Innovation

Victor Baguilat was in law school and realized that the field did not fulfill him nor align with his plans for the future. Feeling stuck, he was seeking purpose in his life, causing him to go on a personal quest for a way to move forward. He searched online for the 'meaning of life,' which fatefully led him to social entrepreneurship and the Singaporean International Foundation's open call for a social enterprise. Victor took a chance in the incubation despite not having an established idea for a social enterprise. He knew, however, that he wanted to follow his ikigai: "the intersection of what I love to do, what I am passionate about, what I can make money out of, and how I can help the community," which inspired his initial thoughts of establishing Kandama.

His aunt gave him the idea of reinvigorating the dying tradition of weaving. This resonated with him as he recalled a trip to Banawe, where poorly-made imported products were ironically sold in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Victor’s undergraduate thesis on women empowerment consolidated the idea behind Kandama, making the enterprise what it is today.

According to Victor, "they do not just enter the community and buy fabrics and resell stuff." Kandama builds weaving facilities, donates handlooms, and hosts women empowerment workshops. They also market Filipino artistry to the global arena through shows in international fashion weeks and features from major publications, such as Vogue. Kandama recognizes that more businesses are entering the weaving space; however, they see this as a positive sign, especially since "nobody [should have] monopoly over helping indigenous peoples."

Inspiration

Having indigenous roots himself, Victor shared that the inspiration behind Kandama is a question of authenticity. He had to pinpoint what he “can contribute that comes from the soul, rather than pretending to be somebody else,” which for him meant getting involved in development work. However, to pull this off, he recognized the need to make a profitable enterprise to attract the right people to his team and scale their impact for years to come.

Establishing the social enterprise was foreign to Victor, but he was motivated to make Kandama a reality because he saw it as a way to continue telling stories. “The Ifugao doesn’t have a written tradition—they’re all oral traditions—so in the woven fabric, we can see the story embedded there.” Woven fabrics speak volumes about the Ifugao heritage, which is why Kandama sees the need for the tradition to live on. The challenge they embraced is understanding how to bridge tradition to the changing preferences of the modern world. This philosophy manifests in Kandama’s designs, which pay homage to the intricate fabrics of their people yet experiments with lines and silhouettes that are not commonly seen in indigenous Filipino clothing.

The brand has successfully created buzz around their contemporary designs, but at its core, Victor remains grounded in Kandama’s mission of uplifting the community. A step in this direction is paying liveable wages, which allows Julongan women to provide for their families. Since having money commonly translates to having a say, Victor shared that this economic empowerment affords opportunities to speak up in the household or defend themselves as victims of rape and displacement.

Overall impact

As the demand for sustainable and humanistic practices increase day by day, many businesses must identify effective, yet cost efficient ways of integrating these approaches within their operations. In Kandama’s case, the enterprise believes that its innovation has made a positive impact on the business itself as they have received positive feedback and support from well-known public figures and the general audience which has in turn, created a good reputation and image for them. “Aside from having their creations worn by beauty queen Gazini Ganados, actress Marian Rivera, songstress Sarah Geronimo, and international theatre icon Lea Salonga, to name a few, Kandama Collective was listed as one of the Development Bank of Singapore’s top 100 social enterprises to watch out for in Asia in 2018” (Manio, 2021). As best stated by Victor, “my vision for Philippine fashion design and for the local fashion design community in general is to decolonise and indigenise design.”

In relation, Kandama’s humanistic approach towards its business has also helped create a safe, collaborative, and healthy work environment by respecting their workers’ boundaries and viewing the relationship as more of a partnership. “People appreciate what we do with the community because they believe that we are not oppressing anybody.” Kandama also ensures its employees that they will not demand anything beyond what they are “contractually obligated to do” like what some companies may do, which further strengthens the trust between both parties. With this, Victor also believes that Kandama has had a positive influence on society as it constantly advocates for the empowerment of indigenous people through its innovation while inspiring the younger generation of the society to participate in similar, if not the same, causes. In relation, Victor recently won The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award which involves a criterion of being able to positively influence others and make significant contributions to their field and community. This dictates that Kandama’s impact, to an extent, has been acknowledged and well-received by the society.

