‘I can’t imagine how my life would be if I hadn’t met Renee. It may have been in black and white and not this colorful!” says Marina Benipayo, no doubt speaking for everyone whose lives have been touched by the incomparable Renee Salud.

Ask the common tao to name a fashion designer and Salud’s would invariably be mentioned. He is one of only a few who have transcended his profession and have been so famous outside of the confines of the world of fashion and beauty that he is regarded as a pop-culture icon.

“I am straightforward and unpretentious. I have no façade. I practice what I teach to the girls who join beauty contests: be yourself,” says “Mama” Renee of his enduring and endearing appeal.

“For someone who takes his work and career seriously, he has this all too polarized personality skill to charmingly suggest the contrary, and I, as part of a world of big egos, have forever been trying to master such an easy sense of the humble,” shares Jan Garcia, former model-turned-designer.

“Mama Renee is one of my few real, tried-and-tested friends in the industry. There have been many instances when he showered me with his unconditional and selfless love, especially during my trying times. He would always remind me to take care of myself, my health and my son. I love Mama very much,” enthuses the great beauty Patty Betita, who was groomed by Salud to become a Binibing Pilipinas and a top model.

The equally stunning Gem Padilla echoes the sentiment: “He introduced me to possibilities I never thought of growing up, and that opened a lot of doors for me. He brought me to places I only read about, met people I could only dream of meeting. Most of all, I will always be grateful to Renee for introducing me to my best friends.”

A University of Santo Tomas architecture dropout, Salud labored under different employers, apprenticed at well-known shops in the ’70s and befriended influential fashion editors to hone and enhance his craft as a designer. “The technical aspects of design I learned the hard way. Until now, I do my own cuts and patterns,” Salud says.

What accounts for his success? “I’m baduy,” he quips. “Baduy sells!” What becomes a legend most? “I followed my heart’s desires. I always wanted to be a beauty queen, but I didn’t become one after so many attempts,” he lets out a laugh. “So I put my heart into beauty contests. I’m in love with beau-cons [slang for beauty contests]!”

His life-long devotion to pageants enabled him to pluck out from obscurity and molded into such grand beauties as Melanie Marquez, Rosemarie de Vera, Desiree Verdadero, Izza Gonzales, Thea Robles, Sara Jane Paez, Jeddah Hernandez and Mafae Yunon. “Even to myself, I can’t explain why I have this knack, this eye for discovering ‘winnables.’” This is an ability he shares with Eileen Ford, Monique Pillard and Steven Meisel.

But, how does he determine which girl to send to compete at Binibini and who goes to Mutya? “For Binibini, ’yung parang bakla na pwede model; sa Mutya, ’yung girly-girly na pwede pakakasalan.” He erupts in raucous laughter after blurting out the difference.

Currently, Salud is at the helm of the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant.”At Mutya, I am given proper acknowledgment not as talent scout but as part of the organization. I do the dictations and the things to do in the contest. Modesty aside, Mutya has come out with winners without controversies,” he says. “We gather the best girls from different provinces and European countries. The Mutya pageant is the sincerest way of promoting tourism; it’s not Manila-centric; and you get the feel of every province like in SBMA, Zambales, Ilocos and Palawan. The next pageant will be in Aurora.”

This obsession with beau-cons also allowed him to focus on fashion. “Because I focused so much on dressing up beauty contestants, other designers found my aesthetic to be tacky.” But surely not the serpentina number that Chat Silayan wore to the 1980 Miss Universe? Till now, it is still considered one of the best that ever walked the Miss Universe stage. “My designs have always been geared toward Filipiniana. I did research on Filipiniana dressing. Early on I was a proponent of the indigenous, of presenting Filipino fashion abroad.”

As his beauty discoveries competed in the international arena wearing his creations, Salud found his legacy. “Without me knowing it, I was already doing something for Filipino fashion. Other designers don’t touch Filipiniana because they find it rural and ‘barriotic,’ but I always instill the Filipino in my designs.”

At the recent Philippine Fashion Week, Salud presented his new takes on the piña. “The clothes are very basic. I caught the vibe at New York Fashion Week, where practical clothes like trenchcoats were shown,” he shares. At his solo outing presented by BDO and supported by the Department of Agriculture, he created capes, cocktails, boleros, pantsuits, men’s jackets and pants, and sexy tube dresses.  “I am also going to show this collection abroad. Piña is a big hit among foreigners. I have mastered the entertainment aspect of a show, what different people want to see and own. For example, Asians want to see Western-inspired clothes while Europeans want to see ethnic dresses.”

Salud is also busy with a new gig designing for direct-selling label Natasha. “God’s really good. At Natasha, I do the concept, design and pattern. The operation is theirs, then I inspect the finished product and do the quality control. It’s less risky,” he explains. “It’s Renee Salud for Natasha RTW. Marian Rivera appears in the catalogue and I get to receive royalties.”

There really is no stopping the larger-than-life Salud, and his “children” can only marvel at his energy. Gem Padilla: “Whenever my heart gets broken, he always says this line to me [with his strong Batangas accent], ‘hayaii na ining, kung di para sa iyo ay di para sa iyo.’ It sounds so simple but it has become my mantra.”

Patty Betita: “His career advice for me is: a good career is determined by one’s true character. Character defines your destiny.” Marina Benipayo: “He told me, ‘Follow your own road and make every step productive.’ To follow my heart with the guidance of my mind, and know the rules...and then break them—magnificently, of course!”

The incorrigible Garcia has one wish for his mentor and ally: “To patent his night-cream regimen because he never seems to age!”