Brazilian expat loves the Philippines as ‘home,’ works with Tondo moms to promote Filipino culture
MANILA, Philippines — Want to shop early for Christmas?
The ongoing Filipino Design Studio at The Podium atrium, Level 2 of The Podium mall in Pasig City aims to raise awareness on Filipino culture, celebrate Pinoy talent and support local artisans through its wide range of unique and handcrafted Filipino products – ranging from trendy upcycled apparel to eco-conscious homeware, statement accessories and mindfully-made wellness products.
Among the booths in the souk-style Filipino Design Studio is social enterprise Not a Daydream, owned by Brazilian expat Rosa Hibbert who fell in love with the Philippines.
According to Rosa, she moved to the Philippines in 2018 because of her husband’s job, but she does not feel like a stranger because she believes the Philippines is a lot more like Brazil.
“The Philippines, for me, is very close to my culture – people are very open, very friendly, very nice. So basically, we’re home here,” she enthused.
The Philippines, for her, is a “fun country.”
“You know, the things that we like – we like to celebrate, to party together, to help each other – the colors, the music make me feel at home.”
From exploring the Philippines and its provinces, Rosa got to know Filipino culture and textile weavers, so shortly after moving to the country in 2018, Rosa founded Not a Daydream to share her knowledge in creating bags and use the business to create impact in Filipinos’ lives. She assembled a team of 10 mothers in Tondo, a poverty-stricken town in Manila.
“This idea of Not a Daydream is to give back to the Philippines,” Rosa said. “All the bags are made in Tondo. We create models and taught Tondo women how to create bags.”
Apart from providing Tondo mothers with livelihood and training, Rosa also works directly with Filipino weavers, mostly from Ilocos, and use their handmade weaves as the primary raw materials of the bags she and the Tondo women make and sell.
“So the idea is we try to help as much as we can – the communities, the weavers, all their fabrics are from theirs, handmade. We take them to Tondo, and we partner with a foundation there – Bless the Children Foundation – and we make our bags in Tondo.”
Likewise, she suggest design inputs to Filipino weavers to make their fabrics more marketable. She gave as example an Inabel or native Ilocos handloomed fabric that comes in traditional pineapple patterns, but in a rare Aqua-color she recommended.
“It’s unique to us. We kind of design the size, colors,” she shared. “Traditional Philippine design but in a fun way.”
Filipino Design Studio, which runs until the end of the month and is organized by the Kultura Filipino department store of mall chain SM, is a big help for a social enterprise like Not a Daydream.
“Well, just being able to talk to you and so many other different people to deliver our message and getting people to know us, because we’re a relatively young brand, (it’s really helpful),” she said.
“We have to spread the word for the Philippines. Everyone should know!”
