R’Bonney Gabriel Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About R’Bonney Gabriel

• R’Bonney Gabriel is an American model, fashion designer, and sewing instructor who was crowned Miss Universe 2022 at the 71st Miss Universe pageant, held on 14 January 2023. She is known for her passion for bringing environmental sustainability to the fashion industry. R’Bonney focuses on creating eco-friendly clothing by using old and cast-off clothes or fabrics.

• Her father, Remigio Bonzon Gabriel, also known as R. Bon. Gabriel, is a Filipino who met R’Bonney’s American mother, Dana Walker, in Texas. In an interview, R’Bonney revealed that her father, who is originally from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, moved to America on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. In the interview, R’Bonney called herself a proud Filipina Texan and said,
  

  My dad moved to America from the Philippines on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. He wanted to pave a new life for himself. He met my mom in Texas, who is a country woman from Beaumont. I’m a very proud Filipina Texan.” ^[2]Good Morning America

• According to some sources, R’Bonney is a high school volleyball player.

• R’Bonney Gabriel grew an interest in sewing at the age of 15. She nurtured her growing interest in sewing, creating things out of fabrics and eventually inclined towards fashion.

• In 2011, R’Bonney worked as a Production Assistant at a retail apparel and fashion company, ‘David Peck USA,’ in Houston, Texas.

• Later, she started working as a model. Gabriel worked as an E-Commerce Model for the beauty brand ‘Shop Miss A’ (2015-2016) at 10601 King William Dr in Dallas. In 2015, she joined the modelling agency ‘Callidus Agency’ in Dallas, Texas and modelled for nearly three years.

• R’Bonney was associated with ‘Nicole Miler,’ a global fashion and lifestyle brand headquartered in New York City, and ‘Esé Azénabor,’ a clothing brand owned by Esé Azénabor-Grembowski, as a Production Intern.

• In 2018, R’Bonney founded an eco-friendly clothing line, ‘R’Bonney Nola,’ in Houston. She is the CEO of her brand.

• Her father has also modelled for her clothing brand ‘R’Bonney Nola.’ On 25 November 2021, on the occasion of her father’s birthday, she launched her brand’s t-shirts with her favourite quote ‘If not now, then when?’ for which she modelled with her father, Remigio Bonzon Gabriel.
  

  R’Bonney Gabriel with her father, Remigio Bonzon Gabriel, promoting her clothing brand t-shirts with her favourite quote imprinted on it

• Gabriel has designed many outfits inspired by different countries and their fabrics. She designed some clothing collections inspired by Indian fabrics/textiles and decided to do a promotional photoshoot in Mumbai, India in which many locals including children also appeared.
  

  A picture from R’Bonney Gabriel’s shoot for an Indian-inspired clothing collection in Mumbai, India (2020)

• Gabriel is completely engrossed in building a sustainable future for the fashion industry for which she joined ‘Magpies & Peacocks,’ a non-profit design house that works on creating a sustainable future for local emerging designers by collecting and reusing post-consumer clothing, scrap textiles, and accessories to create new outfits, in 2020.

• R’Bonney Gabriel actively participated in social welfare activities. She teaches sewing to women who have survived domestic violence and human trafficking. She organises sewing classes in association with many non-profit organisations for those women who are interested in fashion but do not have the tools to practice it.

• Years after working as a model for various brands and designers, R’Bonney, at the suggestion of her friends, decided to give pageantry a try. In an interview, she revealed that she started researching pageant queens, after being suggested by her friends, following which she realised that beauty queens embrace their passion and culture and advocate for what they care about. Following her inclination towards pageantry, she signed up at the MISS Academy, a beauty school in Houston, Texas to prepare herself for competing in a beauty pageant. ^[3]CW39 Houston – YouTube

• Gabriel started her journey to win the title of a beauty pageant by competing in Miss Kemah USA 2020, where she was placed as 1st runner-up.

• She competed at Miss Houston 2021 and was placed as 1st runner-up.

