Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel talks about inclusivity, diversity and sustainable fashion

Gabriel’s win was far from inevitable, and like her journey was not without a challenge. She admits that in the first few pageants, she took part in, she would be extremely nervous and unable to speak on stage. “I couldn’t deliver an answer. I would look around the room, choke up a bit, and have no idea what to say. I had stage fright, which was a big problem,” she says, recalling how shy and reserved she was. “That’s such an essential part of the whole competition, and that was a big thing I’ve had to improve on.”

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Gabriel admits there were times she thought about giving up. “The journey isn’t easy when training for something so prestigious; there are many obstacles, and it’s very demanding. I trained and often wondered if I could do this again when every time I’d get first runner-up. I doubted myself and felt like I was not good enough.” But the process also taught her to regard failure as an instrument with which to assess herself and better prepare for competition. “I would approach [my failings] as [a way] to analyse what I could do better next time. Her perseverance paid off: she won Miss Texas USA in July 2022. Three months later, she became the first Miss USA of Filipino descent and was ultimately crowned Miss Universe 2022. “It wasn’t my dream [to become a beauty queen], but I always wanted to be a leading voice in the fashion industry, being a designer and a model myself,” she says. “When I started joining pageants in 2020, I saw them as a great opportunity towards my dream.

Her win came in a year when the Miss Universe competition and organisation underwent major transformations under its new owner, Thai media and digital content mogul Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip of the JKN Global Group. These new directions suit Gabriel’s commitment to being a champion of change and a transformational leader.

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One of the issues particularly close to her heart is the use of fashion as a force for good. As an established designer, she pushes the agenda of ethical practices within the fashion world, hoping to prove that the industry is more than aesthetics and glamour. For example, she is a great proponent of recycling and reducing the number of offcuts created during production, saying: “I love to upcycle pieces and push sustainability in the industry. I look at textile waste and how to reduce pollution [that it brings].”

In the final round of the Miss Universe contest, Gabriel spoke of the importance of sharing knowledge to lift others, saying: “It’s important to invest in others, invest in our community, and use our unique talent to make a difference. We have something special and can plant those seeds in other people. Using education as a vehicle for change, we can transform them.” She has long espoused this and has used her personal experience to work with Texas-based non-profit design house Magpies & Peacocks, giving sewing workshops. She tells Tatler, “What I’ve learnt from my experience working with women of underserved communities and visiting schools is that when you teach them something that they never even thought was possible, it fosters growth in their mind and opens them up to possibilities that they never imagined. I think it’s important to continue educating people on unique talents like that.” 

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Gabriel’s journey into fashion design began when she was a teenager. ”I loved going to thrift stores and vintage stores with my mother and finding excellent, unique pieces,” she says, adding that she grew up seeing her mother alter pieces on the sewing machine. She started watching sewing videos on YouTube, later finding someone in her neighbourhood who taught her how to sew correctly. “After I constructed my first few dresses, I simply fell in love with making something with my hands.” Today, Gabriel runs her eponymous sustainable fashion brand, handmaking unique pieces from repurposed or natural fabrics and finding inspiration in the works of brands including Iris van Herpen, Valentino, the New York-based sustainable brand Zero Waste Daniel, and Miss Sohee, in particular, “a young Asian designer who integrates Asian culture into her works”.

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Gabriel also partners with Red Carpet Green Dress, an initiative that encourages attendees of red-carpet events like the Oscars to wear more sustainable pieces. She says, “I’m looking forward to more opportunities with them. I dream that sustainable and ethical fashion with purpose will become the new normal one day.”

Outside of fashion advocacy, Gabriel also works with For Ocean, an organisation that runs ocean and coastal clean-ups, and GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis), a New York-based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organisation that focuses on ending the AIDS epidemic.

May marked something of a homecoming for Gabriel, who returned to the Philippines for the first time since 2019; growing up, she would usually spend summers in Manila visiting her father’s family. “Most of my time [in the Philippines] was spent in Manila, on Malate’s Smith Street, where my father grew up. I always remember that we would stay at the house, wake up to homemade food and sometimes be at a festival in the summertime,” she recalls, adding that she was excited to see her childhood friends from Manila and “to search for the best ensaymada” in the metro.

Wearing a stunning red and gold ensemble, Gabriel arrived in Manila on May 10 with positive energy after a 17-hour flight. On the same night, she graced the Miss Universe Philippines Fashion and Charity Gala Night donning a dazzling Filipiniana number fit for a queen by the acclaimed fashion designer Mark Bumgarner. The following day was just as packed with Gabriel visiting the patients of Smile Train Philippines who were under the care of the private charitable organisation, Philippine Band of Mercy—the first time Gabriel witnessed cleft lip surgery on an infant. “I am thrilled to be back in Manila. Great to see the warm smiles and the genuine hospitality. It’s been a whirlwind of activities from the gala, press conference, visiting children’s hospital but [it’s] all worth it!” she says. In the evening, she was invited by this magazine’s editor, Anton San Diego and Manila House Private Members Club along with Miss Universe owner Anne Jakrajutatip, Paula Shuggart and the Philippines’ Secretary of Tourism Christina Frasco. The pinnacle of the trip was attending the coronation night of Miss Universe Philippines 2023, where she was a special guest.

Gabriel is keen to acknowledge those who have helped her achieve great things despite periods of uncertainty and encourages others to learn from her experience. “The scarier something is, the more you should go for it and look for resources,” she says, adding that her success has been a mix of her perseverance and grit, coupled with the wisdom from her team of coaches who would push her and pick her up whenever doubt sets in. “They would reassure me that I’m on the right path. That was key to getting to where I am now.”  She believes now is leaning into fear and indecision and proving yourself—and any doubters—wrong. “I spent much of my time doubting if I can do it, questioning ‘What if? Should I do this?’ And looking at it now, it just delayed the process of becoming better, growing and becoming stronger.” 

But perhaps we are all better knowing Gabriel’s journey had its ups and downs; it gives us confidence that, like the fashion she loves, a victory resulting from struggles is more sustainable.

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