Art and Culture
Cambio & Co. Uses Stories To Bring Filipino Community Together During COVID-19
Ethical retailer’s rebrand includes greater focus on content, community, and conversation around Filipino fashion and culture.
TORONTO, CANADA, May 26th, 2020 — Cambio & Co., an ethical retailer that specializes in sustainable fashion designed and handcrafted in the Philippines by Filipino artisans, has expanded its mission to focus on content and conversation about Filipino culture with an increased emphasis on fashion, beauty and wellness. They have rebranded and relaunched a new website acting as an expanded platform to hold these stories.
After five years in operation, Cambio & Co. has been at the forefront of leading the “Wear Your Heritage” movement in the Filipino diaspora. They use fashion as a medium to foster cultural pride and build solidarity among the Filipino diaspora, a community that has been heavily impacted by COVID-19.
The online boutique’s original mission to create sustainable livelihood for Filipino artisans continues to be at the forefront of its operations. In fact, even in the midst of this global pandemic, Cambio & Co. has deepened their commitment to support their partners in the Philippines. From March 16th until the end of the Community Quarantine in the Philippines, the y are donating 5% of all purchases towards relief efforts through grassroots non-profit Project PEARL in the Philippines. Cambio & Co. also supports Filipino artisans who are now working from home by selling the Rags2Riches fac e masks on the North American market. To date, they have already raised $1500 for COVID-19 relief efforts.
“Our core work to create sustainable livelihood for Filipino artisans hasn’t changed,” says Cambio & Co. Co-Founder Gelaine Santiago. “But after five years in business, we’ve come to understand that we are more than just a shop. We are a global movement connecting Filipinos to their roots and celebrating who we are. In the midst of this pandemic, creating community and fostering Asian pride is more important than ever.”
Guided by the Tagalog word “Kwentuhan”, meaning to tell stories and have a conversation, Cambio & Co.’s relaunch will also include a series of online discussions to honour the rich oral history of the Philippines. Among the guests leading the conversations is Victor Baguilat Jr., an indigenous fashion designer from the Philippines whose work with fashion brand Kandama Collective was showcased at Paris Fashion Week in 2019.
“We aim to talk about our heritage in meaningful, incisive, and critical ways. We aim to document it. Share it. Educate, unpack, learn, unlearn,” says Santiago. “For us, these changes to Cambio & Co. are part of the ongoing conversation. This is the next chapter of our evolving story as a company and as a community.”
