7 FilAm Sustainable Fashion Designers To Have On Your Radar
With Earth Day among us, we should take a moment to reflect on how we can be a part of the green revolution. Fast fashion is out of fashion! It’s one of the biggest contributors to pollution. While the fashion industry is able to produce 150 billion garments a year, 40 million tons end up in a landfill. This is destroying Mother Earth in more ways than just destroying our natural resources, manufacturing with toxic dyes and chemicals, and paying less than minimum wage for cheap labor – oftentimes, child labor and poor working conditions for factory garment workers.
With that said, more designers are creating compelling alternatives to fast fashion. Sustainability and upcycling is not a fad. It’s a lifestyle! It’s a business practice that we as a community should embrace with open arms. Given consumers’ demands for change, we are seeing a shift in their spending power and their decision on which businesses to support.
During the pandemic, people became more resourceful and discovered that they are able to function with less. These days, having more isn’t necessarily as important, but rather minimal and meaningful are what people seem to be chasing now. If you want to put your money where your mouth is, here are 7 Filipino-American designers that are responsibly driving activism through creativity, passion, and purpose.
1. Selina Sanders
Selina Sanders makes custom tops and dresses from one-of-a-kind antique textiles like linens, curtains, blankets, and her top choice – vintage tea towels. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Sanders’ mother, Luthgarda, was a well-known Filipino designer who had an upcycled linen clothing business in the 1970s. During the 2020 pandemic, like many, Sanders found herself jobless. That’s when she started her own business, using her own personal collection. Having been in fashion for over a decade, “I felt a deep sense of responsibility to start a clothing line that helps reduce our carbon footprint and is environmentally responsible”.
Sanders does a monthly drop of limited pieces that are ready made as well as made-to-measure. She also welcomes clients to provide heirloom clothing that she can breathe new life into. Her goal is to create “something new that can be loved again, and when cared for, they will last in your closet for a lifetime”.
2. Vintage Renewals
Vintage Renewals is founded by Maria-Rizza Ongpauco who started out as a fashion stylist. She went to fashion school for business, but quickly realized that she is not the best at numbers. However, she knows that she is good at minimizing waste by reusing materials and textiles. Ongpauco creates sustainable fashion made from vintage fabrics, remnants, bedding, and ethnic fabrics. She makes everything from tote bags to kimonos and more. Her motto at Vintage Renewals is that, “ Nothing goes to waste! Because we have good taste! We create trends for tomorrow, today.”
Ongpauco believes “If you find a piece that speaks to you and it is your size, I believe the pieces pick you.” She finds joy from seeing people’s excitement and self-confidence when they are excited about what they’re wearing. Follow her on Instagram @VRInstashop to see which local artisan markets she will pop up at next. You can also check out what she has and get dibs on what she’s releasing before it goes online.
3. Johny Carino Marquez
Johny Carino Marquez was born and raised in Antioch, California. He currently lives in San Francisco and works out of his studio in Oakland. He is a graphic designer by profession and spends his nights working on personal projects that you see on his Instagram.
Marquez graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Graphic Design. Although he didn’t study fashion, he was already customizing shoes and clothes for himself and his friends. At a young age, he was painting, printing, and hand sewing used gear and hand-me-downs.
Marquez’s grandmother was a seamstress, and for a time, she worked at a thrift store where she collected a ton of fabric that has since been passed down to him. During the 2020 lockdown, Marquez bought a cheap sewing machine and asked his dad to teach him the basics. After a year of quilting, “I ran with it from there. I started out making quilts, and started experimenting with different color combinations and arrangements.” Eventually he got into making tote bags, then jackets which is what he primarily works on now. He uses a mix of his grandmother’s stuff, donations, and thrifted materials. “I like using second hand materials, it’s less waste, better on the planet, and adds a bit of story to the work. Especially if you know where it comes from or who owned it or lived in it first”. Follow @johnycarinomarquez on Instagram to see his latest projects.
4. Mataas
Eza B is a proud first generation immigrant creative from Iloilo, Panay - now living, learning and loving on Tongva territory. She is a painter/illustrator/designer and creator of MATAAS, where she designs handmade jewelry and accessories influenced by her Panay island roots. She primarily paints with acrylics, sews with southeast Asian batik and malong fabric from the Southern Philippines, beads with ethically sourced material from the motherlands and creates from the heart with intention. Her work is a reflection of cultural and self-knowledge, nature, family and the diasporic experience.
