“I never had a bad encounter for being a gay Asian designer,” said fashion designer Alan del Rosario.

“It has to do with how I present myself. My being a fashion designer has nothing to do with my sexuality or being Asian. It’s about being myself. I make my designs speak for themselves. I don’t need to overcome anything. Being confident and transparent makes people accept you for who you are.”

Del Rosario, who was born in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, and raised in Medellin, Cebu, Philippines, was a board topnotcher in Civil Engineering before he landed at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and found his passion.

“When I became a Civil Engineer and worked as such for two years, I wasn’t happy. I was going to check out a course on filmmaking, but destiny had a different plan for me. I ended up at FIDM. It opened my eyes to what I have been looking for. My sexuality was never a factor in not pursuing fashion earlier. When I told my parents that I was going back to school for it, I got their full support.”

Below are excerpts of our email interview with Del Rosario.

How difficult was it for you to break into Hollywood as a fashion designer? What did you do to succeed?

Any industry is tough for newbies, especially when it’s a creative field. I’m very fortunate that my struggles were never about my designs. They were mostly about meeting and trusting the wrong people.

After starting my own business in 1999, I was lucky to win California Designer of the Year which opened a lot of doors for me, including Hollywood. A stylist started noticing my designs which ended up in shows like Will & Grace, Charmed, and Buffy, among others, which led to some actresses wearing my gowns on the red carpet.

You have dressed several Hollywood celebrities. Tell us some of your memorable experiences working with them.

Designing for celebrities is both exciting and challenging but memorable.

Here are some experiences I had with them:

Lea Michele: I first saw her wearing one of my dresses that I sold at Anthropologie in a magazine. I also got a message from my Hollywood writer-friends that they thought she wore one of my dresses in a Glee press conference. It turned out to be true. I thought that was cool. I sent her some of my dresses through her agent after that and have seen her wearing them at events.

Dedee and Michele Pfeiffer: Through her stylist, I met Dedee Pfeiffer and we became instant friends. I started dressing her in all her red-carpet events which led to making her wedding dress and her bridal entourage, including Michele Pfeiffer.

I have since dressed Michele for multiple events including some premieres. I also enjoyed having game nights (playing the Taboo board game) with the Pfeiffers until they moved out of Los Angeles.

Paula Abdul: She was fun. I used to have fittings at her house that led to her singing and dancing for us. She brought me to the American Idol finals one time both on the red carpet and the show, the ALMA (American Latino Media Arts) Award, and many more.

 

Lisa Vanderpump: I met her through her SUR Restaurant & Lounge business partner. She attended my fashion shows and started buying my clothes. This was before she started on the reality TV show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I also started creating her image for the show, dressed her, and eventually, [that] led to my appearance on two episodes. They asked me if I wanted to be in the second season. But they wanted me to be flamboyant and bigger than life which, as everyone who knows me, is not me. But I continued to dress her up for the show.

Taylor Swift: The first time she wore my dress was when she was featured in Teen Vogue magazine. Then her stylist came to us for some gowns for her to wear for the editorial in a luxurious Beverly Hills fashion magazine.

Paris Hilton: The same thing happened with Paris Hilton. I saw her at the Beverly Hills shopping mall wearing my electric blue swing jacket.

Leah Remini: We became friends after her stylist for the show The King of Queens started using my designs on the show. I still remember the first time I met her when I went to the taping of the show. She saw me and pointed at me and yelled across the room, “Who are you? I like you. I think we will be friends!” That broke the ice and I got invited to their Christmas party. I dressed her up for the Golden Globes that year.

Debra Messing: I didn’t meet her personally. The stylist for Will & Grace used my clothes in two episodes.

Drew Barrymore: She wore my dresses in an editorial for a New York-based magazine.

Marilu Henner: She came to my fashion show, and I dressed her up for that occasion.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: She wore my suede leather long trench on Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show.

What would you advise aspiring Asian fashion designers who would like to make it in the industry and follow in your footsteps?

Be yourself. Don’t let your sexuality or ethnicity be the frontrunner of who you are. Being a designer has nothing to do with it.

Work hard. It’s true what they say – a designer is only good as their last collection. Keep designing. Keep getting inspired.

It is not just about making clothes. It is also a business. Be good with money. It takes money to create those beautiful designs to fruition.

 

Be humble. Be grateful. The fashion industry is challenging. You have control over the environment you surround yourself with. I always choose to be in a happy environment. You can create the same.

Your future projects?

After surviving cancer and the pandemic, I have been in this constant change as to when I’m relaunching my business. Things are in motion and if it’s God’s will, I’m relaunching my 1231Alan Del Rosario brand in September this year at New York City Fashion Week, featuring my evening wear collection and followed by my Bridal Collection a month after. I am in the middle of planning a full editorial campaign following the relaunch.