"As a crown designer, I am always particular with the size and proper proportion of the crown, especially the crown is meant for a Filipina. There is grandness but tasteful."
- Manny Halasan Crown/Jewelry Designer
As they say, the crown is not just an emblem of victory but also signifies the values and principles that the competition represents or stands for. A crown tells a story symbolizing beauty, elegance, and grace. And this is where the role of the crown designer comes into play. As an art form, it is the work of the crown designer to transform women into queens, and such creations are not just accessories but a representation of their journey to becoming the winner.
"When Meiji (Cruz) approached me that Miss CosmoWorld Philippines was happening, I asked her if there was already someone who would do the crown. But when she told me there was none yet, and she requested if I could make the crown, I instantly said yes and that we could work together for this endeavor. I even told her that we must include crowns for the runners-up," shared the crown maker.
He also emphasized that the job of a crown designer is not just to create beautiful and unique crowns but to understand the essence of the competition and be able to translate the vision of the pageant organizers into a tangible form that reflects the beauty and grace of the contestants.
According to Halasan, the crown design was a collaboration. "Meiji instructed me clearly that there should be "blue" in the crown since it is the main color of MCWP. And the concept must anchor to our country," he added. The design of the crown has its value and meaning.
"The crown stands for what the MCWP pageant advocates, women empowerment and financial literacy. It is different; and an eye-opener. What is more important is that we should all be financially literate and be able to protect and handle our money and secure our future wisely," he stressed.
And how different is this crown from his other designs? "It's very much different," replied the designer, "because this is the very first crown "edition" for a new pageant. It's like creating a "cast or mold." There is no background or prior crown to follow or get inspiration from. This will be the "mother" crown for a new pageant. It's exciting and challenging."
As a boy, Halasan grew up exposed to crown and jewelry design. His family was one of the pioneers in the metal craft business (Halasan Metal Craft) in Meycauyan (Bulacan), the seat of jewelry and crown making began.
"Our family has been in the crown-making industry for almost 50 years," said the designer who created his first crown in 1997. "At a very young age, I was already taught by my grandparents (Tatay Menong and Nanay Norma) how to create jewelry. That's where my inspiration and curiosity started. They allowed me to immerse, play, and be aware of the business. I was allowed to be creative, get cuts and burns, and I was allowed to fail. And that, I learned what will work and what will not. I was allowed to explore, learn and express my artistry."
In terms of fulfillment, Halasan stressed that creating a crown is like designing a national costume or a dress. "There is always fulfillment in seeing your vision to reality, the ability to make and given the freedom to express your craft, and at the end of the day, to bring honor to my family and hopefully our country. That's the ultimate fulfillment," he explained.
How soon will the crown be revealed to the public? At this point, Halasan said that making the crown is in process. And there will be revisions and updates. "Expect more stones from the initial design. Approximately, the bejeweled crown will cost Php2,000,000.00," he disclosed. 08/10/2023 (The Lifestyle Portal)
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