He may had not witnessed it physically anymore but Filipino fashion designer Rocky Gathercole‘s legacy was surely alive at the Miss Universe stage, as Philippine representative Rabiya Mateo fiercely sashayed the National Costume competition donning a Gathercole avant garde creation.

The current Miss Universe Philippines crown-holder made sure all eyes were on her at the  69th Miss Universe National Costume category on Friday morning, May 14 (Philippine time), in Hollywood City, Florida, USA. After all, it’s a tribute to the late designer, a chance to interpret his creativity on the global stage. Gathercole’s vision? An intermixture of patriotism and modern fierceness, with the Philippine flag and Victoria’s Secret angel wings as the main inspiration. His design has signaled a more modern approach in interpreting the Philippine national costume at the prestigious beauty pageant.

Rabiya Mateo in tears after Miss Universe 2020 national costume mishap | PEP.ph

Due to his untimely death last March, the couture designer was no longer able to finish his creation for Rabiya.

“It was like 75 percent done when I received the sad news of Rocky’s passing,” said Albert Andrada, Miss Universe Philippines Organization design council head. He, along with creative director Jonas Gaffud, had tapped Rocky Gathercole to do Rabiya’s costume earlier this year. “It’s a good thing I was constantly in touch with Rocky, as in every day.” Rocky reportedly died of a heart attack last March 3.

To finish the project, MUP tapped Meycauayan-based jewelry designer Manny Halasan to add his flair onto Gathercole’s creation. The costume is a “collaboration between Manny and the late Rocky Gathercole,” as per Andrada. The org decided to push through with what Gathercole started, as a way to pay tribute to the international designer who had made the Filipino brilliance be seen in the global fashion industry for many years.

Filipino-American Gathercole first made waves in the international fashion scene years back after his designs had been worn at the biggest red carpet events and concerts by Hollywood A-listers like Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears and Beyonce. 

Filipino-American designer Rocky Gathercole | Jennifer Lopez wearing a Rocky Gathercole creation
Britney Spears wearing a Rocky Gathercole creation for the billboard of her ‘Piece of Me’ Las Vegas residency

In 2013, Britney released her first residency show, “Piece of Me.” The billboard for the show featured her wearing a Las Vegas-themed, sweetheart-cut red swimsuit by Rocky.

For Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya, Gathercole brilliantly envisioned interpreting the Philippine flag with two huge wings of colors blue and red, with sizes that are reminiscent of the popular Victoria’s Secret angel wings. The right side of the wings is color blue, which historically represents freedom and peace in the Philippine flag. Rocky noted that he added royalty as another inspiration for the blue wing. The left side  is color red, which historically represents courage and bravery in the Philippine flag. For Rocky, it also represents the strength and fierceness of an independent woman. The three yellow stars were added of course, which as in the Philippine flag symbolize the regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. For the designer, yellow was about hope and “freedom in who you want to be”. 

The outlandish couture was paired with mismatched high platforms by Filipino shoe designer Nereku. Rabiya’s stage performance embodied an elegant and independent modern Filipina who’s sure of herself, just like what the creation was poised to exude.

However, the 21-kilo wings of the natcos may have stirred a little controversy among die-hard pageant fans, as it resulted to Miss Universe Philippines Organization’s decision to not make Rabiya wear the sun-inspired headdress anymore. The headdress created by Bulacan-based jeweler and designer Manny Halasan, according to upset fans, would’ve completed the Philippine flag-inspired couture. The tiny frame of the beauty queen meant it would’ve been a challenge for her to carry everything and perform well, especially as Rabiya expressed that she was with cuts and blood on her stockings already as it was. A crying Rabiya went live on Instagram and shared her apology after the segment, while Halasan explained in his personal social media accounts that the incident should not stop Filipino fans from supporting the beauty queen.

For us, Rabiya aligned with Gathercole’s design vision for her by way of strutting with royalty and modern fierceness at the Miss Universe stage as a modern Filipina would. She definitely had fun on the stage and made it look like the wings were lightweight.

“I feel like a Victoria’s Secret angel right now. And I’m gonna fly,” the Ilongga beauty said in a clip uploaded on the official Miss Universe Twitter page. 

Gathercole‘s campy aesthetic nonetheless has changed the game forever when it comes to the Philippines’ take on the national costume. He proved that he was a real visionary, someone who knew exactly when to break the traditional mold, how to push the limits when it comes to fashion, and how to have fun while doing so. He put the sex appeal into the natcos. In the own words of the late flamboyant designer, that’s #VeryGathercole.

Andrada also divulged that Rabiya’s national costume also took inspiration from the logo of the new Miss Universe Philippines Organization, which premiered its operations the past year. Rabiya is the first representative trained by the MUP org, after separating from the former management of Binibining Pilipinas organization.  

Meanwhile, Miss Universe Philippines national director and Miss Universe 2011 runner-up Shamcey Supsup-Lee personally accompanied the Philippine representative at the Miss Universe competition. It was observed that Shamcey personally carried Rabiya’s national costume.

In the coming days, Rabiya is also expected to wear an evening dress by Furne One of Amato Couture for the preliminary and final shows. Furne Amato is another Filipino fashion powerhouse, popular for dressing up the likes of Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey, to name a few.

The Miss Universe 2020 coronation night will be held in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida on May 17, US time. Philippine viewers can watch the preliminary competition live on the Lazada app. The finals night will be aired live on the A2Z Channel and also streamed on Lazada.

Note: This article has been updated as discussion on the #missingheaddress has been included.