The Philippine Star

‘Ampersand’

- By JOANNE ZAPANTA-ANDRADA

In preparatio­n for Fall/ Holiday 2014, the fashion house R2R has launched it s lat es t col le ct ion called Ampersand. R2R has been one of the country’s most successful social entreprene­urial companies dealing in fashion and h ome accessorie­s. Founded by Reese Fernandez- Ruiz, R2R aims to enable Filipino artisans to earn a living as it strives to make design, entreprene­urship and progress an inclusive venture.

R2R’s chief designer Christian Cera shares, “Wanderlust takes the R2R Advocate to a great adventure — a journey that leads to an appreciati­on of global unity and yet, opens a door to self- discovery, too. Embracing the craft of artisanal women from other communitie­s, she also looks inward and takes pride in her multi-faceted existence. The collection celebrates this multiplici­ty with styles that take sustainabi­lity and versatilit­y to another level.”

The main feature of the whole collection then became the ability to do different configurat­ions in one bag.

“Issa” is a classic tote perfect for work, unzip the sides and the tote expands with a different fabricatio­n for weekend use.

“Danella” can be worn as a foldover shoulder bag, strap detaches to become a clutch, strap attaches to the mouth and bag becomes a taller body bag; exterior pouch can also be detached and used on its own.

With “Alessa,” unbuckle the double straps from the tote, turn the mouth inside out to reveal a different fabricatio­n. It becomes a shorter, zip- closure shoulder bag using a detachable shoulder strap.

“Arriane” is a fold- over evening bag that can also be worn as a taller body bag by simply just reposition­ing the chain strap.

“Casey” can be transforme­d from a flat tote to a trapezoid tote, a hand-held satchel to a shoulder bag, all by snapping and unsnapping leather tabs.

These feat u res ref lect the “different spaces” the bags take you to. Symbolical­ly, the collection a l so r e pr e s ent s t he R2R woma n’s mu lt i - f a c e t e d personalit­y. The materials come from three different weaving communitie­s: R2R’s signature upcycled scrap cloth basket weave; binakol from Ilocos, a traditiona­l material whose repeated optical patterns are aimed to scare away bad spirits; and ilaglis from Kalinga. The formal launch was held recently at the Power Plant Mall, which also introduced R2R’s latest advocate, blogger Kim Jones.

 ??  ?? (from left) from a flat tote, hand-held satchel, trapezoid tote to a shoulder bag, all by snapping and
(from left) from a flat tote, hand-held satchel, trapezoid tote to a shoulder bag, all by snapping and
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Danella bodybag.
Danella bodybag.
 ??  ?? Arr iane unfolded.
Arr iane unfolded.
 ?? Rags2Riche­s founder-partner and CEO Reese FernandezR­uiz. Photo by
of ?? SHAIRA LUNA AtEast | Jed Root
Rags2Riche­s founder-partner and CEO Reese FernandezR­uiz. Photo by of SHAIRA LUNA AtEast | Jed Root
 ??  ?? Issa open.
Issa open.
 ??  ?? Issa closed.
Issa closed.
 ??  ?? Danella shoulder bag.
Danella shoulder bag.
 ??  ?? Arriane crossbody.
Arriane crossbody.
 ??  ?? Arriane fold- over.
Arriane fold- over.
 ??  ?? Alessatote.
Alessatote.
 ??  ?? Casey can be transforme­d unsnapping leather tabs.
Casey can be transforme­d unsnapping leather tabs.
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Alessa shoulder bag.
Alessa shoulder bag.
 ??  ?? Arriane clutch.
Arriane clutch.
 ??  ?? Danella clutch.
Danella clutch.

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