OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP — SMALL SCALE

MS. FERNANDINA ‘DITTA’ SANDICO DESIGNER/OWNER CACHE APPAREL

Ditta Sandico is a Filipino fashion designer who has worked on her craft for 31 years. She has become a byword in the local crafts community and has continually carved her niche in the international scene.

She started her own company called Cache Apparels in 1985 and it has grown from a handful of sewers to an atelier that serves the growing needs of the populace.

As a designer her mission is simple and her advocacy direct. She strives to craft smart, timeless pieces using organic indigenous fabrics, in the hopes of promoting her country’s natural resources while advocating a sustainable way of life. Her passion for fabrics has transformed into a life devoted to promoting the use of these local textiles and supporting communities that produce them.

In 2005, she trailblazed and marketed herself as the “wrap artiste” of Philippine fashion, focusing mainly on designing wraps made of Banaca, which is a fabric made of Banaca and Abaca that she pioneered in developing. Like the butterflies’ gossamer wings, she wraps women in wonder. She has produced several hundreds of her Mariposa wraps that now grace the front covers of lifestyle magazines as well as worn by a prominent roster of women around the world.

As a young child, growing up and immersing herself with the Mangyan tribes of Mindoro has been part and parcel of what molded her into the woman she is now. They were her first teachers in the art of weaving and this will come full circle as she goes back and devote herself to their community once again.

Ditta Sandico was recognized as one of The Outstanding Women in Nation Service (TOWNS) in 2004. Today, she continues her endeavor in raising awareness to our country’s local fabrics and uplifting the rich Filipino heritage. By cultivating designs that uses banaca fabric and bringing it to the mainstream of Filipino society, she was able to help more than 200 families in the rural areas of Catanduanes. She continues to grow the business as she expands in different regions to uphold the use of indigenous fiber and local traditional weaving. In 2016, Ditta Sandico was awarded during the WIN conference held in Rome, an international awards giving body that gives credence to deserving women leaders who have served as inspiration to their communities.

She shares an inspiring quote taken from the words of Robin Sharma, “To really lead is to grow more leaders and to shine a light on people’s gifts and talents.”