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The secrets behind the Darna makeup looks and costumes

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Liezel dela Cruz

As avid viewers of <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna">Mars Ravelo’s Darna</a>, one of our favorite elements in the series is whenever Jane de Leon sheds her EMT uniform and transforms into Darna, donning the superhero’s iconic red and gold costume. Even the villains are power-dressed to fit the show’s vision and narrative.In this special interview, Darna’s creative team lets us in on what went into building the characters’ costumes and looks.Darna has been around since the 1900s. Therefore, one of the challenges that costume maker Christian Mark Rodil met was to craft an ensemble that looks more refreshing and modern, yet will pay homage to the female icon, “Kasi ang alam natin sa Darna, red and gold tapos naka-two piece. Paano siya magiging bago sa paningin ng mga manonood?”Different materials like silicone and various types of fabrics were integrated into the final output. Christian admitted that the process was a test of his limits. For Darna’s beauty look, makeup artist Joel Atienza did a lot of research, as he had to differentiate Narda and Darna’s appearances. They did several look tests and made changes along the way and settled for a more natural glow that’s more on the shade of bronze. “We have to step up with the demands of the industry, with the global mileage that we have,” said Joel.As for Janella Salvador’s Valentina, he mentioned it was a three-dimensional collaboration between him, the prosthetics artists, and the CGI artists. He started by hunting for pegs and the production approved the look right away.Carian Cruz, Master Seamstress, also talked about making the Super Soldiers costumes. On Dawn Chang’s Maisha, they had to carefully search for materials that would look flattering on her. They settled for iridescent fabric, the color of which seemingly changes when seen from different angles.“When we do the costumes, it should look good on the camera. Paaangatin niya lalo ‘yung karakter na nagsuot ng costume na ‘yun,” shared Director Darnel Villaflor. Apart from aesthetics, it also had to be comfortable during fight scenes.On Paolo Gumabao’s Noah, they opted for neoprene fabric and put cracks that provide ventilation. The same went for Simon Ibarra aka Zaldy’s costume, which used breathable fabric and the design has some parts exposed.Young JV’s blue outfit as Andre has detachable sleeves, so he can move comfortably in it. For Kim Rodriguez’s Ishna, they considered the Martean look and took inspiration from Borgo’s suit and made it more feminine, still using the gold and bronze color palette.According to Carian, Mac Manicad, who plays Super Soldier Ali, took part in building his suit since he’s a big fan of superhero movies. “It was fun working with Kuya Mac sa costume niya kasi marami siyang ideas kung paano ide-deliver ‘yung costume niya. We took those advice.”It required a great deal of collaboration, creativity, and technical skill to make the Darna wardrobe. It was a complex experience, yet fun and it brought these creatives lifelong lessons. “Feeling ko nag-mature ako dito. Ang laki ng knowledge na nakuha ko dito. You will appreciate each and every person that works in production,” mused Joel.Don’t miss the remaining episodes of <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/darna">Mars Ravelo’s Darna</a> on <a href="https://kapamilyachannel.com/">Kapamilya Channel</a>, <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/articles-news/kapamilya-channel-livestream-12685">Kapamilya Online Live</a>, and A2Z.