Going the Distance

From an outsider's perspective, designer Lesley Mobo finds a way to make the world his own, and his home, the world.

- LIA DELOS REYES

Cliche as it sounds, the saying “Distance makes the heart grow fonder” really manifests itself in Lesley Mobo and his works. In this pandemic alone, we saw how much the London-based designer found a bigger love for our country’s culture as he translated this to every terno piece he created during his stay in Aklan back in 2020. It was so successful that there were homegrown Auro Chocolates released based on his creations.

Way before we saw these, Mobo was initially on a path toward being a doctor. “I was very good with science at school, so I thought I could be a doctor or surgeon,” he tells MEGA. “Hence I went to study pre-med in university.” It was when he was on the verge of attaining his degree in Biology when his eyes were opened to the immersive and colorful world of fashion (when he discovered the works of Gianni Versace, no less). Since then, most of his free time was devoted to trips to the National Bookstore so he could read more books about fashion. Ultimately, he decided that fashion was the road he wanted to take.