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As a Filipina eldest sister, one of my ingrained “default settings” is to look at price tags before anything else, especially when it comes to clothing purchases. Clothes are just clothes, I would think to myself, and I just need them to do their job and meet dress codes.
As someone who grew up with the mindset that Divisoria prices reign, my decisions were dominated by lowering my spending as much as possible, and I rarely used to think about it beyond that point. That is, until ethical fashion brands started to reach my online feeds.
The first thing I noticed was, of course, the price tags. Their pieces often sit no lower than the four-digit mark, and their catalogues are smaller than what I was used to seeing with big-box clothing brands. But the questions they pose are big: What does it really cost to make clothing, and who pays the price when it’s cheap?
Slow makes space for intention
“If artisanal pieces are cheap, that means that the artisan is paying for it with their time,” said Rags2Riches (R2R) founder, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz. First opening in 2007, Rags2Riches was one of the first to stand out in sustainable fashion locally. Now, they’ve carved their space with a community of loyal shoppers who also advocate for eco-conscious fashion practices.
“Slow, small-batch fashion is done very intentionally. Every step is done with intention. We have fewer pieces that are done for longer hours, and artisans are paid well and on time,” said R2R, who is known for designing innovative pieces built for multi-way use with deadstock fabric. This way, you get a piece that you can love in many different forms for many years to come.
This level of intention seeps through each step of the retail journey, as Reese shares the meticulous work that goes behind the brand. Each piece starts from sourcing, to multiple phases of sampling, wear testing, providing mini-trainings for their artisans when needed, creating panels in their signature weave, assembling the pieces, then quality control, packing, and shipping. In between everything is the hustle and bustle of marketing, online store management, and selling at in-person events.
But ethical manufacturing, Reese emphasizes, isn’t just the production – it’s the whole system behind it: sales, marketing, cash flow, taxes, wages, and relationships with suppliers. “Everything works together to create valuable products while providing empowering livelihood for artisans and team members,” she said.
In each step of the retail journey, artisans and team members are supported with fair pay, and customers get to bring home thoughtful pieces while becoming a partner in building an ethical future for fashion.
Inclusivity in people, craftsmanship, and quality
Another brand committed to ethical fashion is Tayo Studio. First launched in 2019, the brand is an advocate of ethical fashion made in inclusive designs and sizes. True to their name of “tayo” (us), each design is carefully crafted to flatter any body type through their unique sizing system, which accommodates sizes XS to 4XL.
“We have a brand that is inclusive hindi lang in terms of size [or] shape. For me, it’s also the inclusivity of hiring people,” said Rio Davalos, the head of operations for Tayo Studio. She shares how the brand opens its doors to people of any age – she herself was hired at 19, and they also have seniors onboard – to gender or sexual orientation.
For Tayo Studio, inclusivity also means considering the environment. To lessen waste, they create their pieces with locally sourced deadstock fabric. To ensure quality and support local workers, they mass produce with local manufacturers in Balintawak, moving away from the industry practice of “subconning” for cheaper materials overseas.
“I wish every Filipino will understand that behind each slow, small-batch piece is a story of respect for the hands that made it, the environment, and the values that shape it,” said Rio.
Since first launching five years ago, Tayo Studio has now grown with multiple in-store locations, an online website, and shops on e-commerce platforms. They have also set up an outlet in Cavite to sell discounted pieces, helping lower the barrier of entry to ethical fashion. Throughout the brand’s boom, Rio talks about how she always comes back to their values.
“Hindi ko siya ramdam sometimes na work. It feels like I’m serving a purpose. Everytime kasi na makikita mo yung mananahi, they inspire me everyday to go to work because alam mong may tinutulungan ka na mga taong nagtatrabaho.”
Of course, the reality is that clothes in the four-digit price range aren’t accessible for everybody, and no one is to blame when we’re all simply living within our means. But the mere existence of these brands can help us think deeper about the impact we can make with our purchases.
What does it mean to choose a fast fashion brand’s premium pieces over artisan-made local items, especially if they are both within the same price point? How often should I buy clothes, and what’s the lifespan of each piece in my closet? Whether it’s P11 or P11,000, how transparent and fair is a brand in pricing their items?
In a landscape flooded by trends and turnover, it’s valuable to think not about buying more, but buying better. After all, behind the slower pace of these fashion brands is something deeper: a system that sustains people, culture, and craft. And that’s a price worth understanding. – Rappler.com
