Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel says sustainable fashion can save the world
Before Houston native R’Bonney Gabriel became the first Filipina American woman to be crowned Miss Universe last month, she was teaching women how to sew.
The lessons were not just about stitching together fabric, Gabriel says; she also tried to feed their minds with positive thoughts.
Gabriel was the lead sewing instructor for Houston-based Magpies & Peacocks, a nonprofit sustainable fashion house. The organization funds a MAKR Collective program that trains and empowers women who have survived domestic abuse and human trafficking, providing them with skills that could lead to gainful work. She also worked as a designer and lead campaign model with the nonprofit.
“I learned so much about the women’s hardships,” she says. “I would let them know that the past doesn’t define them. Everyone needs a support system, and community support is everything.”
At 28, Gabriel is a graduate in fashion design from the University of North Texas and owner of an eco-friendly fashion line, R’Bonney Nola. She hopes to one day hold sewing workshops worldwide to help educate more people about the need for sustainable fashion. She even designed the “Phoenix Rising” swimsuit cape she wore onstage for the Miss Universe pageant. It was tie-dyed and made from recycled plastic bottles.
Helping to save the environment through sustainability is part of her mission as Miss Universe, but she developed the passion as a young girl.
“I grew up traveling the world, and there are so many oceans that have been polluted with trash. I was in Indonesia when I saw a river full of trash. I wanted to do what I could to help,” she says.
Learning how to sew
was part of that effort. While attending Elkins High School, Gabriel would frequent a “gathering of grandmothers” who sewed in her Houston neighborhood. They taught her their dressmaking skills. That led to the job with Magpies & Peacocks.
“We’ve watched her train beyond measure for Miss Texas, Miss USA and Miss Universe while working with us, and she has stayed grounded the whole time. We are immensely proud of this bright, intelligent young woman and can’t wait to watch her amazing future ahead,” says Ahsia Berry, vice president of communications for Magpies & Peacocks.
Gabriel, who interned with Houston designer David Peck, has always had ideas for dresses. She’s held onto one of her favorites: her prom dress. It was a red tiedye with a high-low hem. She made her date a matching red tie.
She has a perfected a patchwork-denim technique, she says.
Born to a Filipino father, Remigio Bonzon “R. Bon” Gabriel and a white mother from Beaumont, Gabriel grew up in Missouri City and later Friendswood with three older brothers.
Her father came to U.S. from the Philippines with “20 dollars in his pocket and a college scholarship,” she says. “He worked hard and made his dreams come true.”
Gabriel originally began entering pageants to help with her communication skills. Becoming Miss Universe was the ultimate goal.
“I love a challenge and always looking to grow. I saw pageants as a way of bettering my communication. I felt like I wanted to really perfect my speaking.”
In 2022, she became the first Filipina to win Miss Texas, as well as the first to wear the Miss USA crown.
“I want show other Asian Americans the importance of owning your own identity. I want them to celebrate themselves,” she says.