CongRAJOlations
When I first pitched YStyle to the Philippine STAR, I wanted to create a venue for young designers, photographers, models, stylists and makeup artists to show their talents. It’s been said you have to “work it” to make it here. I wanted YStyle to be the opposite and the place where such talents can go to, despite having no connections in the media nor any network savvy. It was to be the slambook of style.
We have been honored to feature the work of then newbies Mark Nicdao, the most in-demand photographer in the country at the moment, who, despite his frantic schedule, still makes time to color the pages of the section and Sara Black, whose visionary skills belie her laidback demeanor. Superdesigners Kate Torralba, Ivarluski Aseron, Dennis Lustico, Arnel Papa and Joey Samson made their debuts on our pages amongst many other young guns. This was the place where Georgina Wilson first showed her famous pout when she was fresh out of high school and Ria Bolivar strutted her now famous S pose on our cover! It was also the launchpad of the avant garde HG team which created some of the more controversial images seen these past few years.
History gives everything meaning. The stories behind the stories in YStyle is what gives our section its soul. For Rajo's 15th anniversary, the importance of history has never been more apparent. His clothes tell the story.
As I watched Rajo Laurel’s deeply emotional retrospective show I could not help thinking how he felt seeing his history pass down the catwalk, while his loyal swans such as Audrey Chiu, Fely Atienza and his newest darling Divine Lee looked on.
I have not had the pleasure of being a super close and proximate friend of Rajo and have only seen his work from a studied distance over the years. He always made women beautiful. He understood women, being extremely close to his mother and sisters, and through that he defined them not by scandalous hemlines but by elegant silhouttes. On the other hand it is my best friend Tim, his most high profile male client and bosom buddy, who perfectly embodies the many faces and phases of Rajo. Rajo has evolved from prim Audrey Hepburn pieces to flamboyant extravaganzas fit for the Duchess of Devonshire. On Tim, it was life in cartoon motion.
When one refers to Rajo, one refers to the empire that he has built. Aside from his clothing and couture lines, he has parlayed his talents into cosmetics, homeware and even wedding cakes for Red Ribbon! He is an unapologetic machine. What remains amazing about his breadth of achievements is that despite its horizon of fabulousness, he does not have the word “sell-out” stamped on his forehead. He does everything with passion, just as he is on the random nights I see him out dancing away with his loyal posse and making sure everyone is having a good time. Rajo is all about life, energy, inspiration, passion and what cements all these ideals into something more noble than just a thought is his ambition.
The fashion industry can be a precarious world. I honestly have mixed feelings about it because it is like the cloth that symbolizes it: easily cut, torn and frayed. It can be cruel. It can be catty. It can be as flimsy as chiffon. In our humble endeavors, along with fellow YStylers Bea, Ana, Audrey and our stellar contributors, one aim was to make fashion more egalitarian, more approachable. Design is what defines our times in the most tangible way. What you wear tells us everything. Designers help you define this esoteric language of personal history. The true mark of Filipino design is its emotion. This is Rajo. No one translates the drape more than Rajo. Rajo has encompassed the spectrum of the icy socialites to the more sensible fashion lover. His open embrace of fashion has made it an inspiration for many.
Rajo has shown that fashion is indeed an art. But he has also shown it is a business. He has shown people it's OK to profit from your art. It's how it grows and is shared in a broader spectrum. He has opened eyes and not to mention doors to many in the fashion industry. He, along with some of the establishment, has shown that fashion is not just pomp and shock. It's is an industry that nurtures people and helps create a national identity.
There was not a dry eye in the room when Rajo came out with his group of seamstresses and cutters, a.k.a. Team Rajo. It showed that Rajo is not just a person but a group of loving individuals. Wearing one of his dresses that night made me a proud Filipino in an event that celebrated not only Filipino design, but also solidarity, teamwork and the truth that dreams do come true… in this case, in couture.
