REESE FERNANDEZ-RUIZ

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

ONE PESO—THIS WAS THE PROFIT OF A HUMBLE PAYATAS HOMEMAKER FROM WEAVING A RAG. It is barely enough to buy a pack of instant pancit canton, even less so to sustain a family. In turn, the middlemen attempt to make the real profit, peddling these rags to the air-conditioned passengers plying the roads of Metro Manila. It is an economic imbalance that is essentially a microcosm of the Philippine situation.

Reese, a missionary’s daughter, witnessed this inequity when she visited Payatas as a student. This prompted her to create Rags2Riches (R2R). The company lives up to its name by upcycling the humble retaso (fabric scraps) into designer baskets, red-carpet worthy clutches and handy totes that retail from P1950 upwards. The profits are shared with the “nanays” who make the bags.

More than the profit sharing though, the success of R2R is hinged on a sense of pride. As one nanay describes, “Dati inaapakan lang ang gawa ko, ngayon, hawak na ng mga model. [In the past, my work would just be used as a doormat. Now, it’s being carried by a model.]”

This 2012, R2R celebrates its 5th year and now sets its sights on the world. Proof of its success was the sold-out collection in AVA. ph and Reese is looking towards expansion in the US and Europe.

As far as awards go, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz has got it covered. A Rolex Young Laureate and winner of numerous grants that have whisked her to California, New York and Zurich, Reese’s next stop is the World Economic Forum in Davos, having garnered the honor of Young Global Leader. Yet these accolades are merely the products of Reese’s remarkable vision.

She is global because in a country laden with problems, Reese found a creative antidote. We are what we buy, after all, so why not be chic and conscientious? Next time you are asked, “Who are you wearing?” Reese will have a good answer for you.—MY