Global brand Calli thinks local
If you think you’ve seen Tessa Nepomuceno’s hand-carved wooden bags before, you’re probably right. Her boutique luxury brand Calli is by no means a newcomer in the game. Founded in 2013 and a regular in Manila Fame and top trade shows around the world, as a supplier and exporter, she translates trends by foreign designers into wearable objets d’art with the craftsmanship of Filipino artisan communities who are the best at what they do.
Her natural acacia bags are carved by the famous Paete woodcarvers. Philippine leather is woven into solihiya in Moonwalk, Paranaque. The beadwork is done by a community in Merville, just outside her headquarters, while the jewel-like hardware, dipped in 22 karat gold, is imported from Hong Kong. “When I saw the first finished bag, I knew it was God’s gift. This is the path for me,” she recalls.
Now that events and parties are back in full swing, Calli reintroduces itself as your proudly Filipino statement bag. With this comeback is the launch of a diffusion line, Ten, for the young and young-at-heart who prefer something less delicate for daytime use while still enjoying the handmade intricacy Calli is known for. Wrapped in Philippine leather solihiya and floral beadwork in some designs, because of the difference in materiality, Ten pieces go from P4,250 to P7,250 while a wooden bag from the main line starts at P8,000.
Ten responds to the needs of an on-the-go Filipina. For hectic days when an outfit change in the car is all Tessa can manage, she shares that her beaded Ten tote holds her Calli minaudiere, switching it up for her evening event.
While Calli is already sold from Tokyo to London to New York, Tessa has set her sights closer to home. “I would say to the craftsmen, let us not concentrate only on the foreigners because ‘Uy, dollar. Big time.’ What happens after?” she says. “We must also support and do partnerships with local designers. This is what we need to do to uphold the tradition for the next generation.”
Why now? “I was not ready before; it felt hilaw. I was doing other things aside from this,” she admits. She juggled her export business with a corporate kits business while raising her sons, actor Khalil Ramos (whose nickname inspired the brand’s name) and musician Sam.
While Tessa isn’t formally schooled in design, her gift is in how she perceives objects. “When I see something, my mind translates it to a bag. I can’t draw, so I don’t know how my production designer understands my drawing,” she admits, chuckling. She’ll be the first to tell you that every Calli bag is the result of collaboration between the carvers, weavers and embroiderers. She hopes that more fashion lovers as well as designers will choose local, too.
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Shop Calli online at callibags.com.
