A bittersweet homecoming for Lesley Mobo By Alex Vergara Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:47:00 03/27/2008
MANILA, Philippines—London-based Filipino designer Lesley Mobo was last night’s featured designer in the Ayala Group of Companies’ just-concluded tribute to local artists dubbed as “Bravo Filipino.”
He showed a 40-piece collection, his first-ever solo show, inspired by a Spanish village called Matavenero (more on the collection next week).
It was a bittersweet homecoming for Mobo. Nine years after the biology graduate from the Far Eastern University left Manila to pursue bachelor and master’s degrees in women’s fashion at the prestigious Central Saint Martin in London, he still couldn’t hide the pain he felt from the rebuff he got from Manila’s fashion establishment in the late 1990s.
Before this exclusive interview with Inquirer Lifestyle was over, Mobo, 30, one of Harrods’ prized talents and the head designer of Jasmine di Milo, had shed tears.
What he felt back then was in sharp contrast to the warm welcome he recently received from fellow Filipinos. Articulate yet self-effacing, the designer wondered aloud what the big fuss was all about. It reminded him of his early years in London when he was beginning to get noticed for his work. No less than BBC and the Victoria & Albert Museum, two British institutions, featured him and his works.
“People thought I was Japanese because of my last name,” he said. “I have to tell them every time that I’m Filipino. I like it because it was fresh. It was as if I came from Mars.”
Fanfare
Although he relished the fanfare his homecoming generated, he felt that he didn’t deserve the attention. Despite his many accomplishments, which include winning coveted awards from Emilio Pucci in 2004 and from Diesel in 2005, Mobo still considers himself just one among many creative Filipinos who got lucky by following their dreams.
The recognition from Diesel later led him to design a sold-out capsule collection dubbed “Lesley Mobo by Diesel.” The brand featured it in its flagship stores in London, Milan, Paris, Antwerp, Berlin, New York and Tokyo.
“I’m overwhelmed by all this attention,” Mobo said. “This is too much hype, really. My work isn’t all that strong to merit all this.”
At the same time, he said, had he not made a name for himself in London, a “nobody” like him from Aklan probably wouldn’t have merited a second look from his countrymen.
“I don’t know if I’m in a position to say this, but this should serve as a lesson to the local industry not to piss someone off with the potential to do something. Instead of pushing them away, [let us] support them. Otherwise, they would just leave the country.
“In my case, I was really pissed off when it happened to me. I worked so hard and I didn’t know any better. There are a lot of young and talented designers here. Don’t try to crush them...” he said, his voice cracking.
Loaded statement
Then Mobo stood up, went to a corner and tried to suppress his tears. Regaining his composure, he uttered a loaded statement.
“Now that they’re famous you welcome them,” he said, apparently referring to himself. “Let’s value our young talents from the start for what they do.”
Mobo was once a pre-med student. But, realizing he had no future as a doctor, he shifted to fashion and worked as an apprentice to Inno Sotto 10 years ago. He also joined and was later disqualified in a local design contest because of a “technicality.”
As one of the finalists, Mobo, who designed an “urchin” dress he and his mother worked on, was asked by local organizers to represent the country in Japan. Alas, he didn’t make it in time for the contest because his visa arrived late.
Local organizers thought he was being irresponsible, and promptly punished him by disqualifying his work. Thus, his chances of competing in a bigger contest that would have sent him and his work to Paris were forever dashed.
Mobo’s good friend Joji Lloren went on to win both contests in Manila and Paris.
“What was I to do,” he said. “I’ve never left the bloody country. I didn’t know any better.”
To add insult to injury, not a few of Manila’s fashion cognoscenti thought his urchin number, which was literally made from hundreds upon hundreds of seashells, was “ridiculous.” This was in sharp contrast to the way total strangers in London received the dress after Mobo left Manila for good a few months later.
It was the very same dress that V&A exhibited and got Harrods’ attention. Nameless and with no connections, Mobo was hired by the department store on the strength of that “ridiculous” dress.
“Yes, I was bitter then, but I’m completely over it now,” he said. “I was hurt especially for my mother, who cried after learning what had happened to me. She sacrificed a great deal to make the dress work. She was even on the beach every day literally picking seashells!”
Although his folks were very supportive of his decision, his father expressed doubts that someone like him would go far in Manila. Not that he doubted his son’s talent, but the old man was simply being realistic. His son neither had the extensive connections nor the illustrious family name to jumpstart a fashion career built around image.
In the end, with big dreams and a substantial amount of the family’s savings, he decided it was best to leave everything behind and start afresh in one of the world’s most dynamic fashion capitals.
Lesley Mobo has had no reason to regret his decision. The country’s loss has become the world’s gain.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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