Kandama’s biggest ecological impact is how weaving is a profitable alternative to harmful environmental practices like commercial gardening, which is commonplace in the area. According to Victor, “Commercial gardening is not generally a bad thing. But if you clear a rainforest to do commercial gardening, then it becomes problematic.” Agricultural expansion is one of the direct causes of deforestation. With that, Kandama veers towards something more environmentally friendly with weaving, which has a low carbon footprint since everything they make is made by hand, not machines. In its own unique way, Kandama is reducing the number of people involved in the timber-related industry to mitigate the adverse effects of agricultural expansion. Despite all of Kandama’s success, Victor believes that Kandama's most significant achievement is the enterprise's impact on society. From the number of new weavers they have trained to the people that benefited from the workshops and the amount of thread and looms they have donated, all while providing livelihood despite the global pandemic, the enterprise has certainly come a long way. In Victor's eyes, "those are the real achievements of Kandama." Moving forward, Victor aims to transform Kandama into a global brand and scale the impact: "Ultimately, the goal is to scale the social impact of Kandama to other indigenous communities."

Business benefit

Opening themselves up to motivations other than profit allowed Kandama to creatively arrive at innovative business solutions that benefit their enterprise and the communities where they operate. They involve weavers in the design process and challenge the norms of what is and is not traditional, creating pieces that represent the community and are unique to the brand. Not only does this set them apart from other businesses, but it also helps Kandama tap into the expansive markets in the Philippines and abroad that put a premium on art, culture, and stories. Victor attributes much of their success to their conscientious production because “there are a lot of conscious consumers out there. They are empathetic towards what we are doing and buy into our vision of uplifting lives and preserving culture through our handwoven pieces.”

Kandama’s incorporation of sustainability in all areas of business also allows them to craft innovative business solutions that support industries and individuals beyond their immediate circles of influence. While holding Kandama fashion shows overseas, Victor shared that people express an interest in visiting the Philippines to see how textiles are made and how the community that makes them live. Kandama is now in talks with the U.S. Embassy to partner on Kandama Tours, where tourists can immerse in a cultural experience of weaving workshops and sightseeing. This move, among many others, supports Kandama in staying true to its mission of inspiring better lives—this time, across borders and industries.

Social and environmental benefit

Kandama is able to apply SDGs 1, 5, and 8, through its initiatives. Victor stated that during the year 2016, more than half the people of the Julongan community were living under the poverty line. Thankfully, by 2019, this has improved over the years with Victor stating “In 2019 it improved, I can't say that it was because of Kandama, largely, but I'm hoping that we've contributed to the reduction of the poverty of the number of people living below the poverty line.” However, just a year later the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and countless Filipinos were struggling financially. He also reflected on his college thesis which mentioned that the initiative which would reap the highest return of investment for the community, is an investment in women in particular. It is evident that Victor still has the same beliefs given that Kandama is able to provide the Julongan women with opportunities to make a livelihood. Victor also noted that even before the incubation of Kandama, the main source of income for the community stemmed from tourism. He wanted to innovate a new way to integrate tourism and Kandama which led to Kandama Tourism which not only aims to promote the community and its heirloom weaving, but also create even more opportunities for the Julongan people to achieve decent work and economic growth.

Kandama paves the way to bridging the gap between traditional Philippine weaving and modern fashion. Achieving this with emphasis on sustainability, gender equality, and economic growth for the community, the enterprise strives with unbound potential for growth. Prior to Kandama, there was a government weaving program for the community which was the main income for the Julongan weavers, however after closing, these people were left without a livelihood. The initiatives set by the enterprise helped and continue to help those in the community earn a living and stay out of poverty. Moreover, the initiatives help in breaking the norm by providing Julongan women with a stable income and opportunities in the field of fashion and tourism. Kandama has succeeded in growing not just the enterprise, but the Julongan community as a whole.

Interview

Victor Baguilat Jr., CEO