Heading for the Eras Tour? This Filipina designer makes a perfect ensemble fit for every era’s aesthetic.
For inventive minds such as designer Mara Chua, the creative process is constant. It takes a certain fire to nurture a craft, and since 2013, Mara Chua has brought a one-of-a-kind touch to the fashion industry. The designer made her mark with pieces that are thought-provoking and unique, reaching artists such as Angelina Cruz, Nadine Lustre, and more. In an exclusive interview with the designer, we delve into her recent works that have taken on a ‘Swiftie’ role—dresses designed after Taylor Swift’s looks or albums. So if you’re heading to the Eras Tour and looking for your custom dress as a Speak Now, Reputation, Fearless girl, or whatever your era is, Mara Chua is your designer.
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A new era of dresses
Stepping out of formal, evening, and bridal wear was not something Mara ever expected doing in her career, but she says “This was a pretty happy accident that I just maximized.” This pivot in her usual creations began with a client who chose to wear a look to the Eras Tour in Tokyo after her original event got canceled. Mara posted the fitting photos on her Instagram, and then a Swiftie reached out to have a look made for the same concert. This began a line of stunning Taylor Swift-inspired pieces that “felt like prom season, only sexier and more ‘adult’ with lower necklines and higher hemlines, with snakes instead of the sweet stuff…which is, frankly, more my thing.”
What makes a dress
As creatives, when opportunity knocks, all you can do is open the door. And with this new experience, Mara’s favorite part is the collaboration process. “I like going back and forth with ideas and elements we can incorporate into their looks,” the designer shares. “I heavily draw inspiration from pop culture and music with my more personal work, so this felt like an extension of what I enjoy doing.”
The impeccable construction and all the intricate handmade details make it certain that Mara’s creations have a life of their own. This is shaped by, ultimately, the shared vision the designer and the client work through. “I encourage them to collate as much visuals as they can to narrow things down until we can produce something cohesive and put-together,” Mara says. “I always tie the ideas up with our signatures like our corsetry.”
Corsetry is the Mara Chua touch. Her current pattern of how the dresses hug the body is a result of a desire to create pieces in tune with Filipina proportions. With her Taylor Swift creations, then, the fit, mobility, and comfort are aspects she always has to leave room for. “Concerts are not like our usual formal events,” the designer says. “For this, the corsets can’t be as tight as our standard formals since the wearer needs to be able to dance and move a lot. What we do is make a lot of the styles adjustable, so they can cinch the garment depending on how tight they want it.”
Mara also mentions that climate and location is another factor. “We had to consider that Tokyo was still pretty cold, so we piled on layers. With the Singapore leg, it was the opposite, so there’s a lot more looks that showed more skin.”
Your dress—even after
The designer shares that marrying wearability with ideas to make it look like a dress was the most challenging part. “There’s a fine line between wearable garments and costumes,” Mara told us. “Most of our clients go to us for dresses they can wear even after the concert. They’re looking for pieces they can still rewear.” See? Your Eras Tour dress can also be timeless.
When asked what Taylor Swift look she would want to personally create, Mara answers “The fully crystalized custom Atelier Versace bodysuit. That would be so much fun to remake,” referring to Taylor’s opening stage outfit for the Lover era. Lover girls, it’s your time to shine.
PHOTOS AND FEATURED IMAGE: MARA CHUA, DENISSE SY, NEKI LORA (Via Instagram)
