Rags2Riches lives up to its name, opens market door to poor villages

CEBU, Philippines - Transforming straps of cloth into quality products, a social enterprise aims to lift Filipino artisans out of poverty and empower the community through arts and craftsmanship.

Rags2Riches, Inc.(R2R), a for-profit social enterprise based in Manila, creates eco-ethical fashion and home accessories out of up-cycled scrap cloth, organic materials and indigenous fabrics by working with artisans, mostly women, residing in the poor communities across the country.

It originated in 2007 in Payatas with three women who developed a means to earn a living in scavenging the waste and recycling scrap pieces to be used in handicraft production such as rug weaving.

R2R founding partner and president Reese Fernandez - Ruiz said that the enterprise was formed to provide the artisans with fair access to the market, design and training and quality program in order to maximize their skills and empower the community in general.

Ruiz spoke about micro-entrepreneurship through creativity and innovation during the 2nd Cebu Creative Industries Summit in celebration of the Cebu Business Month 2013.

Along with Ruiz were eight stakeholders who shared the same initiative and advocacy. They included TJ Agulto, Fr. Xavier Alpasa S.J., Bam Aquino, Ange Benavides-Bulan, Timi Gomez, Memey Mendoza, Maan Lim and Mark Ruiz.

"We want to create a sustainable and high-value trade for these artisans who have the potential for creating beautiful products with beautiful stories which will then lead to increased income and increased quality of life," Ruiz said.

An artisan who finishes the targeted work in two to four hours for the whole day could earn an average of P500. The social enterprise usually produces and sells 1,000 to 2,000 pieces of products made from locally-sourced materials every month.

With a good price point, the finished outputs are then sold online, in high-end boutique stores and in different hotels in the country.

Ruiz added that these products actually have a touch of "personal connection" since they come out in the market with a card and the name of the artisan who made them.

"We want to be authentic based on our eco-ethical design principles. Every product must mean something. We think about longevity; we collaborate and integrate. As much as possible, we avoid excess and never source from companies unwilling to adopt a more ethical practice," she said.

She shared how challenging their experience was when they started in the industry. They had encountered a 98 percent rejection rate with the artisan creations and only one of 30 buyers and designers replied to their emails and returned their calls.

She further noted that it took two years to build the trust in their first community.

To date, the company has trained around 800 artisans and 21 communities in Metro Manila. It had increased the household income of these artisans to 200 percent.

R2R products are also catered in 25 retail and online outlets in the Philippines and are featured in over 1,000 articles and blogs globally.

"It is still a work in progress. It is not that easy but it is worth it," Ruiz said.

To further innovate, R2R searched for other possibilities in the market and integrated a design solution turning scrap materials into fashion handbags. This is in partnership with top fashion designers such as Rajo Laurel, AminaAranaz-Alunan, Olivia d'Aboville and Oliver Tolentino.

Now existing for six years, R2R aims to reach more artisans in other parts of the country and expand its advocacy on social entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood.  — (FREEMAN)