One of the more popular brands currently at Kultura is Millie Monday, and the founders of the young, dynamic home accessories brand readily point to their participation at Kultura’s first Filipino Design Studio at the Podium Mall in September of 2022 as their game-changing moment.
That was when the family-owned commercial printing business, Primex Printers, saw their transition to printing on substrates such as wallpaper, wood, and acrylic, and creating products such as catch trays, coasters, placemats, calendars, and more, blossom into a viable retail possibility.
From the success of that engagement with Kultura, S+D by Primex, founded in 2017 and then operating primarily as an Instagram store, was rebranded in 2023 as Millie Monday. As siblings Jobet S. Calaquian, Margot C. Prado and Mariel C. Ching, co-owners, and Gio C. Prado, product designer, concur in saying, Millie Monday is a realization of their mother’s dream of producing well-made Filipino souvenir items. That it also celebrates Filipino Art and culture is the wonderful bonus to the retail “adventure.”
This celebration of Filipino art is achieved via the series of collaborations that Millie Monday has embarked on with local artists; involving them in the process. From given creative freedom in designing, to making the artwork have a pattern and be repetitive as digital art for printing, to formatting, tweaking background colors, and arriving at the printing template, Millie Monday wants the artists to go beyond the use of their designs.
Mia de Lara is one of the artists they regularly collaborate with, her Vigan collection of cobblestone streets, calesas, and people in Filipino costume showcases Calle Crisologo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Alessandra Lanot, Raxenne Maniquiz, and Margot’s daughter, Gabby Prado, are some of the other artists who have lent their designs to Millie Monday. And beyond the art and design, trade buyers and customers were impressed by the quality, thought, and execution of the items — how they could compare with international designer brands in the same retail arena.
On the sustainable printing process utilized for its product lines, the owners of Millie Monday were proud to state that their machine is a Green-certified HP Latex with water-based inks that are solvent-free and non-toxic. The people most at risk during the printing process would be the operators, vulnerable to respiratory illnesses; and Millie Monday ensures the safety of their team from that particular danger.
On paper waste, segregation is religiously adhered to for easy distribution to collectors. At Millie Monday, a color-coded system even separates white from assorted and colored paper. Material scraps can be recycled and used for other products, so bins are located next to every working station, for internal segregating.
For their wallpaper covering, Neschen Green Wall is used, FSC-certified to be PVC-free and solvent-free—making the products safe for indoors and the environment.
This insistence on sustainable and safe printing is one of the cornerstones of the Primex Printers vision, and by extension, that of Millie Monday. While some of the other ASEAN countries have already banned printing with solvent, we still see it in practice here —the lingering scent we can detect when we’re close to printing with tarpaulin.
We mentioned above about how Millie Monday is a realization of the dream of “their mother,” and that would be matriarch Millie Calaquian, whose late husband, Alberto Z. Calaquian, established Primex in 1979.
The Millie in Millie Monday is of course a tribute to this woman who still handles the financial management of the parent company to this day, at 76 years of age. Margot heads the company’s operations, and Mariel leads product development, marketing, and sales.
And why Monday? Because it’s the first day of the week, and signifies a fresh and new beginning. For their Millie Monday customers, it’s to start the week right, on a happy note, through their well-crafted and proudly Filipino products.
For decades of specializing in printing marketing collateral for corporate clients, Millie Monday has given Primex a whole new segment centered on retail, but still making great use of the company’s printing machinery and assets. It’s a wonderful, sustainable lesson in diversification, seeking opportunity, and thoughtful expansion.
If you ask Margot and Mariel what’s in store in the near-future, they confidently say, “We aim to discover new and sustainable materials we can work with to expand our product line. We hope to tap new local talents that we can collaborate with. Our ultimate dream is to be able to distribute globally. We are very grateful to be part of the SM family. Our presence in Kultura has opened up meaningful opportunities… (and) we were able to employ more because of the business and stability Kultura provided.”
As for advice they can give budding women entrepreneurs: “Start with a vision, keep dreaming. Work hard and stay focussed on your goals. Surround yourself with people who share the same vision and values you have. Be gritty, resilient and creative. Pray hard for guidance, wisdom, and discrenment. Most of all, enjoy the process.” And this writer would like to add how it was so instrumental to have had a mother who inspired them.
Millie Monday is a great example of the many women-led enterprises that contribute to the SM Green Finds ecosystem, of providing consumers eco-friendly products through Kultura, an SM retail affiliate also available in SM Store. Through this green retail initiative, SM Store fuels livelihood of women led social enterprises and allows these businesses to scale.
SM Green Finds is an initiative to help shoppers access greener options to help them lead a greener lifestyle. Green Finds are eco-friendly items that are sustainably sourced, made from and of natural materials and support local communities.