LESLEY MOBO

DESIGN COLLABORATOR

FROM THE ISLAND OF PANAY, AKLAN TO THE BUSY, FASHIONABLE STREETS OF LONDON, DESIGNER LESLEY MOBO HAS ARRIVED.

Lesley started in the fashion industry apprenticing for Inno Sotto. He later graduated from the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s College in 2002 with First Class B.A. Honors in Fashion. He completed these honors with his innovative dissertation which featured the very Pinoy pineapple fiber and fabric.

He also received the Annual Colin Barnes Award from Central Saint Martins, and a nomination in the Chartered Society of Designer Fashion Awards held in the British Natural History Museum. Lesley then participated in an exhibition entitled “Fashion in Motion” held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington for an “urchin” dress made out of hundreds of seashells. It was featured on BBC News and caught the eye of famous London luxury department store Harrod’s. After that, he was hired to be head designer for Harrod’s brand, Jasmin Di Milo.

Lesley also collaborated with Emilio Pucci in 2004 and Diesel in 2005. This led to the release of the sold-out capsule collection called “Lesley Mobo by Diesel” featured in the brand’s flagship stores in London, Milan, Paris, Berlin, New York, Antwerp, and Tokyo.

The high-energy designs of MOBO Couture speak of Lesley’s hip London street cred. To him, fashion is all about individuality and style is in the detail. “It’s the small flash of bright color under a dark jacket, the way a trench coat belt is tied, the quirky cuff that contrasts with a somber shift,” he shares in an interview with the Philippine Star. The way Lesley Mobo describes fashion is embodied in his creative, contrasting designs. He creates clothes that do not follow the trend, but creates it.

“It doesn’t matter how much you paid or where you bought it. Today, style is as much about how you feel wearing them, as it is the clothes themselves.” With such diverse designs coming from a highly-acclaimed designer, wearing Lesley Mobo definitely matters.—CT