Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel. Image: Instagram/@MissUniverse
Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel has nothing but kind words for Filipino designer Rian Fernandez, who created her evening gowns when she competed for Miss Texas USA and Miss USA before winning the global tilt.
Gabriel shared her fondest memories with Fernandez, who has been with her “since Day One” during the podcast of GMA reporter Nelson Canlas last Friday, Feb. 3.
An eco-fashion designer herself, Gabriel revealed that she discovered Fernandez’s creations through the “pageant world” on the “internet.”
“Well, I discovered [Fernandez] just through the internet in the pageant world. And I had been working with him for a while because he made me two gowns for Miss Texas, he made me my gown for Miss USA, and then when it became time to go to Miss Universe, I needed to go with the same designer because he’s been with me since Day One, and he’s made beautiful pieces,” she said.
The Miss Universe titleholder then shared how she and Fernandez came up with her gowns for the pageant, saying that she would send the latter “design inspirations” and they would “bounce ideas back and forth.”
“So for example, with my final gown, I knew I wanted something bold. I wanted something black because I feel like not a lot of girls have won in black. And I really want to take the risk and do something edgy and something really out there,” she said.
“Then I told him all of these things and the elements that I wanted were glass fringe because I saw it on the runway recently and I really liked the effect. We kind of bounced ideas back and forth. He sends a sketch and once that sketch is approved, I let him do his thing. I don’t put my hand into his creations too much because he’s a designer as well and I just like to trust his process,” Gabriel added.
However, when Lebanese jeweler Mouawad unveiled the “Force for Good” crown in December 2022, Gabriel requested Fernandez to add “some touch of blue on the shoulders” to suit its design at the last minute.
“He didn’t show me any photos then shipped it over. Actually, my parents went and picked it up. But once I finally got the gown and saw it for the first time in person and I tried it on, I was just, ‘Wow this is incredible, this is so different and I’m ready to take this to the Miss Universe stage,’” she shared.
Fernandez also designed Gabriel’s dramatic, viva magenta halter gown that she wore during the pageant’s preliminary rounds.
Gabriel succeeded Harnaaz Sandhu of India as the 71st Miss Universe in January 2023, while Amanda Dudamel of Venezuela was named as the first runner-up.
The beauty queen is the ninth entrant from the United States to be crowned as Miss Universe following Miriam Stevenson (1954), Carol Morris (1956), Linda Bement (1960), Sylvia Hitchcock (1967), Shawn Weatherly (1980), Chelsi Smith (1995), Brook Lee (1997), and Olivia Culpo (2012). EDV