• In an interview, Gabriel revealed that she used to be a tomboy and pageantry helped her to bring out her girly side. ^[4]CW39 Houston – YouTube

• In 2021, she represented Texas at Miss USA 2021 as Miss Harris County and was placed as 1st runner-up to Victoria Hinojosa of South Texas. In an interview, R’Bonney revealed that losing the title of Miss USA 2021 made her disappointed, but she decided not to lose faith in herself and chose to compete again for the title of Miss USA 2022. R’Bonney competed at the 71st Miss USA pageant, Miss USA 2022, and subsequently won the title, becoming the first Miss USA of Filipino descent.

• In an interview, Gabriel revealed that she wore self-designed outfits in the initial rounds of the Miss USA 2022 pageant. According to her, she tried to design as many outfits as possible in the time frame she had before appearing in different rounds including the interview and opening number. In an interview, she talked about her outfit for the interview round of the Miss USA 2022 pageant and revealed that she named it Filipiniana, a traditional dress worn by women in the Philippines.
  

  R’Bonney Gabriel wearing the self-designed outfit for the interview round at the Miss USA 2022 contest

  R’Bonney wore a red cocktail dress, which she designed out of an old jacket, for the opening number round at the Miss USA 2022 competition.

  

  R’Bonney Gabriel while designing her outfit for the opening number round of the Miss USA 2022 contest

• After winning the title of Miss USA 2022, Gabriel decided to compete in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant. On 15 January 2023, R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe 2022 by Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, who holds the title of Miss Universe 2021, in a ceremony hosted at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel and miss Dominican Republic Andreína Martínez bagged the 1st and 2nd runner-up spot.
  

  R’Bonney Gabriel crowned as Miss Universe 2022

• On reaching the final question-and-answer segment at the 71st Miss Universe pageant, R’Bonney was asked,
  

  If you win Miss Universe, how would you work to demonstrate this as an empowering and progressive organisation?”

  To which she replied,

  Well, I would use it to be a transformational leader. As a very passionate designer, been serving for 13 years, I use fashion as a force for good. In my industry, I am cutting down on pollution through recycled materials when I make my clothing. I teach sewing classes to women that have survived human trafficking and domestic violence. I say that because it is so important to invest, and others invest in our community and use your unique talent to make a difference. We all have something special and when we plant those seeds to other people in our life, we transform them and we use that as a vehicle for change.”

USA's top 3 answer!
The 71st #MISSUNIVERSE Competition is airing LIVE on @TheRokuChannel! pic.twitter.com/i7Ol0mPGFc

— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) January 15, 2023

• Gabriel wore a self-designed outfit in the preliminary interview round of the Miss Universe 2022. She designed a dark blue jumpsuit, which reflected the “ups and downs” she experienced after winning Miss USA 2022.
  

  R’Bonney Gabriel wearing the self-designed outfit for the preliminary interview round at Miss Universe 2022 competition

  According to some sources, it took around 50 hours for R’Bonney to complete the outfit. In an interview, R’Bonney Gabriel talked about her outfit and the message she wanted to convey through her design. Gabriel, in the interview, said,

  Thunderstorms are dark, they’re chaotic, and it was just a reflection of my time as Miss USA. These last three months, there were ups and downs. There were many challenges, and I was forced to look for the beauty in darkness.” ^[5]Insider

Miss USA Rbonney Gabriel wore her own piece to the prelim interview inspired by a thunderstorm that reflects the ups and downs of her experience as Miss USA 🇺🇸 Took her around 50 hours to finish this piece she hand-painted #missuniverse #missuniverse2022 pic.twitter.com/EyuuSdW9NU

— Dyan Castillejo (@DYANCASTILLEJO) January 11, 2023

• According to sources, Gabriel received negative comments for the outfit that she wore in the national costume round at the Miss Universe 2022 pageant.
  

  R’Bonney Gabriel’s outfit for the national costume round of the 71st Miss Universe pageant

  Reportedly, a Twitter used commented on Gabriel’s outfit and wrote,

  You know what’s American? the moon!” ^[6]The Washington Post

• Soon after winning the title of the 71st Miss Universe pageant, Gabriel was clouded in controversy after several contestants claimed that the judgement was rigged. According to some sources, many contestants in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant walked off the stage without congratulating R’Bonney Gabriel on her win. Gabriel, in an interview, talked about this and said,
  

  I would never enter any pageant or any competition that I know I would win. I have a lot of integrity.” ^[7]Insider