Rajo Laurel is a well-known fashion designer in the Philippines. Although he had a passion for fashion since he was young, his talent really showed in his early adult years. He creates and manages Laurel et Ross Enterprises, a clothing manufacturing business that specializes in stylish corporate uniforms for hotels, workplaces, and dining establishments. Just like Rajo Laurel Designs, there is a subdivision in Cavite that showcases elegance and luxurious style.
His training from Central Saint Martin’s in London and the New York Fashion Institute of Technology sharpened his natural sense of style. In his twenty-two-year career, he received multiple awards for fashion designing and business both locally and internationally. Currently, the Rajo Laurel Group of Companies consists of Rajo Laurel Enterprises, Laurel et Ross Enterprises, and House of Laurel. The subdivison in Cavite of Crown Asia shares a similar characteristics with House of Laurel since it is an upscale business known for exhibiting elegance and opulence via the fusion of ready-to-wear ease and convenience and the inventiveness and flair of haute couture. Thus, the only difference is that the subdivision is in the side of real estate industry.
Rajo Laurel contributed a lot in the fashion industry and to know more, read and enjoy this article as we go through his fashionable and inspiring story.
What are the advocacies of Rajo Laurel?
The Support towards LGBTQIA+
For the LGBTQ+ community, fashion has continuously served an important role in expressing themselves. In today’s time, people are not only talking about Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, or Alexander McQueen, but also about Filipino designers who have been establishing their names on the global fashion runway with their rainbow flags and let us take it from the Rajo Laurel itself.
Rajo Laurel’s significance extends beyond fashion by championing the LGBTQ+ community. After appearing in Project Runway Philippines for five seasons, Laurel joined the cast of Drag Race Philippines in 2022 as a regular fixture on the show’s weekly judging panel alongside fellow Tatler Philippines regular BJ Pascual. Furthermore, in addition to being well-known in the Philippine design business, Laurel is respected by the LGBTQ+ community for confronting the PNP about their inaccurate statement on the LGBT population.
The Sustainability Incorporated in His Works
Image from https://fameplus.com/
Rajo Laurel had a project called Re-Edition in the House of Laurel. To avoid producing waste products, Laurel and his creative team disassembled and reconstructed pre-existing clothing from previous collections for this project. The firm takes pleasure in well-planned procedures and innovation since everyone there thinks that excellent design ought to be and always will be sustainable.
Moreover, one of NGCP’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, Project Baro, has received an additional push after famous fashion designer Rajo Laurel recently signed an agreement to use the project’s items for NGCP’s corporate uniform in the year 2020. Project Baro is a sustainable livelihood project that strives to develop and perpetuate the country’s indigenous weaving art.Through a variety of activities, NGCP’s CSR Program prioritizes environmental conservation in addition to sustainable livelihood projects and the ongoing growth of the communities it serves.
The House of Laurel Brand
The House of Laurel was established as a transitional brand for ladies seeking off-the-rack attire that embodied the iconic style of Rajo Laurel. It blends the ease of ready-to-wear with the style and creativity of designer clothes.
A demicouture collection influenced by the Modern Filipina, House of Laurel embodies modernism balanced by tradition, femininity freed from social constraints, and an artistic sensibility weaved into everyday life. Remarkable embellishments like hand-painted patterns, needlework, and beading are widely used in its creations, transforming clothing into limited-edition works of art. Expert stylists are on hand to help customers choose the ideal look, from dress selection to complementary accessories.
The House of Laurel’s picturesque setting only serves to enhance its allure. Situated next to Manila’s rapidly expanding shopping centers, the roomy setting serves as an artistic canvas for the designer’s imagination. Finding a huge modern structure in a busy tiny street is usually a pleasant surprise, even when it is a little unanticipated. Customers’ journeys start the moment they enter the store and see how the interiors change with every season that comes. The store transforms into an ornate boudoir in the following season, then back into a downtown alley with walls painted in graffiti. The subdivision in Cavite is also strategically located where it is accessible to the people alongside their comfort and safety.
Laurel’s Road to Greatness
Image from https://www.tatlerasia.com/
The pathway to success for Laurel was not smooth and straight as silk. Being the eldest son in a political family, Laurel had to clear his way into the industry of fashion. Laurel claimed in a CNN interview that after taking a flight to New York to enroll in classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, his father ordered him back home. As requested by his father, he then enrolled in a Human Resource Management course at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. But for the determined individual, no task is impossible. Laurel offered to work as the late Louie Mamengo’s apprentice while he was a college student. Additionally, he received education at London’s Central Saint Martin’s.
When Laurel launched his fashion brand in 1993, he took second in the ASEAN Young Designers’ Competition, earning him his first prize. After that, he won multiple additional honors, hosted a number of gala events, and, together his sister Venisse Laurel-Hermano, founded House of Laurel in 2000. Rajo is an innovative, driven individual who also happens to be an excellent businessman. He is the leader of Rajo Laurel Enterprise, a brand-new business focused on design and inspired by the ideals of romance, sophistication, and elegance. The style always combines soft and rough components in a complex and feminine approach.
Despite being Filipino by birth and having strong Asian influences, Rajo strives to keep a global perspective on design, which is tremendously inspiring for his fellow Filipinos, particularly those who aspire to work in the fashion industry.
