HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL

You have until March 17 to head to the Atrium on the 3rd level of SM Aura, and appreciate the wonderful and heart-warming job that Kultura and SM Supermalls have done with their Filipino Design Studio pop-up. This year’s Design Studio iteration still follows the original intent of being a hub for Filipino artisanal craftsmanship and retail creativity; but the 2024 edition has the added value of being a showcase for social enterprises, and how the 17 booths are fine examples of how a business or MSME with a conscience and big heart, can thrive and be recognized. And I’ll give Kultura credit for seeking out these women-led businesses, and turning Kultura into an incubator for their reaching a wider market, and going beyond their online presence.

Kultura’s Design Studio is about inspiration and community within the context of Pinoy Pride. This year, the added dimension was looking for entrepreneurs, online vendors, and start-up’s who are supportive of vulnerable populations, of underserved communities, and are promoting sustainable business practices. Here are some examples of the ones they found, who have booths at the pop-up.

Che Secillano of Dwellbeing clearly defines her mission vision as a business concern that ‘advocates upcycling, empowering communities, and giving back with every purchase’. She employs artisans from the deaf community, proud of how their vision, sense of smell, and touch more than compensate for their lack of hearing. To promote Sustainability and upcycling, she uses used mayonnaise jars as containers for their toilet bombs, and old Tanduay and Perrier bottles for Dwellbeing’s all-purpose cleaners. Candles, soaps, and other home lifestyle products form the Dwellbeing range, and look out for the ones scented with grapefruit and lemongrass - I found these especially appealing.

The Brave Story takes pride in championing slow Fashion, so that each piece is pre-ordered and produced in limited quantities. Founder Cris Roxas trains mothers from Barangay Pinyahan, teaching them patchwork techniques. There’s a Brave Story mascot, a cute patchwork kuwago; and this owl plushie was recently gifted to a Ukrainian child, bringing much joy to the girl. For Cris, it’s about sustainable practices, promoting change, and a new way of thinking retail. Throw pillows, doilies, and regular apparel form the current catalogue of The Brave Story.

Trish Francia is a co-founder of Woven. The story of Woven stretches back to when she and her husband were researchers, in the aftermath of Yolanda in Samar. It was from their field work that she was motivated to make it her ‘mission’ to help impacted artisans, who are saddled by limited resources and meager wages. Woven is about handmade products and keeping age-old weaving processes alive. Presently, Woven involves women artisans from Basey to Kalinga; producing banig laptop sleeves, calling card holders, wallets, and leather accessories. It’s about vibrant tropical hues and colors, making these products more fun and appealing.

There are 17 retail booths at the Filipina Design Studio, each has her own story and reason for being. And beyond the stories, there are the products themselves. I was taken by the soy candles of Wix Cozy Homes, how they created exciting scents, and how they were elegantly packaged. Shepard gets my nod for creating personal care products, made using botanicals indigeneous to the Philippines. Pinas-Sadya specializes in clothing featuring traditional weaves such as Inabel and Binakol, promoting our heritage.

The 2024 Filipino Design Studio is one great way for Kultura to mark 20 years. If you think about it, that is a relatively short time to exist as a retail concept. It’s to the credit of SM Retail and SM Supermalls that they all banded together to bring about effective brand awareness, extensive physical retail presence, and a constant inventory of products that appeal not only to foreign visitors, but to all of us ready to support quality, Filipino-made, products and apparel. Through this concerted effort, Kultura is now such a staple of our retail landscape; and can be found all over the country.

Kultura is one sterling example of retail with a purpose. Unlike the big, grand artisan fairs that come only once a year; the everyday presence of Kultura, and the frequency of their pop-ups and promotions, are retail lifelines for these social enterprises, and the women-led businesses vying for our attention at the Filipino Design Studio. They all deserve our support!