Happy Thoughts for the Week

SWAP: the New Kid on the Fashion Watch Block

In my lifetime, two of the most memorable affordable fashion watches to me are Alba (early 80s) and Swatch (late 80s) and I remember gawking at them on some friends’ wrists back in school. Both brands produced funky and colorful timepieces that are fun to wear.  My parents did not get me an Alba back in grade school but they gifted me with my very first Swatch in high school.  I think this is where my love and addiction for watches started and up to today, I haven’t stopped collecting them. 

To date, I own 24 timepieces, not counting those that I handed down to my mom because in reality, I couldn’t use them all. And even though I have moved on to buying branded/pricier ones, I still got excited when I learned about the new kid on the fashion watch block called SWAP.  

My eyes lit up as I gazed at the colorful array of interchangeable watch faces and straps of SWAP at its launch last month at the Glorietta Activity Center.  The stage and showcases were dressed up with the colorful theme of the watches and guest celebrities joined in the fun.  Rainbow and neutral colored straps were all over the place, not to mention the equally colorful watch faces from its plain/classic variant to the graphic collection.

The SWAP launch event stage in Glorietta

Displays at the SWAP launch

SWAP watches currently has 30 colors of straps and 22 watches faces (9 plain and 13 graphic) you can choose from and wear depending on your mood and fashion statement for the day.  All SWAP watches have stainless steel case back, are 3atm water resistant, hypoallergenic silicone strap and come with a one year warranty on its Japan made mechanism.

SWAP Classic and Solid watch faces

SWAP Graphic watch faces and colored silicone straps

A SWAP watch face costs P500 each while the silicone strap costs P350 but they have a Starter Kit that comes with 2 silicone straps and a watch face of your choice for only P1,000.

SWAP Starter Kit

At the launch, SWAP announced that every month, a new theme of exciting graphic watch face designs such as sports, movies, characters, superheroes, places and even fashion patterns and trends will be made available.  For the straps, a new batch of colors will be introduced quarterly.

SWAP campaign hashtag

All SWAP watches are now available in Tomato Stores and SWAP exhibits in various malls in Metro Manila.  You may also order through the Tomato Online Store at www.tomato.ph, which by the way has a Customer Service Live Chat Application that you can use to inquire or complain about their products.  I’ve tried this when I discovered at home that the watch face I got from the event has a scratch on it and their customer service representative was friendly and efficient that I was able to have the replacement the following day from one of their stores.

My SWAP purple strap plus Mirror and Instagram watch faces

Finally, if you wish to decide on which colored strap and watch face to buy before going to their store or exhibits, visit their online visualizer at http://www.tomato.ph/SwapMeBaby. Mag #SWAPkana!

International Museum Day for Ayala Museum

It is International Museum Day on May 18, Saturday, and as a member of the International Council of Museums and part of the World Museum Community,  the Ayala Museum will have FREE admission that day for everyone to enjoy the ongoing exhibits. 

This special day has been celebrated since 1977 to raise awareness on the importance of museums in society development, not to mention preservation of history and legacy. 

For more details, visit the websites of the International Council of Museums (www.icom.museum) and Ayala Museum (www.ayalamuseum.org).

Quote Post - 3

Here's my quote post for the week:

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.

Sa Wakas, a New Pinoy Rock Musical Featuring the Songs of Sugarfree

Following the footsteps of Mama Mia (play and movie which featured the songs of ABBA), Across the Universe (movie which feature the songs of The Beatles) and the local film I Do Bi Doo Bi Doo (which featured the songs of Apo Hiking Society), a new musical that weaves together the songs of one of the country’s most beloved rock bands, Sugarfree.

Sa Wakas, a New Pinoy Rock Musical featuring the songs of Sugarfree, co-written by Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan and Mariane Abuan with the music beautifully arranged by Ejay Yatco, promises to bring together the world of pop rock and musical theatre.The show will feature Sugarfree's hit songs such as "Mariposa," "Burnout," "Wag Ka Nang Umiyak," "Makita Kang Muli," and "Hari ng Sablay," among others. "Sa Wakas" cast members are young, talented and no strangers to the stage: Fred Lo, Vic Robinson, Caisa Borromeo, Laura Cabocha, Justine Peña, Kyla Rivera and many more.

Sa Wakas will be staged on April 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 and 28, 2013 at PETA Theater Center at 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City.  Ticket Prices are Php 500, Php 700 and Php 1000.

Tickets to Sa Wakas, A New Pinoy Rock Musical featuring the songs of Sugarfree will be available at any Ticketnet outlets located at SM Department Customer Care Service Area or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph or you may call 911-5555.For more information about the musical show, visit its website www.sawakas.com.

