From rags to Retazzo

If one were to retell the story of Bong Lazo, it would be like sewing together small pieces of rags to come up with a beautiful Retazzo!

Once a bodegero (stockman) in a warehouse, Lazo cut through swathes of difficulty to become a leading department store designer and boutique owner.

It took a threat from Bong Lazo’s mother for him to discover his true calling–to be a fashion designer. Born Abelardo Lazo, the man behind the Retazzo line graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Manuel Luis Quezon University (MLQU) in 1984. He was, however, not too happy with his course–one that was forced on him–so he found it difficult to look for a job.

"My mother told me to go home and just stay in the province if I couldn’t find any work," the Abra-born Bong begins, "so I had to look for any job just so I could stay here." Tall and with a well-built body, he found a job as bodegero (stockman) in a large department store, then became a salesman for an appliance center. In both jobs, Bong was known as an industrious worker. He quickly became a regular employee. In his heart, however, he knew there was something else he was meant to do.

"I had a regular customer at the appliance center who told me there was an opening in Sari-Sari for a salesman. So I tried it there because I wasn’t happy where I was," Bong relates.

The job made Bong realize he liked clothes. "I already knew how to draw and sketch, and seeing Sharon Cuneta and models inspired me," he recalls. "So I started sketching designs at home and showed them to some friends. One of them liked them so much, she asked me to make some clothes for her."

Encouraged, Bong scouted for a seamstress, explained what he wanted, and gave a rate that was a bit higher than the prevailing rate at the time. It was this same friend who thought of selling Bong’s creations to her officemates to help the budding designer.

"I would go to Fabric Warehouse in Greenbelt to buy fabrics in small quantities, sometimes just enough for one blouse," he recalls. "I started out with a blouse here, a pair of pants there, until eventually some were ordering dozens." And since the payment scheme was every 15th and 30th of the month, customers naturally found it more convenient to get clothes from Bong, who by then mulled the possibility of going full-time in the business.

"I told myself, ‘I also want to get rich’," the 40-something Bong candidly admits. "So I thought of consigning to department stores. I scanned the Yellow Pages, and I came across Robinsons Department Store. I was told to bring samples of my work. So I sketched like mad, racking my brain for designs that I could present as samples of my work. I prepared about 20, just enough for a collection."

Bong, however, had a difficult road to success. "If you’re new in the business, para kang kawawa," he discloses, recounting how he was given the run-around the first time he presented his collection. "I went to the merchandising area early, and was told to wait. Lunchtime came, and I was still waiting. Carrying my bundle of clothes, I looked for a nearby place to eat. I waited some more until 3 p.m. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I asked, ‘Ma’m, wala pa ba?’ ‘Just leave your samples here, give me your name and telephone number, then call us,’ was the curt reply. So I had no choice but to leave my collection there, and I went home feeling really depressed and bagsak na bagsak," Bong relates, his eyes reflecting the depression he must have felt then.

For Bong, it felt like he was leaving a life behind. He called after a week, only to be told to call again, since there were no available slots for consignment. This went on for a month, each day of waiting an agony for the young designer who had long since resigned from his job. His finances running low, Bong called again, trying on a new tack and a trick up his sleeve. "I told them that my samples had been approved by another department store–a rival, actually. But since I really wanted to try it out with them, I didn’t know what to do. That’s when the other person on the line asked for my name again, and a description of my samples." Bong was put on hold, and after what seemed an eternity, he was told his collection had been approved and he could go the next day for a contract signing. This was in 1987.

"I shouted the minute I put down the phone! ‘My God, here it is, I’m going to sign a contract!’ You could not imagine the elation I felt," he gushes. However, this meant that more samples were needed, and Bong was down to his last P30,000. "I needed more money as capital, so I called up my sister who worked in Saudi Arabia. She had sent me some money when I was applying as a contract worker in Saudi, but I was victimized by a fake recruiter.

"‘I don’t want to send any more money. I have lost my trust in you. Don’t you know how difficult it is to work here’? she berated me. I cried and cried, pleading with her to please just give me one more chance. ‘Manang, this is really it. This is my last card, maniwala ka sa akin.’" Moved, his sister sent him $1,000 as additional capital. And with that money, Bong bought more materials and contracted more seamstresses, promising them a bonus if they prioritized the job.

"I didn’t have a saleslady then, so when my first batch was finally displayed, I did all the selling," Bong, a member of the FDAP (Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines), continues. "I would go there everyday, from the time the department store opened to the time it closed. And since I was good with mixing and matching, my sales were very good. I would give suggestions to customers on what looked good on them, and what blouse went with what pants."

Bong’s customers have since multiplied, and he now has celebrity clients like Rosanna Roces, and Regine and Cacai Velasquez. Still, Bong has had to deal with disappointments and rough times. "There was a time when I had to pawn my TV and my jewelry, because I wasn’t able to collect my payment from store sales yet. But I already needed the money in four days, since the subcontractors I commissioned were about to deliver the clothes. That was also the time I didn’t have a credit line from fabric stores. Nagmamakaawa ako sa mga telahan para bigyan ako ng credit line, but if they don’t know you, they demand for a bond to be posted. Eh, wala akong perang pang-bond. It was really scary, I almost gave up," Bong admits. The story is quite different now, of course, with warehouses calling him up and offering their materials even on a 60-day credit line and more.

Today, Retazzo is becoming a byword among the younger set, with Bong going into the mainstream and expanding his line to include cocktail dresses, gowns and bridal wear. "It’s gratifying that the people I used to admire from a distance are now the same ones I can mingle with, such as Renee Salud and Edgar Madamba. And they are friendly with me," smiles Bong, whose close friend is young designer Avel Bacudio.

What could be attributed to Bong’s success, aside from the fact that his clothes are known for being very casual yet trendy, is his generosity. He sends nieces and nephews to school (a niece recently passed the CPA board exams, while a nephew is taking up medicine), opened up a gym for a brother, and had their small house in Bangued, Abra reconstructed into a four-story modern residence.

His honesty and humility, too, have kept him well grounded. "We were not born rich, and when I was a boy, I used to help my mother (Benita, a meat vendor), carrying a pail full of meat on my head. And you know how kids would tease," Bong discloses. His only regret, he continues, was not revealing who he really was. "For so long I kept the fact that I was gay, even taking up mechanical engineering because of pressure from my family. Pinipigilan ko kung ano ako, pretending to be what I was not. Alam mo naman sa probinsiya, people can be so critical," he says wistfully. Things are a lot different, now, however, with his family coming to terms with his being gay–and successful, to boot. "Now I can go to places such as the South of France, Hong Kong, Beverly Hills Drive," he gushes, admitting that he felt like he was Julia Roberts when he visited the fashion boutiques along Rodeo Drive.

Asked how he thought of the label Retazzo, Bong smiles. "It rhymed with my last name!"