We know it's a terrifying time right now, and it's easy to feel helpless with the uncertainty and fear surrounding this public health crisis. But in R2R and Things That Matter, one thing that is deeply embedded in our way of life is doing something, no matter how tiny that contribution is. We believe in the power of small steps.
Better Basics is our R2R On Repeat capsule collection designed to look great together and with (almost) anything you already have. For our new Better Basics+ drop featuring our fresh holiday colors, we invited one of our dearest friends and advocates, Camila Benipayo, to be its ambassador. Let's get to know her!
Part of the village that it takes to create R2R pieces are fathers who help make the company’s culture a joy to be part of, and who are glad to have found meaningful work to provide for their families. In celebration of Father’s Day, we sit with three R2R dads to talk about work, fatherhood, and some of the other things that matter to them.
Launching our online store in North America was, to be blunt, one of our survival strategies in the time of COVID-19. R2R's ultimate mission is to open opportunities––and keep them open!––for Filipino artisans. We have to live a long life because livelihood needs to be reliable to truly make a difference.
"Ever since I finished fashion school, I've always wanted to produce clothes that are in parallel with the fashion sustainability movement and to create designs that have a function and a well-thought plan. I wanted to become a designer with purpose, and because of that, I pursued working for R2R."
"During this difficult and uncertain period, what we had always known to work were thrown out the window. So I would say that the driving force behind designing bags for the Balang Araw collection comes from the gratitude of our company surviving amidst the pandemic, working to keep it that way."
We are grateful for Ricardo's talent and graciousness because not only did he bridge partnerships for us here in the Philippines, he also brought our artisans' woven masterpieces to Lisbon for Fashion Week. He had picked the Pusô Adarnaspecifically for his Spring/Summer 2020 Collection because, and we quote, it was the only piece that had caught his eye when he visited ArteFino 2019.
Together with IKEA Philippines, we hope to continue creating positive impact during the pandemic and beyond. With Building a Better Normal Together, we shared some practical and meaningful skills with all of you, like how to make the world-famous Swedish meatballs and how to upcycle an old T-shirt into a reusable bag.
The corporate and international partners who have supported R2R through this time have allowed us to continue creating livelihood opportunities for the most vulnerable of us. We hope the stories here inspire you as they have inspired us! And if their stories spark ideas for you and the companies you are part of, we would love to explore possibilities with you, too.
Here are Our Impact Updates as of June 4, 2020, in numbers. These are the small steps that we at R2R have been taking so we could all come out of this COVID-19 lockdown stronger, kinder, and more compassionate as a community.
Here are Our Impact Updates as of April 21, 2020, in numbers. These are the small steps that we at R2R have been taking so we could all come out of this COVID-19 lockdown stronger, kinder, and more compassionate as a community.
A letter from the president of Rags2Riches & founder of Things That Matter, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, on how we can weave through this tough time together. As a business that aims to create positive impact in our communities, R2R's top priority is to take care of the health of our team, artisans, and advocates. And at the same time, we also take the responsibility of "staying in business" very seriously.
We want to start the year by thanking you all for an amazing 2019. We couldn't have done it without all of you who showed love on our socials & even in person, attended our events and pop-ups, shared the advocacy and culture to others, and, of course, supported our artisans and communities by purchasing our pieces. Thank you so much!
Your starting point can happen anytime. It’s when you decide to show up for your dreams and be intentional in how you approach them. You don’t need to wait for a monumental event to start. It can happen on an ordinary day, at the moment you decide to pause and listen. It grows when you learn to give, when you find the intersections between what you care about and what others need.
How do we live with more compassion and intention? How can we incorporate sustainability into our work and in our relationships? In Life Stories La Union 2018: Sun, Surf, and Sustainability last June 29 to July 1, 2018, we gathered a tribe of like-minded people who wanted answers to these questions and to travel deeper.
"to paint / to weave" is a series of watercolor painting on Vietnamese silk by artist Thao Nguyen Phan in collaboration with Rags2Riches (R2R) and its artisans. The paintings depict the scenario of women weaving in various forms, the action is removed from its original setting and has become romanticized and idealized in a timeless, non-specific environment.
