Lu Asey Francisco Oyao, who lives in the Philippines, couldn’t afford a dress for her senior prom last year. Luckily, her loving brother — the talented Maverick Francisco Oyao — stepped in to help his sister attend the dance in style, despite their family’s financial situation. The Zamboanga City college student used his creativity and design skills to sketch plans for a custom dress and assemble a grandiose gown from scratch.

As photos of the dress show, Maverick’s creation is literally fit for a princess, with its elaborate, hand-painted bodice, intricate criss-cross pattern skirt and puffy sleeves. Maverick wasn’t able to create this dress alone; he also had the help of the Facebook community, who saw his progress on the social media site. Users from around the world pitched in for materials so that Maverick could fulfill his sister’s dream.

Since Maverick posted his final update in February 2020, even “Your Morning” and other international publications have picked up this heartwarming story of sibling love.

Naturally, users on Facebook who have followed Maverick’s dress-making journey from the beginning have also been equal parts touched and impressed by this brother’s incredible labor of love.

“You have an amazing talent and a gorgeous model to build upon,” Eddie Confetti wrote on Facebook in response to Maverick’s finished product. “You both have a tremendous future ahead of you. Never forget where you started and never forget charity is amazing. Your talents will grow and people will know you. People will fight to wear your designs. Stay humble.”

Maverick told this “untold story of a loving kuya (older brother)” in a Feb. 14, 2020 post, which he wrote in a mixture of English and Filipino.

Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 🙂

Lu Asey’s older brother explained that when her high school announced senior prom, she and her family realized that they might not be able to afford a dress. This was especially heartbreaking, Maverick said, as his sister really wanted to go to the dance. In fact, she “insisted” that she go to prom.

So Maverick got to work, exploring the internet for new ideas with the help of Google and YouTube. The college student said that he drew a great deal of inspiration from the Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco. Since moving from the Philippines to Dubai in 1997, Cinco has made a name for himself as one of Asia’s most prominent designers, designing dresses for stars like Beyonce, Rihanna, Britney Spears and Carrie Underwood.

While Maverick might be a ways off from Cinco’s notoriety and the red carpet, his hand-made dress is sure to impress even the most exacting fashionistas — and there’s no doubt that his fans on Facebook were overcome by his talent.

“This is the most stunningly beautiful, intricate, take-my-breath away ball gown I’ve ever seen, not to mention a gift made of love. All the thumbs up and likes to you, this is a stunning craft. I want to give you a giant hug and tell you how much I’m proud of you,” Carina Lynn commented on Maverick’s Facebook post.

Despite all the praise and coverage he received, Maverick has remained humble and was quick to thank everyone for their support.

“I am beyond grateful reading all ur positive comments and compliments guys. Thank you for appreciating my good deeds and thank you for listening and reading my story. I am so happy knowing that I have inspire many people 😘❣️” the young designer wrote in the comments section of his post.

What do you think of Maverick’s dress? Do you see a future in fashion for this young man? Let us know — and be sure to pass this heartwarming story on.