- Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel was crowned the 71st Miss Universe winner on Saturday.
- During the pageant, she wore a bathing suit cape that she designed herself from plastic bottles.
- Gabriel, 28, said she did it to “show how art can be made from what we perceive to be trash”.
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Before being crowned Miss Universe, Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel wowed the crowd with a homemade design during the swimsuit competition.
Gabriel was crowned the winner of the 71st Miss Universe pageant Saturday night in New Orleans, Louisiana. Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel, was second, followed by Miss Dominican Republic, Andreína Martínez.
But before she became the first American to be crowned Miss Universe in a decade, the Houston, Texas-based model, fashion designer and sewing instructor made her name in the swimwear segment by wearing a cape she created from recyclable materials.
Gabriel shared an insight into the design process on Instagram, writing that the cape was “sustainably colored and designed using plastic bottles.” The video has garnered 42,000 likes since it was posted on Saturday.
“I collected and transformed this cloak to show how art can be made from what we perceive to be trash,” she added. “It also embodies my favorite message, ‘If not now, then when?’ The motto is visibly printed on the back of the orange cape.
R’Bonney Gabriel previously held the Miss USA title. Josh Brasted/Getty Images
In the clip for Adele’s Set Fire To The Rain, Gabriel showed how she used the flame of a candle to shape the plastic bottles and how she dyed the fabric of her cape herself with orange dye.
“I designed this swimsuit cape inspired by the story of the Phoenix Rising who emerged from adversity to become stronger, smarter and more powerful,” she wrote in the caption. “I kept this in mind throughout my journey through the pageantry. Setbacks will always happen in life, but we can choose to let them bring us down or use them as fuel for ascent.”
Gabriel also said she spent 10 days leading up to the pageant working on her cape design and even spent Christmas Day dying the cape’s fabric to look like flames, according to her Instagram Stories.
As well as using recycled plastic, she also worked with sustainably sourced wire and mesh to construct the eye-catching piece.
R’Bonney Gabriel showed off how she designed the swimsuit cape on Instagram. R’Bonney Gabriel/Instagram
Gabriel spoke about her passion for sustainable design in the final Q&A session on Saturday, reported Insider’s Anneta Konstantinides.
“As a very passionate designer, I have been sewing for 13 years; I use fashion as a force for good. In my line of work, I reduce pollution by using recycled materials when making my clothes. I give sewing classes to women who have survived human trafficking and domestic violence,” Gabriel said.
“And I say that because investing in others is so important,” she added. “Invest in our community and use your unique talent 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 vehicle for change.”