MANILA, Philippines ? ?At the ballet? may be the theme for Rajo Laurel?s collection for his catwalk duel at the Cultural Center of the Philippines next week, but contrary to the high-brow image of the dance and the venue itself, the clothes will be their exact antithesis.

And if the critics end up not liking what they see, well, trust the designer to not lose sleep over it for long.

Laurel will show alongside his contemporaries, Rhett Eala and Randy Ortiz, in the Inquirer Lifestyle and Samsung Style ?Face Off? fashion show at the CCP on June 23, an effort to elevate the craft of fashion by pitting designers against each other.

?At the Ballet? is Laurel?s resort collection for his ready-to-wear boutique, House of Laurel. Consisting mostly of separates made of delicate fabrics and a soft palette referencing ballerinas, the designer says he felt it was ?appropriate to do it this way, as an antithesis to the image of CCP?formality and rigidity. I want to show that you can enjoy culture even in the RTW context.?

Recognizable brand

Rajo Laurel the brand is easily one of the most recognizable and most successful in the industry. Building the name has been the result of a methodical and unique setup that involves not just the designer but his entire family.

Laurel describes it as ?very Filipino,? with the mom holding the purse strings.

Ten years ago, Laurel, the eldest of four children, asked his sister to help him run operations of his then already growing business. Venisse Laurel-Hermano quit her job and took on the post of general manager. Their mother, Virginia, eventually came on board to handle the finances.

Pretty soon, it was a family affair, with sister Gela and brother John and sister-in-law Samantha also joining the enterprise.

From a couture designer who made his debut in local fashion 16 years ago, following his studies at New York?s Fashion Institute of Technology, and later at London?s Central St. Martins, Laurel has grown his business to include uniform manufacturing and an RTW boutique, which also has lines for men (Rajo Man), maternity (9) and kids (Rajito).

?It?s easy [working as a family] if you know the boundaries,? says Laurel-Hermano. ?Ours is collaborative. For instance, going retail was my idea; I had to prove [to Rajo] that it could work. We go by the same beat of the drum.?

Says her brother: ?I owe it to them. I?m just the creative force. Creativity can only go so far if there?s no proper foundation.?

Niche market

Laurel caters to a niche market, well-loved by high society and celebrities alike. He?s quite popular among young society brides. Lately, he?s attempted to broaden his range with collaborations with more democratic entities like Red Ribbon for wedding cakes and a pocket collection for Plains & Prints.

He?s also made his foray into television, as judge for the reality show ?Project Runway Philippines.?

But he?s not stopping there. Laurel reveals he?s going global, with plans now underway to expand his brand regionally and into North America. He has hired an international PR, and the aim is to launch his brand at New York Fashion Week.

?Nothing is cast in stone,? says Laurel. ?It?s very daunting. I hope those who read this will include it in their prayers.?

?Rajo always has it right on the first try,? says friend and client Leica Carpo. The two met years ago when she was maid of honor for Laurel?s first bride. Carpo recalls she only had one fitting (?I don?t like to fit a million times?) and got to see the dress only on the wedding day. It fit perfectly.

She was even asked to pose for a glossy shoot wearing that same dress, which ultimately found its way to her sisters? closets.

?He?s never late, and he always gets exactly what I want. He?s also experimental. He?ll adapt,? Carpo adds. ?He doesn?t impose, even as he has his own opinion... He?s stronger with his opinions now.?

Laurel is one of the most hardworking designers in the industry, an avowed workaholic who takes pride in having kept his image clean. Intrigues, however, seem corollary to success.

Good marketing

Kibitzers have repeatedly dismissed Laurel?s popularity as a mere product of good marketing and PR, ultimately undermining his talent. But his friends are quick to his defense.

?Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren are very good marketing guys but that doesn?t mean they?re not talented,? says Carpo. ?Honestly, it?s a talent to know who your market is and how to work with that market. If he?s got good PR, I can?t say that?s a bad thing. If you?re looking for someone with zero press like Margiela, he?s not a Margiela, that?s for sure... Tom Ford is an example of a marketing genius. I guess that?s what [Rajo] does very well.?

He may hurt from a bad review, but he?s not likely to linger on it for long, she says. ?He?s a happy guy. He?s likely to put a positive spin on it. He doesn?t get depressed for long.?

Laurel admits he took hard the negative reviews to his 2001 show; he felt the critics ?didn?t realize where I was coming from.?

?He was very sad over that,? Carpo says. ?But that made him stronger. He?s more mature now.?

?As you get older, you tend to channel the negative energy into something good,? says Laurel. ?You learn from it and become a better individual, not just as a designer.?