We at R2R and Things That Matter are intentional about creating an integrated, opportunity-providing social enterprise from the very beginning. For 2018, these are the goals and numbers we reached thanks to our amazing community of advocates and partners who are with us as we work towards a more inclusive and compassionate world .
We are so excited to share this partnership with one of the Filipino fashion brands we admire; Bayo! They are pioneering a sustainable fashion initiative in the country and R2R is one of the first brands they are collaborating with.
Things That Matter is a joyful marketplace that creates positive impact and inspires an intentional lifestyle. But it is more than just a one-stop shop for all beautiful and meaningful products. It is also a community of advocates who are creating a better world, one intentional decision at a time.
Although sustainable fashion is still young in the Philippines, there are now so many small businesses starting out with this vision of doing fashion responsibly and sustainably. One of the up and coming small businesses in the pursuit of slow fashion is Linea Etnika.
Our S/S 2017 collection, Versions, embraces the beautiful complexity of the R2R Woman and adapts to the multiple transformations she makes every day while still weaving together the values she carries. Each piece in this collection transforms into two completely different personas, adapting to the different versions of the R2R Woman.
We sat down with three joyfully married couples of R2R––Ate Nhing & Kuya Jhune, Ate Sugar & Kuya Yam, and Reese & Mark––and asked them to share their love story this Valentine's Day.
Rags2Riches, a fashion and design house empowering community artisans from the Philippines, is expanding its line of classic, functional, and artisanal bags by launching its Fall/Holiday 2016 Collection, the Medina on the 20th of September at South Court, Power Plant Mall.
Most R2R advocates are familiar with the artisans behind the signature R2R weave that make up most of our pieces. But there is a group of weavers that we also love working and weaving joyful stories with. These are the talented indigenous communities around the Philippines.
Since the launch of R2R Living two years ago, we've been working hard to bring stylish, artisanal, and sustainable home accents to our growing number of R2R advocates who value green design for your homes. And in those two years, we’ve achieved some milestones that we would like to share and celebrate with you.
It’s the first time we’ve let our advocates have a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in our workshop and have them actually participate in the bag-making process with our workshop artisans. Here are the highlights of what our advocates experienced during the exclusive workshop and open house.
Our store ambassadors are so much more than just sales associates; they are true representatives of R2R. Strike a conversation with them when you visit any of our stores and they can share with you the many joyful stories under their belt.
In honor of this weekend's occasion, we have a gift to all our amazing mommy advocates! Get a chance to win a classic Buslo for you (or your mom!) by joining our giveaway contest.
The meaningful story behind the Valore Collection is the brainchild of R2R's lead designer, Chris Cera. Allow us to take you through the design process of this newest collection, where he gets his inspiration to design R2R's artisanal bags, and what you can expect from R2R's upcoming collections.
The Valore Collection illustrates the story of Filipinos living in other parts of the world yet still carry with them the things they value the most. We hear about these modern day heroes every day – how they found themselves uprooted from the familiarity and comfort of home in order to secure better lives for their loved ones back in the Philippines. It is their hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to the people and principles they value that brought life to the bags of Valore.
Last February 9, 2016, we launched our newest home collection, R2R Living x Marilen.ph, at the R2R store in The Podium Mall. This collection is in collaboration with Marilen Faustino-Montenegro.
We finally have all those pretty, artisan-made, and functional pieces you have always wanted for your home. This collaboration with Marilen.ph is a first for our home accessories line; it has allowed us to branch out from area rugs and pillowcases and into handwoven planters, serving trays, and more that our artisans wove for you.
Last January 15, we held our first event of 2016: the R2R x Risqué Launch and Shopping Party. We launched our most exciting collaborative piece yet; Risqué designed three new shoes and incorporated the signature R2R woven panel in them!
Rags2Riches, Inc. (R2R) a fashion and design house and for-profit social enterprise from the Philippines, is a 2015 Eileen Fisher NY Women-Owned Business Grantee. What makes this recognition extra special? R2R is the first organization in Asia – and outside the US and Canada, for that matter – to win the grant! This makes us so happy and honored.
