The Rise, Fall, & Rise Of Puey Quiñones

He was a rising star in the industry; then, fashion designer Puey Quiñones came under fire for a serious blunder that cost him his career. Almost a decade later, he has managed to rebuild everything from scratch, starting anew in Los Angeles, which he now calls home.

- MJ Jose 

From the time he left his hometown to make a life for himself in Manila to the time he moved to Los Angeles to rebuild a promising career left in shambles by an unwise decision, Rodolfo ‘Puey’ Quiñones Jnr has led a colourful life marked by successes and mishaps. “God knocked me off my high horse,” the fashion designer states, referencing the controversy involving the infamous department store garment he had been caught re-tagging as his own creation. “I lost everything I had worked so hard to gain; I was forced to leave the industry I loved and find another path for myself.” Yet fortune smiled upon him, regardless, and the second chance he felt was no longer within reach came when he least expected it—a blessing in disguise, as he himself puts it.

Quiñones grew up in Bobon, Northern Samar, in a household that knew not of magazines nor television sets. Living in such circumstances—and being the son of a policeman—fashion was the farthest thing from his mind. As his father wished for him to follow in his footsteps, Quiñones entered university to study political science. “It was not what was in my heart, and so I never finished and left for Manila to live with my aunt—an act of rebellion, if you will,” he shares.

This aunt was a business partner of designer Dennis Lustico. To make ends meet, Quiñones took up a position as Lustico’s assistant, which marked his foray into the world of fashion. Tasked to help with putting the finishing touches on garments, Quiñones soon found himself wanting to pursue his own design dreams.