Clutch an Indulgence Tote some Adventure

by Mikka Padua April 11, 2013

Galicia Manila is a spin off from my eponymous line of handbags and is one of our anchor brands here at STU. I wanted to pay homage to my roots and Galicia is my mother's maiden name. Her mother, my grandmother has always been an inspiration to me. We are predominantly women in my family and it is with them in mind and heart that I drew strength to reach for the stars and further my dreams as a handbag designer (who by the way, is self-taught with no design education background whatsoever). So it's only but fitting that Galicia's launch collection pieces are named after my mother, grandmother, and my aunts.

Each and every component of each and every piece by Galicia is proudly Filipino designed and handcrafted. From the hand crocheted raffia to the soldering of brass, down to looping the last stitch. Each detail is meticulously taken cared of. Thus, this collection took months to complete with a lot of tears and frustrations in between.

These bags are more that just arm candies. The brass sea creatures are crafted by fishermen of Bulan, Sorsogon who make an extra living by doing so. Their attention to detail is so amazing that they make each creation as close to the real one as possible. Passion in what they do is so evident that even a crab's carapace is hammered for texture and its antennae is never left out. There is no mold or cast for mass production thus any irregularity is synonymous to the beauty of their product.

The process it takes to complete one Galicia piece is in itself very special. While the fishermen-cum-artisans are crafting the brass adornments, men and women from a small factory in Marikina, Metro Manila are cutting, sewing, and stitching the body of the purses. Every pair of hands that passed through each piece have left an ounce or two of their fervor and love for their craft.

Clutch a Galicia piece and indulge a little. Wherever it takes you, you live knowing, that somewhere in another corner of the globe, you have made one's life a little better. That in itself is already some adventure.

Your Purveyor of the Uniq,