the 2023 Miss Universe evening gown portion wearing another Mark Bumgarner gown, which was designed as a tribute to tattooist Apo Whang-Od.