For as long as she can remember, she was always creating in some form or another – whether drawing, painting, playing music or anything art related. She grew up in Los Angeles away from the majority of her family “back home” in the Philippines. “My Tumandok mom nurtured that connection by way of the annual balikbayan boxes, homemade love letters on cassette and introducing me to malongs/patadyongs from our family in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo and Tacurong, Mindanao.” She also taught Eza to sew at a young age, making curtains, pillow cases, and art using malongs gifted from her Tita Alma in Mindanao.
As time passed and family joined the ancestral plane, that connection and appreciation only grew deeper -- which posed the question: “How can I give back and honor my family and roots through the arts I love so much?” It just made sense because “it’s simply a part of who I am and how I was raised.”
Although Eza doesn’t have formal training in fashion design, she attends the school of daily life and has over 20 years of hands-on experience working in corporate retail and store design. To see her latest designs, follow @_Mataas on Instagram. She builds small collections when inspiration hits and also creates custom pieces for people who reach out.
5. Repurpose Legacy
Repurpose Legacy is a woman-owned business established in 2022 by Filipina-Americans: fashion designer, Jhoanna Alba, and In Her Purpose co-founders, Rose Buado and Jennifer Redondo-Marquez. Repurpose Legacy is a collaboration featuring upcycled fashion with a purpose. ALBA Legacy has adopted a more ethical and sustainable way of running business – by taking the leftover fabric from ALBA's bespoke suit designs to upcycle them into something beautiful – REPURPOSE LEGACY.
Repurpose Legacy can be worn casually or for more formal occasions. Head to their website to see the one-of-a-kind pieces available, such as their stylish bomber jackets or beautiful kimono-inspired robes. They also have a Filipiniana line featuring the bolero terno sleeve which symbolizes pride, strength, and the willingness of a Filipina to fight for her own freedom and right. All of their pieces are designed and made in the USA at the ALBA Production House in Los Angeles, California.
6. R’Bonney Nola
R’Bonney Nola is an independent label founded by Miss Universe, R’Bonney Nola Gabriel. Her Houston-based business practices sustainable design methods and uses repurposed/natural fabrics. R’Bonney Nola is created for those seeking artistic expression in their wardrobe. With a commitment to sustainability, the garments are mindfully created with experimental textures, embroideries, and unique handwork in order to reduce the amount of textile waste produced by each piece.
In 2019, R’Bonney Nola launched her “Letting Go” collection. She made the collection using fabrics that she picked up during her travels, of which 75% of the materials are recycled. In her own words, R’Bonney Nola states that, “The art of designing clothes reflects life; it’s challenging, unexpected, and beautiful. And if we as humans wear clothing everyday, why not make it good?”
7. Veejay Floresca
Veejay Floresca is an international designer borned and raised in Manila, Philippines. Floresca holds a master’s degree in Fashion from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her accolades include finishing in the top 3 of Project Runway, presenting at New York Fashion Week, winning the Grand Prize at Los Angeles Fashion Design Competition, and has been featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
Floresca has a distinctive style that separates her in-demand couture bridal gowns, inspiring dream weddings of worldwide clients and elevating the fashion world. With Floresca, you get a designer unafraid of the avant-garde and willing to combine classic designs with more contemporary inspirations.
Her fearless nature and drive to excel are reflected in her support of the trans community, showcasing her resilience and dedication to unlocking the true nature of any project. Floresca is a sought out designer, especially for those seeking a Veejay Floresca original.
Most recently, you will find that Floresca has created an Upcycled Collection, as an effort to reduce fashion waste. Floresca has taken a daring approach to the conservative, professional blazer. She’s also made cardigans and jackets out of quilts and blankets. She will continue to make one-of-a-kind pieces that you can find on her website.
Are you ready to do your part? If so, one way you can minimize your carbon footprint is by choosing brands such as these designers mentioned above. By doing so, you are supporting small, locally owned businesses within the community, while saving the planet!
A tragic incident struck Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival as an SUV drove into a crowd, leaving multiple dead and injured. The driver is in custody. Stay updated as this story unfolds and join us in keeping the Filipino community in our thoughts.