Miss Universe Asia 2024 Chelsea Manalo. Image: Facebook/Jojo Bragais
Filipino shoe maker Jojo Bragais, who has provided heels for top international and national pageants, has found his latest muse worthy of a tribute design—reigning Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo.
His shoe designs are all named after famous Filipino beauty queens and pageant icons, and the Philippines’ Miss Universe delegates since 2019 have all been immortalized with their namesake shoes.
Manalo took home the Miss Jojo Bragais award during the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, the only special award she received during the national competition.
Her predecessors Michelle Marquez Dee, Celeste Cortesi, Beatrice Luigi Gomez, Rabiya Mateo and Gazini Ganados all have their Bragais tribute designs — MMD, Celeste, Luigi, Rabiya and Gazini, respectively.
Bragais shared a video of the moment Manalo saw her tribute shoe for the first time on social media. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful! Nooooo, it’s beautiful!” the beauty queen exclaimed in a mix of English and Filipino.
“Thank you, Jojo Bragais, and the whole team. Kinikilig ako (I’m so giddy). Whoever will walk in this pair of heels, it’s not just a heel, it’s a story, your confidence, your dreams that you have to walk into,” she said during the filming of her retro-themed promotional campaign for the particular design.
READ: Chelsea Manalo did a great job at Miss Universe 2024, says Shamcey Supsup
The high-heeled design incorporates a platform for an added boost, and three straps strategically placed to help secure it in place. Manalo received the shoes in glossy silver, with nude also available as another color option.
Bragais said he has already worked with Manalo in 2021 for the promotional campaign for his “Jehza” shoe line used for the 69th Miss Universe pageant, wearing the shade ‘Cocoa’ introduced that year, and intended for delegates with darker skin
“I gave her a pair of Jehza in Cocoa shade. Then comes February of 2022, Chelsea sent me a photo of her wearing the shoes in a Mega campaign. I was really happy seeing the photo. It was really beautiful. I told her I will send her more pairs to show my appreciation for her using my shoes, but she refused and said she will message me if ever she will be joining a pageant,” Bragais told INQUIRER.net in an online interview.
He said he saw his own travails in life in Manalo’s own struggles as a pageant contestant. “Chelsea is an underdog, came from a very simple family, who lacked resources and support because many didn’t see her potential, and there were a lot of queens who many believed deserve the crown more,” Bragais said.
“It’s been six years since I designed a pair of shoes that I truly incorporated my heart, and the heart of the queen competing, into a masterpiece. I missed that feeling,” he added.
Bestowing the “Miss Jojo Bragais” award to Manalo boiled down to the filming of his campaign for the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
“She was just sitting quietly in one of the chairs and just waiting for her turn. Then as the shoot went on, I and the director Rod Singh were looking at the monitor, and we knew we have a dark horse. And that moment I knew the winner should be someone who represents the core of my company,” Bragais shared.
Manalo trounced more popular delegates, even those who had already scored international placements, to become the first black woman to represent the Philippines in Miss Universe. She eventually advanced to the Top 30 of the global contest, and was subsequently proclaimed as Miss Universe Asia.