The Miss Universe 2021 pageant will be the 70th Miss Universe competition, scheduled to be held on 12th December 2021 in Eilat, Israel, where stunning delegates from all over the world will represent their countries and compete for the coveted crown. The recently crowned, Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza of Mexico will crown her successor at the end of the event.
While the delegates are in the last leg of their preparations and have started to depart for the host country, Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2021 Michelle Marie Colon has recently revealed her national costume, ‘The Bomba’, for the preliminary competition at the 70th Miss Universe pageant.
The inspiration behind the idea for the costume is also a tribute to the Afro-descendants with a fantasy dress inspired by the Puerto Rican bombshell. The Bomba as a musical genre has been a cultural manifestation of freedom, empowerment and resistance. The outfit also embraces Michelle's love for beaches and carries with it a powerful message of conserving the environment.
The gorgeous attire tells the story of a dancing deity, who with the energy produced by its rhythm and movement in the batey, protects the coasts from environmental pollution. The sky blue color, the protagonist of the wide skirt and the stately turban, represents the bodies of water of the beautiful island. Michelle will carry on her back a large basket made of recycled fabric scraps in red, yellow and green tones, which chromatically represent the effort, determination and hope for the conservation of the environment and the collection of waste in the seas.
Talking about the costume, Michelle said, “I always dreamed of telling a story through this outfit and I think we are succeeding. My dress tells a story of color and movement. It is a tribute to our Afro-descendants and a call to the conservation of our beaches and coasts. I feel blessed to be able to bring that message to the universal stage.”
The costume is the product of a Caribbean alliance that had the creative collaboration of the designer Leonel Lirio and the plastic artist Luis Rivas. Elements such as bottles, cans and plastic bags - some of the most common and harmful pollutants in the seas - are collected to be transmuted through the bomb dance, into elements of art and music in this beautiful creation. Colorful flowers and tassels meticulously crafted from recycled material decorate and energize the majestic outfit.