- Miss USA R’Bonnie Gabriel was crowned the 71st Miss Universe winner on Saturday.
- During the pageant, she wore a swimsuit cape that she created herself using plastic bottles.
- Gabrielle, 28, said she did it to “show how art can be made from what we perceive as trash”.
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Before being crowned Miss Universe, Miss USA R’Bonnie Gabriel wowed the crowd with a homemade design during the swimsuit competition.
Gabrielle was announced as the winner of the 71st Miss Universe pageant on Saturday night in New Orleans, Louisiana. Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel, was runner-up, followed by Miss Dominican Republic, Andreina Martinez.
But before she became the first American to win Miss Universe in a decade, the model, fashion designer and sewing instructor from Houston, Texas, made her mark in the swimwear segment by wearing a cape made from recyclable materials.
A post shared by R’Bonney Nola (@rbonneynola)
Sharing an insight into the design process on Instagram, Gabrielle wrote that the nose was “sustainably painted and designed using plastic bottles.” The video has 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 as trash,” she added. “It also embodies my favorite message, ‘If not now, then when?'” The motto is prominently printed on the back of the orange cape.
R’Bonnie Gabriel already had the title of Miss USA. Josh Brasted/Getty Images
In the clip, set to Adele’s ‘Set Fire To The Rain’, Gabrielle showed how she used a candle flame to shape the plastic bottles and used orange dyes to dye the fabric of her cape herself.
“I designed this swimsuit cape inspired by the story of Phoenix rising from adversity to become stronger, smarter and more powerful,” she wrote in the caption. “I had this in mind during my journey through the spectacle. There will always be setbacks in life, but we can choose to let them bring us down or use them as fuel to lift us up.”
Gabrielle also said she spent 10 days preparing for the pageant, working on her cape design and even spent Christmas dyeing the cape fabric to look like flames, according to her Instagram stories.
In addition to using recycled plastic, she also worked with sustainable sources of wire and mesh to construct the eye-catching piece.
R’Bonney Gabriel showed on Instagram how she designed a cape for a swimsuit. R’Bonney Gabriel/Instagram
Gabriel spoke about his passion for sustainable design in the final round of questions on Saturday, Insider’s Annetta Constantinides 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 reduce pollution by using recycled materials when I make my clothes. I teach sewing classes to women who are survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence,” said Gabrielle.
“And I say that because it’s so important to invest in others,” 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.”
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