Catriona Gray's gown for her final walk was inspired by the Waling-Waling flower

On Instagram, Mak Tumang — the same designer who has been creating Catriona Gray's winning looks — shared his inspiration behind the gown the outgoing Miss Universe Philippines wore in her farewell walk: the Waling-Waling flower.

"Many regard it as the rarest, most beautiful and the most expensive among all the flora our country has. This rightfully gives justice to its being dubbed as the 'Queen of Philippine Flowers'...This representation fits perfectly to what our Miss Universe Catriona Gray is," a portion of his caption read.

 

 

 

 

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Waling Waling The Waling-waling is a paragon of unmitigated beauty. Many regard it as the rarest, most beautiful and the most expensive among all the flora our country has. This rightfully gives justice to its being dubbed as the “Queen of Philippine Flowers”. Moreover, even the native Bagobos revered it as a “diwata” (fairy) because of its unparalleled and captivating beauty. This representation fits perfectly to what our Miss Universe Catriona Gray is. She is absolutely a queen of beauty and substance. This flower, like Catriona, continues to be on treetops and aspires for greater heights. The Queen of the Filipinos' hearts bids farewell to her reign here. Yet, she will incessantly reach and touch the bright sun, making her justly symbolic of the Filipino’s unceasing hope and tenacity.

A post shared by Mak Tumang (@maktumang) on

Jun 9, 2019 at 9:42am PDT

Comparing Catriona to the Waling-Waling, Mak said both aspire for greater heights. "The Queen of the Filipinos' hearts bids farewell to her reign here. Yet, she will incessantly reach and touch the bright sun, making her justly symbolic of the Filipino’s unceasing hope and tenacity," he said.

As in their efforts for the Miss Universe competition, the gown is as beautifully inspired, Mak. — LA, GMA News