Look for these sustainable, unique finds at Artefino

From the start, HeArtefino’s purposeful initiatives have driven Artefino founders Mel Francisco, Mita Rufino, Maritess Pineda, Susie Quiros, and Cedie Vargas. “HeArtefino was incorporated recently, but we have always been about helping the communities and giving grants. Our first grantee was Zarah Juan,” said Francisco.

Funds from Artefino include investments in looms for the communities, apart from other development programs. “Each Artefino gives back to the community, and in the Artefino Resort Pop Up which is on until the 26th, we will also have recycled and repurposed products.”

Here are four brands to watch out for at the event. All have a focus on handcraftsmanship and sustainability.

Sewn Sandals

“My sister and I planned to have a clothing brand at first and she had hundreds of leftover labels of her brand SEWN after joining one bazaar. I thought of using them for shoes, so that’s how the name was born,” said Mariel Ortiz-Luis Veluz.

The idea to have a shoe brand came from a trip to Liliw, Laguna. She loved her sandals from Liliw so much that she opened a store in Parañaque in 2009 selling handmade shoes and other  Philippine-made products. In 2014, she launched SEWN & CO. at Podium then opened The Park Fashion + Lifestyle Store at Shangri-la Plaza and UP Town Center, to help other Filipino entrepreneurs. “The bayanihan spirit has always been alive in me,” said Veluz.

Veluz considers herself a designer who creates shoes with a purpose. said Veluz. “I gave Sewn a reason to be and that’s evident in our tagline ‘Sustain Our Homegrown.’” Among the brand’s core values are purpose, love of country, bayanihan and community, sustainability, and care. Their vision includes becoming a label that is grateful for its roots and promotes appreciation for Philippine culture by creating tropical handcrafted footwear for women towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Audrey Albason

“I’m lucky to be based in Iloilo City in Panay Island, where handloom weaving is still practiced and materials like abaca, piña and bamboo are abundant,” said Audrey Albason, whose work has been featured in British Vogue. “More than a designer, I consider myself an advocate for slow fashion.”

Albason graduated from the Fashion Institute of the Philippines and set out to make custom bridal and eveningwear. As her brand evolved, she realized that she wanted to focus more on resort wear, bags and accessories, utlizing our country’s natural materials. “My brand stands for sustainable and responsible fashion. By partnering with local craftsmen and weavers we hope to keep our rich culture alive. We believe in fashion for the greater good.”

Albason joined Artefino because she believes that the event is a community of like-minded individuals who can help her develop as a designer and as a brand.

Audrey Albason

Jo Ann Bitagcol

You’ve likely heard of Jo Ann Bitagcol, if not as a new designer, then as a famous model back in the mid-90s–who still gets booked for modeling jobs 20 years later. Bitagcol is also a photographer, one of the career paths she chose while modeling.

“In mid-2019, I discovered printing photos on silk and Bitagcol scarves were born. In 2020, these scarves were translated onto robes, dresses, aprons and t-shirts,” said Bitagcol, who used her last name for her brand, “out of self-love.”

Bitagcol describes her label as “inspired by our national costume terno, like the barong tagalog, but brought back to life with a contemporary take. Bitagcol is about honoring the self, roots, ancestors and family. It is about creating things with good intentions and doing it with love.”

Jo Ann Bitagcol

Uswag Artesano x Abre Linea Inc.

“I am a cultural heritage advocate, and have been working for the past 12 years to build pride around traditional art and craft making, so the brand Uswag Artesano serves as a source of sustainable livelihood for communities in Leyte,  where I am from, and Samar, where my husband is from,” said Anna Veloso-Tuazon, who is also a member of Congress representing the third legislative district of Leyte comprising the municipalities of Villaba, Tabango, San Isidro, Calubian and Leyte. Add to that a masters degree in International Commercial and Trade Law from Amsterdam, a law degree from UP and a Legal Management degree from Ateneo and you find a woman who wants to challenge the status quo.

“The first brand I developed with my high school friends, Claude and Joy, is called Abre Linea. Abre translates to ‘open’ in Waray, and continues to pave the way for opening access to help, capacity building, and sustainable livelihood for artisanal communities. We established the social enterprise Abre Linea Incorporated in 2014, in response to the need for post-disaster livelihood opportunities, particularly among weaving communities in Leyte and Samar, after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged our weaving communities,” said Veloso-Tuazon. “Uswag Artesano is a call to action addressed to our artisanal communities, and it stems from Uswag Leyte, a sustainable design and entrepreneurship development heritage utilization project rooted in the cultural heritage of the third district of Leyte,” she continued.

Since 2019, Abre has been designing and working with artisans from the Third

District of Leyte to determine their skill set and the materials they can work with. In 2021, Abre helped Uswag fabricate its home collection, with Milo Naval at the helm.

Veloso-Tuazon does not consider herself a designer but a conceptual artist who is involved in social practice. She shines a light on a medium that uses raw materials of the country, including bamboo, rattan, abaca, romblon, sigid, and batang-batang, nito, corn, banana leaves, and ticog.

“The Uswag Artesano collection to be showcased at Artefino was designed by creative director Luis Espiritu. It is Uswag Artesano’s first foray into fashion, and many of the items in the collection were fabricated with assistance from Abre and the Third Legislative District office.”

Uswag Artesano

Artefino Resort Pop Up  will run from March 23-26 at the North Court of the Power Plant Mall. For more information and updates, follow @artefinoph on Instagram.