The Great Women Brand

I first encountered the Great Women Brand at the Women in Media Session hosted by the Enabling Communities with Hope and Opportunities Sustainable Initiatives (ECHOsi) Foundation and the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WBCP) back in February. In the program, there was a talk by Jeannie Javelosa, president of ECHOsi and a presentation of the Great Women Brand. This is new and it got my attention.

The Great Women Brand products

It turns out that the Great Women Brand was created through the partnership of ECHOsi Foundation, ECHOstore Sustainable Lifestyle's non-profit arm, and the Philippine Commission on Women under a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)with the goal of elevating the quality of both food and non-food products by women micro entrepreneurs from different regions of the Philippines.  

The brand is the result of the year-long Great Women Project, which had designers and product developers working with women microenterprises in Quezon, Leyte, Bohol, Iloilo, and Naga -- fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan, awarded designers and Movement 8 co-founders Tes Pasola and Ann Pamintuan, bag designer and exporter Renee Patron of Banago Bags (whose bags are in elite stores in the US like Nordstroms and Bloomingdales), Lenora Cabili of Filip+Inna (private trunk show to New York), product merchandiser Rambie Lim of Habi and rurungan Foundation, architect and designer Dan Lichauco, artist-designer-curator and ECHOsi Foundation president Jeannie Javelosa, product merchandise designer and graphic artist Reena Francisco and coffee product specialist Chit Juan, both of ECHOstore.  

Fashion designer Lulu Tan Gan with Miagao weavers

Designer Len Cabili in Davao

Charged with women empowerment, this program is focused on women helping women up the value chain, developing product variants and packaging, providing tools for smooth business operations, and opening new markets for their products.  

The trio behind the Great Women Brand (l-r):
Jeannie Javelosa, Chit Juan and Reena Franciso

The Great Women brand was launched recently at the Yuchengco Museum and was well received by the guests. On exhibit were food products, home textile accessories, couture and fashion accessories and home décor pieces.

Some products on display at the Great Women Brand launch

Currently, the Great Women brand products are available at ECHOstore Serendra, ECHOstore Podium, ECHOstore Centris, as well as in Tesoro's Handicrafts and Milkyway Café in Pasay Road, Makati City.