Fashion designer Mara Chua has released a velvet corset bearing various designs influenced by the traditions of tattoo art in the Philippines.
The velvet corset serves as a limited edition wearable art and collector’s piece, featuring a multi-textured surface design in gold and black. The design takes loose inspiration from the renowned mambabatok Apo Whang-od’s Buscalan tattoo art style.
![](https://cdn.manilastandard.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mara-Chua-1024x704.jpg)
It is also inspired by the motifs of the ancient tattooed Pintados warriors found in the late 16th-century Spanish manuscript, The Boxer Codex, which showcased illustrations of the inhabitants of the Philippines who were in contact with the Spanish at the time.
![](https://cdn.manilastandard.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mara-Chua1-1024x1022.jpg)
The intricately designed corset is priced at P60,000.
Chua is a fashion designer focused on creating designs that exude subversive femininity and female sexual power. Her designs have been worn by several beauty queens like Vivienne Feucht, Kayla Jean Carter, and Beatrice Luigi Gomez, as well as celebrities and personalities like Marina Summers, Gabbi Garcia, RJ Arboleda, and many others.