<![CDATA[Green is the new black: the Philippine firms making high fashion from recycled scraps]>
Ten years ago, she lost her home to flooding caused by one of the most powerful storms ever recorded: Super Typhoon Haiyan.
As her family's sole breadwinner, Manicad knew she had to turn her life around and fast. So she scraped together what little money she could " 500 pesos (US$10) " and started the business she had long dreamed about, selling fashionable apparel and accessories.
A decade on and her creations are creating a stir at the Philippines' National Arts and Crafts Fair, an annual four-day gathering of home-grown brands that sell goods made out of indigenous materials.
Some of her customers' excitement is due to the clever designs of her bags, dresses, aprons and other apparel. But much of it is to do with her novel take on what constitutes an "indigenous material". While other stalls are selling products made of local cotton and abaca, the source of Manicad's goods is more esoteric: her neighbourhood bakery.
Craftcha's stall at the Philippines' National Arts and Crafts Fair. Photo: Handout
Long before "sustainable fashion" became a trend, Manicad, 59, had mastered the art of recycling used flour sacks into clothing and accessories people would want to wear.
Now she is all smiles as she looks back at how the business she started from nothing " Craftcha (a portmanteau of "craft" and the Filipino word for canvas, katsa) " has grown into a staple of the weekend fashion fair scene.
She might not have known it at the time but Manicad was on the cutting edge of a new industry built on turning wasted textiles into wearable fashion.
Worries about climate change are helping to drive the trend, with more than eight per cent of the world's greenhouse emissions coming from the fashion and footwear industries, according to McKinsey.
Consequently, consumers " especially younger ones " are increasingly demanding their favourite brands use eco-friendly materials and ethical, fair-trade practices.
Craftcha's stall at the Philippines' National Arts and Crafts Fair. Photo: Handout
"As much as possible I now use eco-bags when shopping anywhere, or just every time I need a bag. So when I found Craftcha at a weekend fair it really piqued my interest. They aren't just eco-friendly, I found them aesthetically pleasing too," says Katarina Estrada, a visual artist, 30, who is a fan of the brand.
It's not just small independent traders who have cottoned on. Bigger, more established brands are taking note, too.
Tela, an offshoot of the family fashion brand Bayo, is one such example. It was founded by Alyssa Lagon, 19, a communications student and the daughter of Leo and Anna Lagon, who run Bayo. Named after the Filipino word for fabric, Tela was born out of Lagon's realisation of how much waste was produced by her family's company, which has been operational for 25 years, with several branches across the country.
"That fact has never left my head, so when I got the chance to finally create something out of [that waste], I launched Tela," says Lagon.
She launched her brand with a 10-piece collection, complete with accessories and footwear.
To produce her goods, Lagon coordinates with the weavers of the Bayo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of her parents' company. Bayo sells the textile scraps to the weavers, then buys back the clothing they create and sells it on to other brands like Tela.
Lagon takes care to seek the weavers' services only as demanded by the market.
"We base our work only on the orders we have and deliver it right away. This helps us to minimise waste and overstocking of inventory," says Lagon.
She says the company has prompted her parents' business to rethink its business model and incorporate more sustainable processes. Earlier this year, Bayo announced it had cut its textile wastage rate from 45 per cent to 25 per cent.
"Profit is important in any business but it is not my main objective," says Lagon. "I want my brand to showcase that an ethical and sustainable brand can be a successful business model. And I know that I can make a bigger impact once I apply what I've learned in our more mainstream brands."
Truly sustainable fashion isn't just about recycling materials. It's about employing fair-trade practices, too.
One of the most successful local brands in this regard is R2R (Rags2Riches). Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and his two partners started the firm in 2007 after witnessing the working conditions of rug makers in Payatas, one of the poorest areas of Metro Manila.
Artisans of R2R pose for a photo as they take a break at their main headquarters. Photo: Handout
Ruiz learned that the weavers, most of who were mothers, earned as little as 10 pesos (20 US cents) a day for their work. The rugs they created would be sold for double that.
"This injustice truly disturbed us and this was one of the catalysts for starting R2R," says Ruiz. "We realised that if we wanted to truly make an impact and systemically help resolve unfair trade, we had to create an inclusive business in partnership with the weavers, whom we now call 'artisans'."
Ruiz figured that the cloth woven by the artisans from textile scraps would be sturdy enough to be turned into high-quality designer bags.
All the brand needed was the right person to craft the blueprint. The three founders pitched the idea to highly-acclaimed designer Rajo Laurel and he fell in love with the idea.
Months later, R2R released its first line of shoulder bags upcycled from textile scraps and lovingly handmade by the mother-artisans of Payatas. The bags are now considered "mid-luxury" items, selling for at least 3,000 pesos (US$60). That may be pricier than many products found in fast-fashion establishments, but as Ruiz is quick to point out, "cheap fashion is where other people end up paying for your stuff ".
Aside from its bricks-and-mortar store, trade fairs are one of the most popular distribution channels of R2R. Photo: Handout
Since its first collection, R2R has trained a thousand weavers and at least 200 of these remain active on the company's production line. Since most weavers must juggle their jobs with motherhood, the firm allows them to create in the comfort of their own homes. Those who work at the headquarters full time receive monthly salaries and benefits.
The firm's appeal goes far beyond its novelty value and it is valued as a fashion house in its own right. It regularly releases bag collections incorporating the latest design trends, with most materials still upcycled from textile scraps. Recently, it introduced a line of quality clothing called On Repeat, which features items that could be worn in 30 different ways " keeping in line with its ethos of sustainability.
And while it started off by selling its wares in like-minded stores and fashion bazaars, it now has its own bricks-and-mortar shop in a leading mall. Last year, it launched an e-commerce site.
Still, in spite of its success, Ruiz says R2R is not looking to grow any bigger, at least for now.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
