MANILA, Philippines — At three years old, Mosh and Maggie Lafuente’s son, seven-year-old Tatum, was already illustrating his thoughts and ideas. At a young age, he exhibited a propensity for art, drawing skylines and different types of vehicles, as he creates vibrant interpretations of the world around him. He was also diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
“As parents, especially for kids like Tatum who is on the spectrum, we want to discover more of what he can do, to support his ability and push it further and to let him express his emotions,” Maggie said.
“He continued his interest in art and at the age of seven, he told us he wanted to become a CEO,” Mosh shared.
Tatum’s grand declaration of his dream was more than enough for the Lafuentes to take the leap with Tatumi.
Building the foundation
The couple created Tatumi, a small venture, as the first step to their grand plan to ensure that Tatum’s future was set. His eagerness to showcase his art made the couple think of inventive ways to promote his work, while also preserving his art into products.
“My husband and I decided to build Tatumi to support his interest and talent,” Maggie said.
Tatumi now converts Tatum’s art into shirts, tote bags, masks, gift wraps and mugs—showcasing his unique designs, while also making sure that more people become aware of his condition.
Stories, skills infused in every product
For the Lafuentes, Tatumi is more than just a business as they also aim to teach Tatum how to sustain himself and understand the realities of life.
“Above all, my husband and I will not be around forever to guide and help him,” Maggie shared.
Tatum is Tatumi’s very DNA. His task now is to grow the brand along with his parents and ensure that their legacy will live on. Behind every Tatumi product is his story and skill, a desire to show what he’s capable of and a goal to also uplift others in the special needs community.
The Tatumi brand represents Tatum and aims to “speak to all who are on the spectrum,” Mosh said.
Products advocating a cause
The brand aims to bring awareness to autism, infusing Tatum’s story in every product tag. Along with this, Tatumi plans on amplifying the voices of all kids on the spectrum. Part of their profit goes to less fortunate families of kids on the autism spectrum, making sure that children like Tatum get a shot at their dreams.
“We want to create a brand with a purpose. Tatumi represents art appreciation, supports local artists and helps pay a part for other kids on the spectrum for their therapy needs,” Mosh said.
In late 2019, Tatumi first launched its tote bag line featuring art created by Tatum. Their main goal was to tap the general public, creating merchandise that could be enjoyed by anyone, at any time and any place, while also tapping the growing desire to support local artists and small businesses.
With this, Tatumi’s line of products is environment-friendly and is also geared toward sustainability, with reusable tote bags and face masks their main items. Since then, Tatumi’s canvas bags have received incredible feedback from both the local and international scenes.
Scaling up
When the pandemic hit, the brand also pivoted to producing face masks featuring Tatum’s food truck designs.
The Lafuentes make sure Tatum’s designs are front and center on their products, using high-quality materials during production in order to ensure that Tatum’s art is printed and preserved at its best.
“Tatum is so proud of his craft. He is looking forward to making ‘his company Tatumi’ bigger soon,” Maggie said.
And to achieve this goal, the Lafuentes went on to join Maya Business’ newest series “Scale Up: The Show,” showcasing Tatum’s ingenuity and Tatumi’s advocacy. Tatumi competed with 15 other Pinoy entrepreneurs for seed capital worth P150,000 and a grand prize of P500,000 in the finals.
But more than the promise of prize money, Team Tatumi gained valuable advice from industry mentors—Maya Chief Marketing Officer Pepe Torres, Tiny Buds co-founder Lorin Tan and Boozy PH CEO Miguel Guerrero.
“I was impressed with what Team Tatumi presented and I agree that the autism community has so much to offer,” Torres said.
“We see a bright future ahead for Tatum as a young CEO and we can’t wait for what he’ll do in the future,” he added.
"Scale Up" is presented by Maya Business, in partnership with Shopify and PLDT Home Biz.
To catch the previous shows, go to bit.ly/ScaleUpShow and get inspired by the modern entrepreneurs' passion, hard work and possibilities with Maya Business.