You know you’re about to witness greatness when you hear Cher’s “Believe” before a show.
It’s a song that practically demands you sing along, preferably with all the conviction of someone who has survived a great deal and emerged with a fabulous wardrobe. It’s an appropriate choice, then, for Rajo Laurel, who closed the inaugural Fashion Week Asia with ARCHIVO—a retrospective of his thirty-three years in fashion. With archival garments dating back to 1993 and contemporary reinterpretations in the same presentation, everyone was invited to Laurel’s grand reunion with himself.
“There are clothes there that I did when I was twenty-one years old,” he shares with MEGA. “It was essentially nostalgic.”
Rajo Laurel Rediscovers His Creative Journey in ARCHIVO
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Most people have photographs to remind them of who they were, but Laurel has an actual archive that shows his legacy, complete with the decisions he made about how they should look and the challenges he set out to solve. In ARCHIVO, an ivory ensembleEnsembleA complete, coordinated outfit in which each garment and accessory is chosen to work together as one look. Stylists build ensembles around a theme, color story, or occasion, and theGo to Ensemble Glossary expands dramatically at the hips, where meticulous pleating gives the fabric its enormous, rounded shape.
His interest in what fabric can become is just as evident in a brilliant blue creation, whose ribbed structure extends outward in a broad curve. It has the presence of a sculpture. As always, there’s an appealing audacity to these clothes.
The details are worth examining, too. On a sheer skirt, dimensional flowers rise from the surface, their petals lending depth to an otherwise delicate fabric. Laurel’s technical mastery allows him to move between different scales of construction, and the pleasure of seeing these garments together comes from witnessing the range he has developed over the years.
“I’m in the process of recollection, but at the same time, I’m revealing what perhaps happens next.”
—RAJO LAUREL
From MEGA Illustrator to Fashion Week Asia
We’d be remiss not to mention Laurel’s personal relationship with MEGA, as the designer’s roots are heavily intertwined with ours. Decades ago, Michael Salientes, the magazine’s first fashion editor, commissioned the now-designer to illustrate an article. More assignments followed under founder Sari Yap, and Laurel eventually contributed to Style File, where his drawings interpreted the trends featured in the magazine.
Yap also encouraged him to enter the inaugural MEGA Young Designers Competition in 1994. Back then, he worked from a rented basement with just one person sewing for him. His efforts earned him early recognition as a young creative with boundless imagination. Laurel remembers it all: “My history with MEGA magazine goes [way] back… [from my early beginnings] to today’s featured designer at Fashion Week Asia. Each phase, each step, I consider a true blessing! Maraming salamat [Thank you], MEGA!”
At the finale, Laurel had every reason to celebrate. As Erasure’s “A Little Respect” played, he came down the runway singing along and dancing, sharing a few embraces for familiar faces in the front rowFront RowThe prime seats closest to the runway at a fashion show, traditionally reserved for the most influential editors, top buyers, celebrities, and loyal clients. Sitting front row signals status andGo to Front Row Glossary, including Heart Evangelista.
“I’m very grateful. I’m very honored and humbled.” He beams before adding that he’s looking forward to “sleep and a cocktail.” Leave it to him to conclude a momentous evening with his characteristic wit.
But on a serious note, Fashion Week Asia couldn’t have ended better than with a grand tribute to a man whose entire existence holds enormous significance in Philippine fashion. Everything he has accomplished and contributed to the industry will continue to have an enormous impact on those who look up to him, such as ourselves—because whether in the past, present, or future, there is only one Rajo Laurel.
Photographed by BRYAN BACTAD, Creative Direction by GEE PLAMENCO JR., and Art Direction by RAKI LUCAS
Frequently Asked Questions
ARCHIVO is Rajo Laurel’s retrospective presentation closing the inaugural Fashion Week Asia, featuring archival garments dating back to 1993 alongside contemporary reinterpretations, spanning his thirty-three-year career in Philippine fashion.
Rajo Laurel’s relationship with MEGA dates back decades, starting when fashion editor Michael Salientes commissioned him to illustrate for the magazine. He later contributed to Style File and entered the inaugural MEGA Young Designers Competition in 1994.
ARCHIVO showcases Rajo Laurel’s range in construction, including meticulous pleating that expands an ivory ensemble’s silhouette, a ribbed blue creation with sculptural presence, and dimensional floral details rising from a sheer skirt.
Rajo Laurel closed his ARCHIVO presentation by walking the runway singing and dancing to Erasure’s “A Little Respect,” embracing familiar faces in the front row, including actress Heart Evangelista, before the finale.
Rajo Laurel has spent thirty-three years in the fashion industry, a career that began when he entered the inaugural MEGA Young Designers Competition in 1994 while working from a rented basement with a single seamstress.
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