Batang palaboy noon sa Luneta, sikat na designer na sa Hollywood

ANG ganda-ganda ng life story ng Pinoy international fashion icon na si Rocky Gathercole who came home a few weeks ago to promote his fundraising campaign for Bantay Bata Foundation which will be staged in the US.

Rocky left their home in Pasay City at age 14. He said he was a battered child to his American father. Dala na rin ng identity crisis kaya siya umalis sa kanilang tahanan para hanapin ang sarili in 1982. Nagpalabuy-laboy siya sa Roxas Boulevard, natutulog sa Luneta at sa ilalim ng LRT sa Lawton.

Namasukan siya as helper sa isang rolling store pero weekdays lang ito bukas kaya he had to find other means para makakain during weekends. This journey lasted for years but Rocky never gave up. Until he met someone along the way para irekomendang maging waiter sa Makati.

But during his younger years in school, he would always be on top of his art classes. Magaling na talaga siyang mag-drawing at mag-sketch kaya tuwing may event sa kanilang school he would win them all. Until sometime in 1987 ay may nag-alok sa kaniyang magtrabaho sa Saudi Arabia – kahit wala siyang formal training or schooling sa pananahi at pagde-design, nagamit niya ang kaniyang husay para makilala.

In 1989, he went back home para humingi ng kapatawaran sa kaniyang ama in 1982. “Mahal na mahal ko ang father ko kaya umuwi ako para humingi sa kaniya ng forgiveness. And he forgave me dahil sobrang mahal din niya ako. Kasi nga, since I was very much young then kaya akala ko ay hindi niya ako mahal. From then on, I made sure that I take care of him, attend to all his needs and all.

“I may be okay now pero I treat everything as work. When I went to the States, ang nasa isip ko lang naman ay makaapak sa Amerika and didn’t even know kung anong naghihintay sa akin doon. Hanggang sa heto nga, medyo gumanda naman ang career ko at padami nang padami ang clients ko.

“I will never forget my past, ang lahat ng struggles ko. Hindi ko ikinahihiya kung saan ako nanggaling and the kind of life na pinagdaanan ko. “Hindi ako nahihiyang malaman ng mga tao na isa akong streetkid when I was young. It wasn’t easy, lahat ng hirap ay pinagdaanan ko sa buhay – gutom, pagod at lahat na.

Kaya advice ko sa mga may talento out there, never quit. Make your dreams come true,” ani Rocky who now design clothes for some of the biggest Hollywood stars like JLo, Zia, Lady Gaga, Nikki Minaj and many others. Bongga, di ba?

“I just treat all these as a job, work lang. Minsan lang ako na-starstruck – nu’ng pumasok sa shop ko si Lattoya Jackson. Kasi nga, mahal ko si Michael Jackson, I was a fan kaya when I met Lattoya, chinika ko siya. Ha-hahaha! Afterwards ay marami na siyang binili at naging regular client ko na siya.

“Nakakatawa nga si Zia because nobody naman talaga knows her kasi nga nakatakip ang mukha niya. When she walked in of the shop, dami niyang pinamili. We didn’t know who she was until her manager whispered to me na si Zia nga iyon and she bought all the things that she needed.

Imagine, si Ms. Chandelier na pala iyon. Ha-hahaha!” ani Rocky na napaka-humble. Since streetkid nga siya dati, he wanted to help – to give back the favor sa Pilipinas. Kaya ang ginawa niya, he went to San Francisco para pumunta sa TFC natin.

He asked kung paano raw ba siya makakatulong sa Bantay Bata dahil sobrang lapit ng puso niya sa foundation na ito. Last May lang daw naganap iyon and here he is, on Aug. 28 ay gaganapin na ang fundraising fashion show niya for them.

Rocky is making a big difference amongst the other named designers in the States. His are the futuristic style. “Hindi ko feel gawin yung basta maganda lang, gusto ko kasi yung kakaiba. Yung may naiiwang question mark sa nakakanood o nakakakita ng design ko.

Pare-pareho na lang kasi halos ang mga designs nila, kaya I opted for futuristic type,” he said. Rocky Gathercole is a big name now in Hollywood pero he still remembers his humble beginnings. Something that we must be very proud of being Pinoys.