Catriona Gray creates ‘enviro-chic’ bags
Around eight or nine years ago, when Catriona Gray had not yet been crowned Miss Universe 2018, she started being aware about environmental issues and wanting to do more sustainable efforts. That awakening was aligned with her growing maturity as an individual who cared beyond her immediate world and surroundings.
The fashion model-turned-beauty queen and now multifaceted public figure began thinking about the nation’s impact on the global footprint and also considered “what the sustainability agenda means and not just being a catchphrase or a keyword but how it actually relates to us in a personal way.”
That’s why Gray, 30, welcomed the opportunity given to her by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls to collaborate on a project, which would produce a three-piece bag collection made of upcycled tarpaulins.
At the recent launch of the “enviro-chic” bags, Gray said she felt fulfilled seeing the project come together. She described it as a personal endeavor to create something beautiful out of waste material.
Gray worked on the project for seven months, in a collaboration with Megaworld and its chosen brand partner, Side B Upcycling Retail Inc., that she described as “easy and very organic.”
She expressed her admiration for the people behind Side B, “not only for their knowledge about the artisans that they work with but also for what it means to them—’yung pride na isang Filipino-made product is able to give back to the community.”
Such values resonate with Gray, who is a National Commission for the Culture and the Arts ambassador and who, in 2021, recorded and released her version of the nationalistic song, “Raise Your Flag.”
One-of-a-kind bags
At the launch held at the Newport Mall of Newport World Resorts in Pasay City, Side B’s founder and owner Stu Balmaceda told Lifestyle that, initially, the plan was to make just one product using Megaworld’s old tarpaulins and their own materials. Gray wanted a tote bag, and they agreed to do something woven. But they realized that weaving tarpaulin pieces to complete one bag would take a lot of time, so they decided to go for a design of vertical stripes. The result became even more interesting, he pointed out, because the bags ended up not having the same exact pattern.
The partners also made sure that only Megaworld’s tarpaulin pieces were used in the middle part of each bag. During discussions, they came up with other types of bags, which led to the three that make up the collection: a large tote, a three-way folio bag and an essentials bucket.
Gray said the three-way folio bag is her favorite because of its versatility—it can be a body bag and a laptop bag because it’s foam-padded. All three bags are durable and water-resistant, she added.
The enviro-chic bag collection is available at participating Megaworld Lifestyle Malls: Eastwood City, Uptown Bonifacio, Newport Mall, Venice Grand Canal at McKinley Hill and Lucky Chinatown. Mall patrons can avail themselves of each bag with a minimum single-receipt purchase of P7,000 for the large tote, P5,000 for the folio bag and P3,000 for the essentials bucket. Aside from making the necessary purchase, customers must also bring 35 clean plastic bottles in exchange for the bags.
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