Rocky Gathercole: A radical career
IN a very Rocky Gathercole way, his worldly exit is similar to his otherworldly designs—pasabog! Explosive news of his sudden passing on March 3 sent shock waves throughout a fashion scene still reeling from tremendous losses in 2020, both in lives and livelihood. Filipino designers Rholand Roxas, Ito Curata, Arnold Galang, Lord Maturan and Jeffrey Rogador, and foreign designers Kenzo, Kansai Yamamoto and Pierre Cardin all bid us farewell last year. Gathercole, 54, died at his home/atelier in Quezon City, most likely from heart failure. He is survived by his mother and his son, Andre Matthew.
Hours before his passing, Gathercole posted a teaser photo of an acid-green dress meant for Lady Gaga. Through his Hollywood connection, the For the Stars Fashion House, the avant-garde designer has dressed—repeatedly—the most number of international celebrities of any Filipino designer. The illustrious list include Jennifer Lopez, Toni Braxton, Britney Spears, Mel B, Paris Hilton, Ashanti, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Thalia, Mya, Bebe Rexha, Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Lele Pons, Laganja Estranja, Blac Chyna, Gigi Gorgeous, Valentina, Carrie Underwood, Jason Derulo and Tyra Banks. Locally, he fawned over Lani Misalucha, Maricel Soriano and his biggest idol—sharon Cuneta.
Gathercole’s radical, hard-edged, futuristic aesthetic was heavily influenced by Thierry Mugler. He also idolized a kindred predecessor, Steve de Leon. But he was most vocal about his admiration for Tony Cajucom, who unknowingly sparked his interest in clothing design.
“Of course I was flattered by Rocky’s admiration for my past work. He said he was 11 years old when he watched the Regal Films launching movie of Alma Moreno and was excited by the scene where Alma was wearing a pearl-encrusted bikini and cape,” Cajucom recalls. “We were no fan of Alma and raket lang our involvement as Regal Films paid on time. It was ironic that this film that we were not so proud of inspired Rocky in a way that he said, ‘Kinabahan ako at na-excite sa visuals ng pearl costume.’ That humbled me in a way, and felt gratitude that an insignificant effort on my part helped draw out the potential in a person.”
During my initial attempts to interview Gathercole, I would implore the help of Fanny Serrano. Gathercole considered Tita Fanny his industry “mother.” When I asked the makeup mogul/ fashion designer for his thoughts, he was still processing his grief. Instead, he shared a photo of his and Gathercole’s first meeting.
“I felt agad his love for me even if it was the first time we saw each other...at super happy s’ya na sa Dubai pa n’ya ako na-meet, na super fanatic ko daw s’ya...at hindi na sya humiwalay sa akin the whole day at sinamahan n’ya akong mamili ng mga tela sa parang Divisoria nila sa Dubai...at s’ya ang nakikipag-away sa mga tinderong Arabo sa pag-hingi n’ya ng discount sa mga presyo nila sa akin,” Tita Fanny reminisces.
Gathercole, who was a stowaway at 14, was busy preparing for shows abroad. Rising designer Richie Bondoc, one of his “anaks,” tells me: “Last Monday [March 1], almost three hours kami mag-kausap. Sabi n’ya sa akin umpisahan ko na collection ko for Los Angeles and Phoenix Fashion Weeks. Nami-miss na n’ya daw mag show sa America. I remember last time namin nagshow sa America, para ko s’yang stage mother na lagi nakaalalay, nagtsi-check ng collection ko. But hindi n’ya pinapakialaman ang mga designs ko. Gusto n’ya ako mismo maka-discover ng talent ko at matuto kung ano pa dapat ko i-improve, basta nasa tabi ko lang daw s’ya. He was so proud of me lalo na after my show sa Phoenix Fashion Week. Magiging mas magaling ako dahil babaunin ko lahat ng itinuro n’ya sa akin. As a fashion designer, he is my Rock na hindi magigiba.”
Another of his protegees, now London-based designer Jugger Onate, testifies: “You will always be one of the Filipino fashion designers who have truly inspired me, and have not been shy in giving or leading young designers like me to work harder and dream bigger. Your multitude of guidance and pieces of advice will linger on. You will be missed but will never be forgotten as you left an indelible mark in my heart and in the opportunities you gave me that I am truly enjoying till now. You will always be loved. You are at peace now.”
