TEXAS — Miss Texas USA on Monday beat out 50 other women to be crowned Miss USA.
R’Bonney Gabriel won the Miss USA title at the annual pageant in Reno, Nevada.
Gabriel is the first Filipina American Miss Texas USA to win the national pageant. This is also the first time a Miss Texas USA has won since Crystal Stewart in 2008.
The 28-year-old is a fashion designer and has her own sustainable clothing line, R’Bonney Nola, which is based in Houston. Gabriel also works with the nonprofit Magpies and Peacocks, teaching sewing to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in fashion design.
Gabriel detailed her journey to Miss USA through the last months on social media, including the design process of some outfits she took to Miss USA.
"With fashion being one of the largest polluting industries in the world, I love to re-use old pieces to make something new and fabulous to cut down on waste," she said in an Instagram post.
Gabriel will compete in the 71st Miss Universe pageants in New Orleans, Louisiana, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.