Eco Enterprise : Rags 2 Riches - scrap cloth to chic bags

Have you ever been stuck in traffic and offered to buy “basahan” (cotton cloth rags). These are usually scrap pieces of cloth (“retaso”) sewn together. Another variation is the woven cloth door mat, a classic design. The nanays who make these rags spend a lot of their time sewing and weaving, only to sell them for a few pesos through informal means, or much worse, get cheated out of extra income by middlemen who supply the rags and buy the finished products.

Throwing in some ingenuity, Pinoy creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and social responsibility – Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and some friends formed Rags to Riches (R2R). R2R is a social enterprise that helps empower the “nanays” or former rag weavers, to become bag artists. With the help of big name Pinoy designers, such as Rajo Laurel and Amina Aranaz, R2R harnessed the lowly rag weaving style to create fabulous designs of bags worthy of high-end boutique shelves. Talk about adding value!

This upcycling of scrap cloth offers several benefits. It has turned scrap cloth from waste to  commodity, and added on to its value by creating luxury items that would generate “repeat buyers” (How many cloth rags does a girl really need? J How many bags does a girl need? ).  More than the improved livelihood, the bag weavers are also empowered with new skills and fresh confidence.

Rags to Riches , indeed, is a testament that successful businesses have room for environmental and social responsibility!

Learn more about R II R :

http://rags2riches.ph/

@R2RecoStyle

 

I've been lucky enough to score these R 2 R goodies in some events. I am still saving up for the Buslo  tote bag  :) Good things come to those who wait.

 

 

article as seen on www.reuseability.com -- our DEVC 208 Social Marketing project! Check it out !