Fil-Am helps make award-winning eco-friendly gown

A Filipino-American couturier had a hand in making the award-winning and eco-friendly gown worn by "The Artist" star Missi Pyle during the recent 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California.   Pyle's gown, which won the "Red Carpet Green Dress" contest this year, was designed by Valentina Delfino and was made by Birgit Muller, Edwina Pellikka, and Filipino couturier Angelo Santos.   The contest was started by environmentalist Suzy Amis Cameron, the wife of Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron.  It is now being run by Samata Angel, who won the contest in 2011. Suzy wanted designers all over the world to create designs made of sustainable materials and worthy of the Oscars.   According to the Red Carpet Green Dress website, Pyle's gown was made of peace silk and organic chiffon, lined with vintage lining and using a recycled zipper. The fabric was hand-dyed on Californian soil at an OSHA-approved facility while the color was created using natural mineral dyes to achieve a pastel aqua shade.   To avoid using electricity and leave a lower carbon footprint, all of the pleating on the dress was done by hand. Valentino will reportedly receive the Congressional Record of Achievement in Fashion Design for designing the eco-friendly gown.   One week to make a dress   In an email to GMA News Online, Angel said Santos and his team were only given one week to make the dress.   "It was offered to a lot of couturiers but they refused it , because the dress had to be done in less than a week before the Oscars. It was finally offered to me and I accepted it, because I knew it would be an important dress at the Oscars," Santos said in an article posted on the Asian Journal. Santos said he prefers to be called a couturier because they know how to make clothes unlike fashion designers who only know how to draw.   Santos was born on January 28, 1965 to Renato Santos and Purita Cuyugan Santos in San Miguel, Tarlac.   He attended the College of the Holy Spirit and the Don Bosco Academy in Tarlac.   After moving to the US in 1981, he attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and Trade Technical College there.     He worked for several famous couturiers and costume designers until he opened his own atelier in 2001.   He was later hired to become a full-time couturier of the television show "The Bold and the Beautiful."   According to the Asian Journal, Santos has already made clothes for Pyle, Cindy Crawford, Paula Abdul, Tina Turner, Cher, and Bruce Springsteen, among others.   Santos has likewise received the following awards:

  “The advice that I can give to aspiring Pinoys is to always work hard and dream big. Be passionate with your goals in life. You need to live and breathe what it is that you want. If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t give up, be willing to be wrong and be willing to start over," Santos told the Asian Journal. "Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. They will move with you toward your goal. And lastly, always ask for God’s help and guidance in fulfilling your dreams, and when that happens, don’t forget to thank Him and the people that helped you achieve your dream,”  he added. -- VVP, GMA News