Outspoken and feisty, Gathercole found a “soul sister” in another fashion designer, Albert Gonzales Fontanilla. They both started working in the Middle East in the early 1990s but only became closer when they returned to the country in the 2010s.
“Rocky was a very ‘complicated’ person. His projected personality was most often than not misinterpreted. You had to know him personally to understand the enigma that he was. And it was so difficult to be that ‘close’ to him. People may take his being ‘accommodating/patronizing’ as a welcome sign but his ‘walls’ were not that easy to penetrate. Maybe because of his life experiences, trusting people was almost not in his vocabulary. He doubted a lot, sometimes even himself,” shares Fontanilla, who’s the only designer with exclusive access to Gathercole’s workshop.
Since his aneurysm episode before his Bantay-bata anniversary show for ABS-CBN in 2017, Gathercole’s health had always been erratic. “He takes a number of meds every day. Heart problems are his main concern. He accepted the fact that he’s a ‘ticking time bomb,’” Fontanilla discloses. “I will miss our everyday phone calls at night. I will miss seeing how he created things. I will miss insulting that bitch! [Laughs]. I’ll miss his advice most especially!”
The Miss Universe Organization’s head of fashion, Albert Andrada, tapped Gathercole to create our rep Rabiya Mateo’s national costume. Fontanilla says that he saw the daily progression of the piece. “It can still be finished. It’s like nothing that we have ever seen in a national costume design,” he professes.
“As a designer, nobody can question his talent. Undeniably in a league of his own. He had no formal fashion design training like me. We were educated by real experiences in creating dresses. Trial and error, so to speak,” Fontanilla adds.
Cajucom concurs. “What I admire most in Rocky is tenacity. You take a look at his creations and you are astounded by the large amount of patience entailed to achieve such high level of precision in design and execution, and the unending supply of very wellcurated components and materials to come up with such superb visions meant to stun and entertain.” n
Dolce&gabbana seeks over $600-M Damages from 2 U.s. bloggers
MILAN—THE Milan fashion house Dolce&gabbana has filed a defamation suit in an Italian court seeking over $600 million in damages from two US fashion bloggers who reposted antiasian comments attributed to one of the designers that led to a boycott by Asian consumers.
The suit was filed in Milan civil court in 2019 but only became public this week when the bloggers posted about it on their Instagram account, Diet Prada. Their feed is widely followed in the fashion world for its cutting commentary on unoriginality in designs and on social issues.
“This whole case is a way of trying to silence Diet Prada, and to silence Tony [Liu] and Lindsay [Schuyler] personally,’’ said Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, which is coordinating the bloggers’ defense. Lawyers for Dolce&gabbana reached by the AP declined to comment on the case.
The case dates back to November 2018, when Dolce&gabbana faced a boycott in Asia after outrage over what were seen as culturally insensitive videos promoting a major runway show in Shanghai and subsequent posts of insulting comments in a private Instagram chat.
The show was canceled in the backlash, which included retailers pulling Dolce&gabbana merchandise and Asian VIPS disavowing the brand.
Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana initially said that Gabbana’s account had been hacked. The two later appeared in a video apologizing to the Chinese people.
“A public apology and a quiet lawsuit really cancel each other out in my mind,’’ Scafidi told The Associated Press on Saturday. Italian defense attorneys filed a brief this week in Milan civil court, arguing that Italy is not the correct venue for the case, given that the blog is produced in the United States and the alleged damages occurred in Asia.
The fashion house is seeking damages totaling more than half a billion euros, Scafidi said.
She said the fashion house is seeking €450 million spent to restore brand image since 2018 and damages of €3 million for the company and 1 million for Gabbana, to whom the remarks were attributed. The suit also seeks more than €8.6 million for the cancellation of the Shanghai show, another €8.6 million for staff expenditures and €89.6 million for lost Asian sales from November 2018 to March 2019. Since going public, Diet Prada, which has over 2.5 million Instagram followers, has raised more than $38,000 for its defense.
In a statement, Liu and Schuyler both said they would not allow their platform, which has also been vocal about the #Metoo movement, Black Lives Matter and recent attacks on Asians in the United States, to be silenced by lawsuits.
“Diet Prada will continue to be a platform to elevate these crucial issues,” Liu said.
Schuyler called on “public figures and brands to respond to public opinion and media critiques with progressive action, not lawsuits.”