TORONTO, CANADA — Cambio & Co., a retail brand that specializes in sustainable fashion designed and handcrafted in the Philippines by Filipino artisans, has expanded its mission to focus on content and conversation around Filipino culture with an increased emphasis on fashion, beauty, and wellness.
The brand has 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. Its team believes in using 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 16, its team has been donating 5 percent 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 face masks on the North American market. To date, they have already raised $1,500 for COVID-19 relief efforts.
“Our core work to create sustainable livelihood for Filipino artisans hasn’t changed,” said 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,” Cambio & Co.’s relaunch will also include a series of online discussions to honor 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,” said 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.”
To learn more, read Cambio & Co’s official statement
