The venue for the launch of Bench and Lesley Mobo’s latest collaboration was a stylized bahay kubo setup at the Bench flagship store in BGC, complete with seats, kitchen area, paminggalan (dish-drying rack) and even a chicken coop—all made of bamboo.

Off to the side was a bilao of garden vegetables next to bottles filled with what looked like fresh carabao’s milk. Arranged around the venue were mannequins dressed in beautiful terno he designed as well as shirts, jackets and bags from an earlier collaboration.

Mobo wore a crisp white long-sleeved shirt, matching pants and a straw hat. The well-loved designer smiled and nodded tentatively at the guests, many of them his colleagues and friends. It was a small event by Bench standards, but it was purposely kept small so as not to overwhelm Mobo, who is still recovering from a stroke.

‘Time is gold’

One early morning in late February, the designer was at home in Aklan when he suddenly called out to his mother, who was sleeping in the next room. “I went to him immediately. I could already see that something was wrong because half of his face was starting to sag and he was having difficulty speaking,” Milagros Mobo recounted to Lifestyle last week.

As quickly as she could, she brought her son to the nearest hospital. “We wanted to bring him to a bigger hospital but were told by the doctors that airlifting him could be fatal. He was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the stroke. ‘At this point, time is gold,’ they said so they operated on him immediately,” she said.

“I really wasn’t supposed to be home that evening. I was visiting friends in another part of the province and was planning to stay the night but Lesley called, saying he was lonely and asked if I could come home.”

It was one of the miracles in Mobo’s ongoing journey to improved health.

Focused therapy

He ended up being confined in the hospital for 40 days, with half of that time spent in the ICU. A physical therapist was brought in when he was transferred to a private room. When he was discharged, he recuperated at home and underwent physical therapy there, but it wasn’t enough.

In August, Mobo, his mother and her grandson flew to Manila for more focused therapy. Mobo now has regular hourlong sessions with an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a speech and language therapist thrice weekly. When they return to their condo, his nephew helps him perform the exercises to further aid in his rehabilitation.

Noel Manapat, creative consultant for Bench, said that the designer had just signed off on the fragrance and three scented candles under his platform “Masaganang Ani” (Prosperous Harvest) when Mobo suffered a stroke.

Mobo was hands-on in choosing the unisex fragrance, a blend of citrus, floral and musky notes. It features a mix of bergamot, ginger, orange, ylang-ylang and jasmine, heightened by the lingering aromas of lavender, cardamom and patchouli.

The three soy wax candles in clay-fired holders have distinct scents: Sampaguita is floral and based on the country’s national flower; Macapuno is lush and creamy; and Milagrosa has the faint aroma of fresh rice. It is also lovingly named after the designer’s mother.

“Working with Bench on the ‘Masaganang Ani’ collection has been an inspiring journey,” Mobo said in a statement. “This collaboration allows us to blend fashion, art and culture into something beautiful and meaningful. I hope these scents resonate with people and encourage them to embrace and celebrate our heritage.”

“We considered just putting the new products out, without any fanfare,” Manapat told Lifestyle. “With Lesley back in Manila for rehab, we asked him if he wanted to launch them via a pop-up store at the Bench flagship, and he agreed.”

During the launch, Mobo smiled and posed for pictures, gazing into the camera and even making finger hearts. He looked happy to be among friends and colleagues, but he is aware that he still has a long way to go before he can regain his strength and dexterity.

Fortunately, he has his mother Milagros with him as well as a strong support group. “When we need to go to BGC for his therapy sessions, CCP president Kaye Tiñga sometimes sends her driver and car over. On other days, Noel [Manapat] does the same. We’re very grateful,” Milagros said.