MANILA, Philippines - Designer Paul Cabral has had unforgettable fashion shows and awards for the past 20 years of his career. But the past week has brought special memories for him. He was tasked by Malacañang Palace to make the barong tagalog for 22 presidents and prime ministers attending the APEC meet in Manila. And that included social media hotties Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and, of course, American President Barack Obama.
Face to face with the Canadian leader at the Peninsula Manila where he was billeted, Cabral told Trudeau: “Mr. Prime Minister, did you know that this is my most awaited fitting? Because you are a superstar and many girls have been applying to be my assistant for today.” This made Trudeau laugh and graciously pose for a photo with Cabral, even clicking a selfie for him.
“Trudeau and his security were very kind, so I was surprised because I expected to be met with strict formality,” said Cabral. “The same was true with the US president, who was all-smiles and warm when President Noynoy told President Obama: ‘Paul Cabral makes all my clothes and he made all the leaders’ and yours, too, for the APEC summit.’”
The 6’1” tall Obama had one particular request, obviously for the convenience of the towering leader — he wanted his barong to be a full open one, while the rest were okay with the traditional half-open barong, with buttons running up to mid-chest. Among the leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping happily declared it was perfect at first fitting, while Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was so pleased he said: “It’s so nice, can I post the photo on Facebook?”
Cabral, who is acknowledged in the fashion industry as the leading designer of the barong as well as the terno, got training from the late couture master Joe Salazar, who trusted him and allowed him to scrutinize and learn from his works. Salazar would ask Cabral to do bridal entourages for weddings while Salazar would focus only on the bride’s gown; Salazar also bequeathed to Cabral a lot of his couture materials such as beads before he passed away.
For the APEC dinner, Cabral likewise made piña cardigans for the APEC first ladies, including Ballsy Cruz, who wore these over their own black dresses.
Cabral made native floral designs for them, but for Japanese First Lady Akie Abe, he fashioned cherry blossoms.
All measurements of the leaders and their spouses were emailed to Cabral in advance, and before he fashioned each one, he did his homework by watching videos and looking at photographs of each one to see their build and sense of style. This made him sleepless before the APEC meet, plus the fact that he attended to each fitting, even if they were scheduled at early morning times. Being sleepless was worth all the satisfaction and pride at being able to dress all the world’s presidents and their first ladies.