Dua Lipa just finished the Manila leg to her Radical Optimism tour. Held at the Philippine Arena on November 13, the British-Albanian singer sang and danced to her hits such as, "Houdini," "Training Season," and "Illusion". She was met with the warmest response from her Filipino fans and being in the Philippines, she heard the whole Philippine Arena sing along with her (and in tune, at that!).
Known for her radical optimism (see what I did there?) Dua took to her Instagram stories to share her excitement after the show. She wrote, "Loved every moment on that stage tonight." But apart from her appreciation towards everyone who came, something else also caught fans' eyes. Eagle-eyed fans immediately spotted Dua wearing a jersey that reads, "Pilipinas". And in true, Pinoy pride fashion, made noise across social media.
ALSO READ: We Can't Get Enough Of Dua Lipa's *Daring* Wedding Guest OOTD
Dua Lipa's Pilipinas Jersey
The jersey the Grammy-award-winning artist was wearing was actually a sweet gift from the Dua Lipa Philippines fanbase. As Dua's official Philippine street team, they are recognized by Warner Music Philippines and Dua Lipa herself. This helped in making their personal gift possible. The team partnered with Trese PH, a thrift and merch shop, as their sponsor who printed the jersey.
In their Instagram post, the fanbase also wrote that the customized jersey is actually "designed as a personal gift for Dua, showcasing Filipino craftsmanship and creativity. The design features elements inspired by her tour, combined with Filipino culture." It was a thoughtful gift ideated by the team, headed by their president Angelene Atienza and co-admins Mardenn Digay, and John Myer Bernardo. It was also designed by a member of the Dua Lipa Philippines team, too!
ALSO READ: Apparently, Dua Lipa's New Haircut Was Just An Accident
The Design Behind Dua Lipa's Customized Philippine Jersey
Multimedia Artist Celeena Umali was the designer who worked on Dua's jersey. Sharing the full design, she said, it was inspired by Filipino national team jerseys, such as the Gilas Pilipinas jersey to help represent Dua Lipa Philippines. "Since it's been six years since Dua last came here, we did something special that would remind her of her stay here. And to also [let her] feel the love and support of her Filipino fans," she said in an interview.
In an exclusive conversation with Cosmo, she detailed that the jersey featured the Philippine flag colors. Like their inspiration from Pilipinas team jerseys, she included "Pilipinas" in front, with the sun from the Philippine flag. A small feature they added was a patch with the Dua Lipa Philippines name, to really emulate what a jersey looked like. She shared that it was the whole team who collectively decided that it would be inspired by Pilipinas jerseys. And as the designer, she made sure to apply these elements.
The back, on the other hand, was not seen in Dua's post, but had the details "Dua" and "95" written on it. "Dua written there is self-explanatory, but we added 95 because her birth year is 1995." she explained.
In her Instagram post after the concert, Dua wrote, "Manila that was WILD!! That has to be one of the loudest crowds ever!!!!! Thank you for your energy! I've missed you."
Dua is currently on the Asian leg of her Radical Optimism tour. Before coming to the Philippines, she went to Singapore. It can also be remembered that she had to cancel her Indonesian leg over reported safety issues.
View this post on Instagram
