Make a statement in bright, bold totes.

Textile and clothing factories throw away a lot of their scrap fabrics. But, in the eyes of a few young visionaries, these waste materials are keys to an ethical and eco-friendly livelihood. 

It started when a group of young professionals discovered the cottage industry of rug-weavers in Payatas, one of the biggest dumpsites in the country. Here, stay-at-home mothers weave foot rugs and rags from the scraps of cloth they’ve gathered in the area.  Realizing that there is an opportunity to educate these women in formalizing and streamlining their business, the young professionals organized Rags2Riches in 2007 to provide the families of this depressed community with a steady and sustainable income. The project became even more attractive because of the recyclable nature of the materials, thereby making Rags2Riches an environmental advocacy as well. 

Since then, Rags2Riches, or RIIR, has collaborated with top designers and personalities in producing special-edition bags made of scrap fabrics. Rajo Laurel, Jenni Epperson, Raymond Isaac, Anita Magsaysay-Ho and Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera were quick to lend their talents to this very rewarding endeavor. For 2009, Amina Aranaz-Alunan of Aranaz bags joined RIIR’s advocacy, producing a special collection comprised of nine designs, with no more than 12 pieces each. A selected number of women from the Payatas community were handpicked and given extensive training at the Aranaz-run School of Fashion & Arts (SoFA). This ensures that each of the bags is made with the highest quality and standards that are up to par with the craftsmanship of Aranaz bags.

RIIR’s external vice president Reese Fernandez was very excited about the collaboration: “SoFA Manila gave scholarships to some of the women in the community. We were then already toying with the idea of an RIIR by Aranaz. All of us in the Management Committee and the Board of Rags2Riches admire the Aranaz bags’ style and substance. And we also know that Aranaz also shares the Rags2Riches advocacies of environmental preservation and community empowerment. For the Rags2Riches team, the Aranaz design and values make them an excellent partner.”

An exhibit was showcased recently at Greenbelt 3, with mannequins in couture newspaper dresses by hot designers Jojie Lloren, Dong Omaga Diaz, Avel Bacudio and students of SoFA as accents to the special-edition bags.  We love Aranaz’s  “Le Rosette” collection—handmade rosette flowers that are made from scrap fabrics—so girly!  For those who are headed to the beach, the Aplaya totes make great partners: it’ll be hard for you to pick just one from all the happy, bright-colored combinations. 

“We were nearly sold out during the launch, and orders are still coming in. In a time of crisis, we are growing so fast!  We are also already exploring exporting these products to Europe in the next few months,” adds Fernandez.  Knowing RIIR, this project will start very soon!

For more information, visit http://rags2riches.ph.