MARVEL at Lesley Mobo’s impressive achievements: a local university degree in biology, First Class BA Honors Degree in Fashion at Central Saint Martin’s London in 2002 with a Colin Barnes Award for fashion illustration, exhibits at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Louvre Museum, head designer from 2003 to 2011 of Jasmine Di Milo at Harrod’s showing several seasons at Paris Fashion Week,
MA in Fashion at Central Saint Martin’s gaining a distinction in 2004, collaborations with Diesel, Absolut Vodka and Uniqlo; and perfume and underwear lines at Bench.
But the road to Mobo’s fashion ascendance wasn’t paved with Swarovski crystals, French lace or Cerutti fabric. Coming from a humble family background in Aklan, his family had to sell land and livestock so he could pursue his fashion studies in London.
It’s these early struggles, which could break less sturdy individuals, that Mobo wishes ambitious and talented students can skip over on their way to a successful career in fashion. So, with his good name, solid international experience and vast knowledge in fashion, he wants to give back to his fellow Filipinos by opening a fashion school in August and share what he learned from a world-class institution like CSM and his current work as consultant to fashion firms.
MINT SCHOOL OF FASHION
MOBO found that the Meridian International Business, Arts and Technology College, on McKinley Hill, Taguig City, to be receptive of his idea of a four-year fashion program.
“Mint is already doing a great job with their other colleges that teach film, music and theater. The Mint fashion school is what we have created together. The purpose—the bigger picture, the mission—is to have something like a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund or the [British Fashion Council’s] NewGen initiative,” Mobo explained over an intimate dinner he hosted at Blackbird restaurant for his personal contacts in the local press, with each having a paper doll and stationeries of their likeness.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America/Vogue Fashion Fund, a contest envisioned by Anna Wintour, helps “emerging American design talent find continued success in the business of fashion. The prize of $400,000 for the winner and $150,000 to the two runners-up “are to be used to further develop each designer’s business in such areas as marketing, public relations, production and sales. The award also includes mentorship from an esteemed group of industry professionals whose expertise is tailored to the designers’ needs and future goals.”
On the other hand, “NewGen recipients receive regular mentoring and financial support. All designers are required to actively participate in business support and mentoring to help develop their businesses, as well as their profile as part of this support scheme. It is open to menswear, womenswear and accessories businesses whose businesses are based in the United Kingdom.”
With the CFDA/VFF and the BFC NewGen serving as inspirations, the fashion school will also adapt Mobo’s creative philosophy of “Innovation, Individuality, Independence and Imagination” and Mint College’s goal of seamlessly blending creative innovation with practical application and industry understanding.
“We want to create young fashion creatives—in fashion journalism, digital fashion, fashion in social media, hair and makeup, photography, accessories, womenswear, all the traditional ones. It won’t be just about fashion. [We’re looking for] someone who is passionate in retail, who can come up with solutions to an exciting experience in retail,” Mobo said.
“Ultimately, [it will be someone who has] new, original ideas so that we can help them launch their start-ups,” because “what we’ve discovered is that there are only a few ones of the caliber who are up to global standards. Some who are already doing well are independent, and they don’t need any help anyway,” he added.
Hendrik Kiamzon, Mint executive vice president, gives his all-out support, as does school president Baltazar Endriga, who is a past president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and who generously doles out scholarships at his family-owned Libagon Academy in Leyte.
“We have been running the school since 2011. We focus on business, arts and technology. We are launching Lesley’s fashion program this August. It’s quite on short notice but we’re getting a lot of inquiries, even the existing enrollees who have applied and have been accepted are asking if they can transfer over to Lesley’s program,” Kiamzon explained.
“So it was really serendipitous when we got to meet Lesley. What we’re known for in terms of our reputation, and this is what we get from people who visit us, is being a creative school and also being nontraditional. What that means is that we get students right away working with professionals. That’s why Lesley is the perfect partner for us,” said Kiamzon.
SCHOLARSHIPS THROUGH THE RED CHARITY GALA
KIAMZON met Mobo through the Red Charity Gala, the annual fund-raiser by socialite-philanthropists Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga, and publicist Edd Fuentes. Mobo was the featured designer in 2015.
“Tessa and Kaye have committed to drum up support for one scholarship grant,” Mobo said. Tuition is at P100,000 per semester. “Make it 10!” Valdes interjected half-jokingly.
“What I’m really hoping, on our second year, is mang-hold-up pa kayo ng marami so we can get more scholars,” Mobo jested. By the second and third years, they would have dissected what the students and the school really need to focus on and reinforce.
“By the fourth year, we hope to have created a CFDA-like funding. Maybe not from a particular private company. I don’t know yet how it’s going to happen but with the key people here, I think we could get the support,” Mobo said with optimism. I suggested that there should be two scholars, one from Manila and one from the provinces. Tinga asked me why there should be two.
“Those hailing from the provinces won’t have the economic means to study at Mint, and they could be too intimidated even to enroll,” I replied, then added, “Lesley is from the province.” To which the promdi proudly beamed, intimating that he goes home from London at least every two months to dote on his widowed mother Milagros.
Of the world-class designers showcased at the gala, with Rajo Laurel being the 10th in October, five are provincianos: Dennis Lustico and Michael Cinco from Samar, Furne One and Cary Santiago from Cebu, and Mobo from Aklan.
Maybe some of them can do lectures at the school one day, I told Mobo. After laying the foundations for the college as an incubator, laboratory and training ground for fashion creatives, he will invite fashion authorities.
“We’re also getting people from the local industry, and maybe ask someone from abroad to train the students to make them competitive in the international scene,” Mobo said. Colin McDowell, Pat McGrath, Steven Meisel, Valerie Steele, Andre Leon Talley perhaps?
MOBO X MINT
“THE kids these days, you’ve got to bring the goods. You’ve got to have street cred when you’re teaching them because if you don’t, they’re just going to turn their attention to something else. The fact that Lesley went to CSM, the students are excited about this,” Kiamzon said.
“The mission is really, really good. I could be like Mother Teresa if this all happens. But it’s really not about me. It’s about the people who will make it happen, like Tessa, Kaye, Red Charity, Henryk of
Mint. I’m just the one who says maybe we can do this and that. I don’t really have a particular title at the school. It’s so backward to have one. It’s not forward-looking,” Mobo mused.
On his last visit, Mobo encountered fashion students from different schools. What he discovered, to his dismay, is an urgent need for an environment like what he’s developing with Mint, because, “everyone wants to get into fashion because of its popularity and the profile,” but are ignorant of the nitty-gritty of running a viable fashion business.
“Our grads will have the capacity to be on an international level. But I want them to be based in the Philippines, hopefully. Because where the help is most needed is in our industry. You can do wholesale now, you can do concepts and stuff, but you don’t have to leave the country to do it. It’s the digital generation, where we can do online stores,” said Mobo.
“This is the right time because fashion is in a very, very tricky situation where what it is wanting is new ideas, new experimentations, all the innovations, nothing rigid,” Mobo believed. “So I think it’s perfect, this partnership with Mint. It’s not just a fashion college. It’s bigger than a fashion college.”
- For more information and inquiries: www.mintcollege.com, admissions@mintcollege.com, 551-9651/55.