BREAKING: Designer Jeffrey Rogador Passes Away At The Age Of 42

BREAKING: Designer Jeffrey Rogador Passes Away At The Age Of 42

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The Philippine fashion industry enters the month of December with great sadness following the news that designer Jeffrey Rogador passes away at the age of 42.

We’ve noticed that the fashion industry today is slowly and surely starting to create more ready-to-wear collections as opposed to the previous decades. With this evolution, we must give credit to the ones who were are the forefront of such an initiative. In fact, amongst the few designers to energize the local RTW scene is MEGA Young Designer’s Competition All Stars Finalist, Jeffrey Rogador.

Jeffrey Rogador

A fixture in Philippine fashion week, unfailingly showcasing innovative designs one collection after another, we are all honestly shocked that we find out about his untimely passing. But while we don’t have the full details of this news yet, what we’re sure of is that Jeffrey—being a fun, loving, and caring friend of MEGA—rightfully deserves his work and life to be celebrated.

MEGA Through And Through

Jeffrey Rogador is a brilliant designer who has proved his undeniable artistry and pure talent for over almost two decades in the industry. He has been a MEGA baby upon entering the 6th edition of MEGA’s Young Designers Competition All-Stars. After landing on the 6th spot, he made sure to keep close to all of his learnings in the competition and apply it in his own business endeavors for his namesake brand.

Pia Wurtzbach for Jeffrey Rogador

Jeffrey once shared to MEGA how our Founding Editor has greatly impacted his life, “I was once told by her to change the game of ready-to-wear and business in our country, as well as to focus and keep doing what I do best.” And as he followed this advice, he eventually opened a lot of doors full of opportunities.

He has made it a point to make sure that his DNA would always revolve around urban streetwear. So, from neons, oversized clothing, to denim, he was brave enough to explore all the possible elements that could be incorporated into RTW streetwear. Hence, his designs straddle a fine line of functionalism, form, and flair.

Jeffrey Rogador

As he further refined this aesthetic, the Filipino designer was able to earn international nods such as Best Jeans Award for Jeansation 2 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He also had collaborations with Levi’s for its global Go Forth campaign and for Jag Jeans Origins, which was presented to the exacting editorial expectations of Project Runway judge and Editor-in-Chief of Elle, Nina Garcia.

Tyra Banks wearing Jeffrey Rogador

But regardless of his success, he never failed to make time for his first love: dance and theater. As he married his passion for fashion and love for theater, it resulted in boundary-crossing and barrier-breaking milestones such as being the costume designer for Martin Lawrence’s Rebel, Amid Shadows, Aria, and The Winding Road for Ballet Manila, and most remarkably, for the Richard Alston Dance Company London for Red Run and Martin Lawrence’s Tangent, Cut & Run, Detour, and A Far Cry.

Jeffrey Rogador’s costumes for Sir Richard Alston piece “RED RUN”

You see, his design philosophy isn’t a mere conversion of an unshaken creative and diluting it for the commercial movement. According to his bio, based “from the idea, the intention is earnest in a desire to exist as a function rather than a flourish. This is why from the very beginning, [he] has long championed the casting of real people for his campaigns and runway shows.” And for us at MEGA, we believe that’s how he managed to be recognized by global creatives. He gave us more than just art; he gave us his heart of compassion to start a social movement, actuating a paradigm shift in doing campaigns that our industry heavily needs in this day and age.

So, for one last time, let’s give Jeffrey Rogador one last round of applause for all the great contributions he made to the Philippine fashion industry.

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