Miss USA Wore Homemade Swimsuit Cape Made of Plastic Bottles
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned the 71st winner of Miss Universe on Saturday. During the competition, she wore a swimsuit cape that she designed herself using plastic bottles. Gabriel, 28, said she did it to “show how art can be made from what we perceive as trash”. Loading Something is loading.
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Before being crowned Miss Universe, Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel wowed the audience with a homemade design during the swimsuit competition.
Gabriel was announced as the winner of the 71st Miss Universe pageant on Saturday night in New Orleans, Louisiana. Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel, was in second place, followed by Miss Dominican Republic, Andreína Martínez.
But before she became the first American to win Miss Universe in a decade, the model, designer and sewing instructor from Houston, Texas, made her mark in the swimwear segment by wearing a cape she created using materials from recyclable.
Sharing an insight into the design process on Instagram, Gabriel wrote that the cape was “dyed and designed sustainably using plastic bottles”. The video has 42,000 likes since it was posted on Saturday.
“I collected and transformed this cape to show how art can be made from what we perceive as trash,” she added. “It also embodies my favorite message of ‘If not now, then when?’ The motto is prominently printed on the back of the orange cape.
R’Bonney Gabriel already held the Miss USA title. Josh Brasted/Getty Images
In the clip, set to Adele’s ‘Set Fire To The Rain’, Gabriel showed how she used a flame from a candle to shape plastic bottles and used orange dye to color the fabric of her cape itself.
“I designed this swimsuit cape inspired by the story of Phoenix Rising, who rose from adversity to become stronger, smarter and more powerful,” she wrote in the caption. “I’ve kept this in mind throughout my journey through the show. Setbacks will always happen in life, but we can choose whether to let them bring us down or use them as fuel to get us up. “
Gabriel also said she spent 10 days before the pageant working on her cape design and even spent Christmas Day dyeing the cape fabric to look like flames, according to her Instagram stories.
In addition to using recycled plastic, she also worked with sustainably sourced wire and mesh to construct an eye-catching piece.
R’Bonney Gabriel shared on Instagram how he designed the swimsuit cape. R’Bonney Gabriel/Instagram
Gabriel spoke about her passion for sustainable design in the final round of questions on Saturday, Insider’s Anneta Konstantinides reported.
“As a very passionate designer, I have been sewing for 13 years; I use fashion as a force for good. In my industry, I am reducing pollution through recycled materials when I make my clothes. women survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence,” said Gabriel.
“And I say that because it’s so important to invest in others,” she added. “Invest in our community and use your unique talents to make a difference. We all have something special and when we plant those seeds in other people in our lives, we transform them and use that as a tool for change .”
