Cirimille Paglinawan: Brains, Beauty, and Business
The biggest lie many people tell themselves is that they’re incapable of doing something. But local business owner and fashion designer Cirimille Paglinawan doesn’t believe that.
On top of helping her parents run CMC Boutique, a local family business specializing in Filipino boleros, barongs, and more, Paglinawan also designs her own clothes and competes in pageants!
Winning the 2023 Miss Nevada Regency Title, Cirimille was able to create her platform, ‘Embracing Your Cultural Legacy.’ With this platform, She aims to inspire people with her story to truly dive into their cultural roots, learn about their backgrounds, and embrace who they are.
“I recently have been able to guest speak at a couple of Filipino Clubs at high schools here in Las Vegas. It was truly inspiring to see the younger generation really be involved and interested in connecting with Philippine culture,” said Paglinawan. “Aside from that, I have been able to attend many leadership conferences and community events; I am now the host of a radio show for PHLV Radio, I volunteer my time to local food banks, and am a Director for Membership of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Greater Nevada… What an honor it is to be able to represent our Las Vegas and Filipino Community.”
Finding Her Passion
Surprisingly, becoming a business owner, Miss Nevada, or a designer wasn’t Paglinawan’s first route. She attended UNLV and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. While she intended to head to grad school for her doctorate in physical therapy, fate chose a different route for her. And so, she began her successful career working with something she was passionate about.
“I learned that things can change, and in the end, it will be okay. You are destined for greater things out there,” Paglinawan said. “So try new things, try old things, do what makes you happy, dive into your hobbies; you really never know what could come out of it. I would have never expected that I would be going back to something so significant in my childhood and LOVING IT.”
Process of Designing Clothes
Not only does Paglinawan inspire others on the runway and at her business, but she also inspires through her designs! Paglinawan helps blend traditional and modern styles by using some old and new aspects of Filipino and American wear.
Paglinawan said that our Westernized styles here in the States inspire her, and she often mixes some Western clothing aspects with traditional Filipiniana and Barong styles. For example, Paglinawan is interested in seeing how the modern gowns people typically wear to parties would look mixed with the iconic Filipiniana Butterfly/Terno Sleeves.
“Just by observing the trends that we see today and imagining what they look like mixed with Filipino clothing attributes, the possibilities are immeasurable,” Paglinawan said. “I think the most favorite design of mine is our Cropped Style Filipinina blouse, especially since cropped style clothes have been so popular for quite some time with fashion. Being able to mix that with our Filipino culture is so awesome.”
The Manufacturing Process of Her Clothing
Paglinawan also only manufactures her designs in the Philippines because the material to make Barongs and Filipiniana wear is not accessible here in the States.
“We coordinate and collaborate with our own designers and suppliers there to create for the collection. We spent many nights creating ideas and designs to modernize the traditional barong and Filipiniana,” Paglinawan said. “It’s definitely not easy, especially with the time difference between the Philippines and Las Vegas! The reason why we choose to make it in the Philippines is because they are the experts. On top of that, the fabric that Filipino clothing is made out of cannot be bought or found here in the States. We still wanted to keep some traditional aspects.”
With Paglinawan’s passion for giving back and helping others, it’s no surprise that it mainly guides her to manufacture in the Philippines because it provides people with more opportunities and jobs.
“What truly drives us is knowing that we can help provide jobs to individuals and give back to families. Every single part of the barong is put together by different people,” Paglinawan said. “For example, one person will cut the fabric, the next will dye the fabric, then someone does the embroidery, and so forth. It is a full circle getting to give back and help our fellow kababayans.”
(Article continues after the ad)
Please follow our fantastic site sponsors! They make content like this possible! 🙂
Cirimille’s Goals: Legacy Through Fashion
Cirimille Paglinawan’s main goal is to continue the legacy her family has built and keep giving back to her community. In keeping with this goal, many of their proceeds have gone to sponsoring leaders, artists, and professionals and donating to the community. Moreover, Paglinawan hopes to continue that with her clothing design and fashion career.
Another big goal of hers is to collaborate with other brands and create exclusive designs for CMC Boutique, where they can give back, raise funds, and help those in need.
“I have this really big idea of being able to create a collection for the special needs community, to create a collection with fabrics and materials that are comfortable for them to wear,” she said. “To accommodate for things in clothing that may overstimulate them, but still be fashionable, make them feel beautiful/handsome, and show they can make a statement.”
The possibilities are endless for Paglinawan, and I am extremely excited to see what else she accomplishes in the business and fashion world.
#GetinMotion with Cirimille Paglinawan!
Follow Cirimille on Instagram to stay updated on future events, or visit her family business’s website to order at CMC Boutique!
Visit CMC Boutique at 1401 N. Decatur Blvd, Suite 31, Las Vegas, NV 89108. The store opens from 11 AM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday and closes on Sunday.
Lastly, please read my article about CMC Boutique and what it’s like running a business as a family!
Thank you to our supporters and sponsors!
As always, we want to thank our Patreon ‘Cultivator’ supporters and sponsors who help make content like this possible.
The following Patron(s) supported the production of this article:
Crystal Gropp
The following sponsors supported the production of this article:
Viva La Compost & LunaKai Lash
