The big give

MANILA, Philippines - You don’t need to give the shirt off your back to do good. Bayo, together with UN World Food Program’s (WFP) national ambassador against hunger KC Concepcion, collaborated on a limited line of shirts and hoodies with part of the proceeds dedicated to the World Food Program, which provides food to children in conflict-stricken areas of Mindanao.

KC and company were tooling around with ideas for her first crack at designing when they were struck with the idea of turning it into a charitable enterprise. The line consists of a shirt, in two colors of brown and white, inscribed with the line “So what if we burst in color?” — a non sequitur taken from the actress’ blog post written a few years ago. “It’s the friends and relationships in our lives that add color to each memory or experience,” she helpfully explains.

Four hoodies round out the collection. The sporty cotton coverups are full of Concepcion’s current interests, including a graffiti-covered jacket, inspired by her philosophy class. Einstein, Freud, Marx and Jesus — a more motley crew of scholars, I have yet to see — all served as fonts of sage wisdom, their tenets distilled into Cliff Notes-savvy one-liners. (An example: Jesus: “Everything is love”; Freud: “Everything is sex.”) If only this came out during my college years, I’d be set for philosophy midterms.

KC incorporated numerous elements from her personal set of sketches and a gallimaufry of intimate images. The fairy figure, a gold-etched image against a stark black background, appears throughout the collection. Taken from KC’s debut invitations, the fairy logo has remained special to her. “It became the logo for my 18th birthday TV special,” she says.

Bayo’s limited line of tops helps put emphasis on the cause, noting that the free daily nutritious meals provided by the program means a climb in enrollment figures and a steady attendance averaging at 94 percent.

So put your purse power where your mouth is and shop for the cause.

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To donate to the World Food Program’s local initiative, visit www.wfp.org/donate/philippines or call 750-2561 local 2400.