Celebrating 35 years in the Fashion industry!

As the world stands still, I’ve taken this precious time to reflect on the beauty of living, growing, and nurturing each other.

Right at the beginning of this journey, my heart was set on alternative fashion yet my youth failed to grasp the extent of such pursuit until I lived each and every day of it. Throughout my years in the fashion industry, I’ve come to understand the depths of connection that every fiber makes. From what started as an innocent personal project working with just one weaver, giving her a livelihood, and helping her family go through life, this toil then blossomed into a community right before my eyes. It’s safe to say that I started this journey walking on the right path. The brand has been through a few hits and some misses, and who hasn’t? But I’ve remained true to the heart of my pursuit. And while the rewards were very tangible for the community of Banaca and Cedalino weavers, and today with the Mangyan weavers, it has been intangible for me, and enjoyed quite bountifully if I may add. I didn’t think alternative fashion would be able to sustain a family this way, let alone an entire community. But when I started opening up my life and my work to what seemed to be the impossible, and zealously pressed on my chosen endeavor, I realized that living has never been this fulfilling. And here I was thinking I was the one changing lives. All the while, these lives have changed mine.

Bearing witness to the changing trends and oftentimes chasing them, the tide has run me over many times and has forced me to see what really matters. With every downturn, we find ourselves still rising to the occasion, churning out innovative designs, mentoring young local talents, and supporting communities, all the while fabulously flaunting the Filipino heritage around foreign exhibitions. Much of these downturns were some of the most painful ones, yet it is only then that we continued to grow. We’ve learned to thrive in these challenges, overcoming each one with a fresh perspective every time. This mindset allowed the brand to evolve to what it is now today. Only through decades of the chase and struggle were we able to hone and sharpen the brand’s vision and translate these into acts of love and kindness found in every weave.

This has helped us weather through different kinds of storms such that no struggle and hardship went to waste. So today, I’m confident that we will overcome this. Just as fashion nurtures individuality, let us nurture each other, to be there for each other, to be together while we are apart.