MANILA, Philippines — Halo + Halo is not about reinvention, but as trite as it sounds, this is not your ordinary bag brand.
Halo + Halo is the brainchild of sibling duo Cara and Rocco Sumabat. With roots in fashion marketing and leather accessories--Cara is the designer and owner of cult bag brand Wabisabi--the label was born out of an inquisitive approach to traditional materials and contemporary shapes. The result is a collection of mixed media bags and accessories; from a jute back pack with a woven base of recycled plastic banig to a canvas duffel with leather straps and brass finish.
A weekender carry-all for a jaunt to the beach or a slung-over-your-shoulder sack for a trip to the local galleria; the pieces deliver utilitarian finesse and solid craftsmanship with ease. Ranging from $27 to upwards of $50 a pop, you can't get any more #HonestLuxury than this.
The label offers a distinctively Filipino aesthetic but with a downtown-girl-on-a-trip-to-the-Hamptons sensibility. Ystyle talks to the pair about their origins and inspirations for their latest collection titled GUBAT.
YSTYLE: Can you tell us about the beginnings of Halo + Halo?
Halo + Halo started as an experiment. Our intent was to approach different materials (such as recycled plastic, neoprene, canvas, jute, among others) and play with modern shapes and design. The result was an aesthetic that was wholly different, and from there Halo + Halo was born. We're still very new and GUBAT is just our third collection. We launched the brand in August last year.
YSTYLE: Coming from your experience in Wabisabi and leather goods, what made you pursue Halo + Halo?
There was the impulse to create products that were more versatile than leather in certain situations, we wanted pieces to not be limited by weather and location. In our campaigns, we always emphasize a sense of nature and travel, we design Halo + Halo for both form and function.
And one time, we brought one of our Wabisabi prototypes to the beach: a complete disaster.
YSTYLE: Can you tell us your inspiration for the new collection? What materials did you use?
As it happens, we've had a lot of requests to incorporate leather in our designs for the Halo + Halo brand. We decided to work from that idea and the entire line-up was drawn up. Instead of neoprene and straw, we focused on canvas and jute with a modern finish for GUBAT.
YSTYLE: In terms of the market, what are your goals?
Our target is anyone who appreciates Filipino culture and people who take pride in the use of our homegrown goods. But right now, we're focusing on the local market as we want to spread Halo + Halo within the nation before we actively pursue international retail.
YSTYLE: Where can we find Halo + Halo?
Currently we are selling everything online. But in the near future, we will be having pop-ups at bazaars for the upcoming season. Peep our collection at Filipinaz Fair at Rockwell Tent (September 12-14), Rendezvous Rooftop at Century City, Global Pinoy Bazaar at Rockwell Tent (November 15-16) and the St. James Great Bazaar (November 27-30).
YSTYLE: Lastly, tell us about your new campaign for the GUBAT collection.
We wanted to work with someone fresh for our campaign and we always admired artist Kristine Caguiat's work. We jumped off from the collection title and inspiration GUBAT (or forest in Filipino). We wanted to give the viewers an experience as they flipped through our pages, so we decided to animate the artwork and bring our vision to life.
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Halo + Halo is available at http://halohalo-madebythefilipinos.com/ and you can follow the brand on Instagram @halohalo_store