The #WearYourHeritage Impact Report

What Does It Mean To #WearYourHeritage?

Like our team, many of our Cambio community advocates are of Filipino heritage. 

Despite being immensely proud of our culture, we struggle to define what it means to actually be Filipino. It’s been an elusive conversation- an ongoing search for understanding, belonging, and reconnection.

It’s easy to talk about these things when they’re just ideas - still airy and light. 

How do you add weight and depth and realness to it?

For us at Cambio & Co., the answer is #WEARYOURHERITAGE

Cambio & Co.’s goal is to create sustainable livelihood for artisans in the Philippines - to build a world where traditional Filipino craftsmanship and craftspeople can be celebrated as much as France or Italy.

It’s a big dream, which some would say is impossible. It’s been four years since we first embarked on our journey, and we learned quickly that we couldn’t do it alone.

If we wanted to truly empower Filipinos in the Philippines, we also had to empower Filipinos here and around the world. 

Today, #WearYourHeritage has become a global movement - a call to action to connect Filipinos and our cultural roots through sustainable fashion. 

Like one of our Cambio advocates Ella M. said, “there is something so special about using fashion to communicate and share a piece of who you are with those you love…”

It’s truly magical indeed.

You may be new to your #WearYourHeritage journey, while some of you have been on this path for a while. Either way - welcome.

Cambio & Co. is still small - miniscule, really - but we fully celebrate our achievements and impact. We honour the past, recognize movements forward, and continue to dream of a world that’s better, more fair, and inclusive for all - including our kababayan back home.  

As Filipinos in the diaspora, our voices are powerful. 

We are a force to be reckoned with. And if we put our hearts, minds, and yes - pockets -  towards it, we can truly create meaningful and lasting change for the people and lands we love in the Philippines.

It’s at the heart of this belief that we’re here and keep going. 

Thank you for being part of our journey and growing our collective impact. 

Sincerely,

Gelaine & Jérôme 

Co-Founders, Cambio & Co. 

The Cambio Community By The Numbers

That means 10,000 Cambio advocates in 12 countries around the world who are empowered to #WearYourHeritage and celebrate our power as a global community.

 

That’s the equivalent of 1 Million PHP (Philippine Pesos)!

Social impact is built directly into Cambio & Co.’s business model. The more our business revenues grow, the more we can increase orders and contribute to our community partners’ financial sustainability.

This revenue has contributed towards:

• Increased artisan hours, meaning dignified work available to more artisans and at higher volumes
• Artisan trainings to upgrade business skills and craftsmanship techniques
• Community reinvestment programs, such as scholarship programs / tuition payments, home construction projects for home-based artisans, and micro loans to support artisan entrepreneurship programs
• Business reinvestments, such as purchasing new equipment, community visits, and business development

In the big scheme of things, this amount is miniscule - but every dollar is used intentionally and represents only a fraction of the true impact we can have as a global community.

Visualizing Your Impact In the Philippines

We’re proud to work with some of the leading social enterprises in the Philippines. 

Our partners aren’t only setting an example for companies and socially conscious consumers in the country - their work has garnered global attention and is setting a new standard for social impact across the world.

For the purposes of this report, we dove deep into the impact stories of four of our community partners: Rags2Riches, En Route Handcrafted Accessories, AMAMI, and Island Girl. 

For the full list of our community partners, see who we work with. 

*302 artisans supported full-time, part-time, and on a casual/contract basis. 

Preserving Traditional Filipino Craftsmanship 

Every item for purchase on the Cambio & Co. website is designed and handcrafted in the Philippines.

As seen in the map above, our partners work directly with artisans across the Philippine Islands. Some are masters of age-old techniques inherited from generations past. Others are innovating new crafts from materials overwhelming local industries - such as overstock fabric on its way to landfill.

What we love most is the beauty that comes from bridging both tradition and modernity together.

Thank you for contributing to our collective impact. 

Let’s grow the #WEARYOURHERITAGE movement. 

Share The Impact Report with your community and tell us, why do you #WearYourHeritage?