NEWEL: RIIR's Spring/Summer 2013 Collection

I first encountered Rags2Riches (RIIR) in 2008 at an event of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) where they were awarded the top prize in the Philippine Business in Development (BiD) Challenge organized by PBSP and the Dutch BiD Network Foundation.  I remember marveling at their venture that transforms scrap cloth into designer products and at that time, they were working on woven bags with established designer Rajo Laurel and giving livelihood opportunities for the women of Payatas.  Since then I have been following this social enterprise and their collections from RIIR’s collaboration with Rajo Laurel to Amina Aranaz and Oliver Tolentino.

The new collection

This year, RIIR launched their Spring/Summer collection at The Gallery of Greenbelt 5 with two things in mind: to give the spotlight to their in-house designers and to give tribute to a special material indigenous to the Philippines.  “Newel,” the latest S/S collection of RIIR, was inspired by the intricate and unique weaves of the Tinalak of the T’boli tribe of Mindanao (Newel means “weave” in T’boli). 

According to Vivian Lee, Operations Director of Rags2Riches, “Our design inspiration is tribal chic and with Tinalak, we wanted to promote the woven materials of the T’boli community.  We had some of the colors customized to give the designs a modern twist.”

The stage of the RIIR launch at the Gallery, Greenbelt 5

Models showing the six styles of the Newel collection

The artisans who made the RIIR bags

(l-r) the host, RIIR style advocate Bianca Gonzalez,
RIIR president Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and
Newel collection design  consultant Rajo Laurel

“RIIR has always been about empowering communities and we wanted to expand our reach to different communities in the Philippines,” said Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, President of Rags2Riches. “The weave production takes about 2-3 months but we were lucky because we were able to partner with another social enterprise who is a supplier of Tinalak so they will be able to deliver more quantity and at the same time, have a unique aspect in its (weave) designs.”

The Newel collection as prepared backstage for the launch

The Newel collection, named in T’boli words, has six styles to offer – three totes and three clutches -- in vibrant colors to suit moods and occasions: the Hedem Hobo Bag (The Thinking Woman), the Ofi Clutch (Fire), the Kena Tote Bag (Dream), the Kulon Clutch (Rain), the Kenmu Clutch (Fist), and the Benwu Tote Bag (World).  Every creation is sure to catch the eye with its versatility and ingenious patterns.

Kulon clutch

Ofi clutch

Kenmu clutch

Hedem hobo bag

Kena tote bag

Benwu tote bag

The Rags2Riches woman

All designs were made as colorful and distinct to fit the style of the modern, fashion-forward women of today. 

“RIIR’s Spring/Summer collection is a stylish innovation.  Utilizing the Tinalak, an indigenous weaving technique that is inspired by dreams, myths and beliefs, RIIR’s newest collection is dedicated to the RIIR women who are women with substance and unique style,” shared Joe Mark Pardiñas, Sales and Marketing Manager of Rags2Riches.

(l-r) RIIR president Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, me, and
RIIR operations director Vivian Lee

Triple firsts

Aside from being RIIR’s first venture to fully incorporate an indigenous material in their collection, this is also the first line of bags solely designed by RIIR’s in-house designers.

Ruiz explained, “This is the first design collaboration of RIIR’s in-house designers under the design direction of Rajo Laurel.  We felt it was high time to create something to showcase and highlight the talents of our in-house designers.”

Another first is, coinciding with the launch of its Spring/Summer collection, RIIR also unveiled its first style advocate, Bianca Gonzalez.  A well-known celebrity and fashion icon, Bianca is a woman that personifies the RIIR women: empowered, passionate, and compassionate.

RIIR's Style Advocate

“We believe that Bianca Gonzalez is the epitome of a RIIR woman, someone who personifies the values that we uphold and seek to promote with every unique RIIR creation,” Pardiñas added.

The style advocate

Bianca Gonzalez is happy to be RIIR’s style advocate because, “Rags2Riches is revolutionary and the reason why I bought my RIIR bags was when I heard about the advocacy behind it, helping the nanays of Payatas, plus it was collaboration with friends Rajo and Amina.  More than being an ambassador or endorser, a style advocate is not just a face to represent the brand but actually believes in the products and uses them.”

Celebrity Bianca Gonzalez

When asked what she thinks made RIIR chose her as style advocate, Bianca quips, “My passion for advocacy.  I’m not really a ‘fashionista.’ I read trends in magazines but I prefer the casual and classic look and I wear whatever I feel is comfortable. I’m not one to pile on accessories because I like just one focal point in an outfit so I like the RIIR bags – simple yet unique and attractive enough to be my one and only accessory.”

And her personal favorite from the Newel collection is, ”The Ofi clutch because I prefer small bags. My bag here (points to the large gray Benwu tote beside her during the interview) is an exception because I need a big bag when I’m working.”

About Rags2Riches

Rags2Riches Inc. is a for-profit social enterprise based in Manila, Philippines, creating eco-ethical fashion and home accessories out of up cycled scrap cloth, organic materials and indigenous fabrics by working with artisans (mostly women) living in the poor communities across the country.  Rags2Riches’ philosophy stands upon its four bottom lines: People, Profit, Planet and Positive Influence.  For more information, visit www.rags2riches.ph.