Triangle of Sadness star and best supporting actress nominee Dolly de Leon looked resplendent as she strode down the BAFTA red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall last 20 February.
De Leon earned the international spotlight for her role as Abigail, a cleaner and toilet manager in Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winning film, Triangle of Sadness.
De Leon wore a Rajo Laurel creation aptly called Alon (wave). In an exclusive phone interview with Laurel, the designer said the custom fabric was made from abaca, nylon, and silk. The material was commissioned for his 25th anniversary in the fashion industry in 2018.
The designer said the dress can be ordered and made upon request to the tune of $5,000 (or P275,067.50).
This is not the first time Laurel dressed De Leon. The actress appeared in Vogue and on the cover of Tatler Philippines wearing Laurel’s creations.
Laurel credited actress Iza Calzado for introducing him to De Leon.
“The rest as they say is history as she broke the glass ceiling for all of us creative Filipinos — waiting to be seen, heard, and celebrated,” said Laurel. “She may not have won the Bafta but, for us, she is already a winner.”
Laurel added: “She is my winner. She is the winner for all of us Filipinos. Dreaming, wanting, wishing for our dreams to come true. Thank you, Dolly, for showing us all that it is possible. Pwedeng pwede palang matupad lahat ng ating pangarap (All our dreams can come true).”
De Leon lost in her category to Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), who also bested other notable actresses, such as Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Carey Mulligan (She Said), and Hong Chau (The Whale).