WOW Pinoy

Rose Anne Cu-unjieng de Pampelonne jewelry designs in ‘Vogue’

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, October 03, 2008

PARIS-BASED ROSE ANNE Cu-unjieng de Pampelonne is set to be the next big Philippine fashion star, if she isn’t one already. Her bejeweled accessories, or “cuddly ornamentation” as she likes to call them, were recently featured in In Style (modeled by pop superstar Rihanna) and Elle. Last September, they get prominent exposure in Vogue (Rachel Weisz on the cover) in the magazine’s jewelry report. It was also in that magazine that she was featured about two years ago as one of Paris’ “secret addresses,” for her embellished clothing designs, which are made in Nepal. She is in the spotlight again as her accessories make a big dent in the creative and crowded world of international fashion. Last June, I was in Paris to interview and photograph this design powerhouse for this newspaper and for the cover of the Philippine Tatler, out this October. We did her shoot and interview at one of the homes she designed, a gorgeous toney two-story apartment with a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower.

I have known Rose Anne for quite some time and we manage to make time for catching up whenever I go to the City of Light. She is always very accommodating and kind-hearted. She loves to entertain and hobnob with the city’s ultra-chic crowd. The last time I was there, the wife of Louis Vuitton chair and chief executive Yves Carcelle, Rebecca, was giving Rose Anne a birthday party. Invited were some Filipinas like the very lovely Yvette Lhuillier-Warnod (Monique’s beautiful sister, a carbon copy of her mom Amparito) and Ria Agousti whose furniture and accessories are sold in Barney’s as well as in Paris.

Passion
Rose Anne’s passion for creativity and sense of style has always been innate. She has taken lessons in painting in Florence and design in Paris. A good friend prodded her to open an interior design company upon seeing her work on the apartment she was then living in. Today she is an accomplished interior designer with a coveted clientele all over the world. Her home has been featured in countless magazines and this column reported the coverage of her own home in Elle Décor (US) last April. She also had a showroom in Manila called Artemis (now owned by Baby Girl Fricke) and her partners include her sister Libet Virata, Conrad Onglao, Anton Mendoza and Doris Ho. Her jump to fashion, and now jewelry, has progressed naturally. She says it all started with embroidery that did not work on the clothes she designed. She kept them and made them into necklaces.

When asked how growing up in the Philippines has influenced her work, she answered, “What I appreciate about having been born in the Philippines is the Filipino sense of flexibility and diplomacy (good manners over brutal frankness) as they help cushion the rough bumps along the way.” Prompted further on why she went into accessories/ jewelry design after being an interior and fashion designer, she said, “I know that it is mad to have added another profession albeit one which does complement the other; but it just happened!” So how does she put it altogether—being an interior, fashion, jewelry designer, a wife and mother? Rose Anne has been married for 20 years to the investment banker, Baron Bruno de Pampelonne; they live with their three handsome sons Dominic, Ludovic and Alexis. (Incidentally her oldest son Dominic was photographed her for the Tatler cover). She says, “I’m so busy that it would be a great luxury to have more time. Problem is, even when I’m tired, I don’t want to stop, because I love what I’m doing... When I feel I’m beginning to be overwhelmed, I go home.” Rose Anne adds, “I am looking forward to spending more time with my family; they are really my most incredible inner circle. Hopefully more years of creating and, wistfully, finally learning how to delegate in the good old Filipino way.”

Gary Ruiz is lead exterior designer of ‘Green Car’

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, October 02, 2008

ON its 100th year anniversary, the world’s largest automaker, General Motors Corp. launched its much-anticipated “green” car, the Chevy Volt. Sharp, sleek, and sporty, it is vaunted to leapfrog all competitors in the race to bring the greenest, coolest environmentally correct car in the market. Proud of its game changing design and performance, GM promptly introduced its lead exterior designer to the press, particularly the Filipino-American media, since, it turns out, Gary Ruiz, 33 is a Filipino-American, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. This second generation Filipino-American understands Tagalog but can’t speak it well. No matter. His designs speak an international language well understood by all.

Ruiz initially studied pharmacology and was on his final year at Ohio State University when he grew enamored with industrial design. Quite a big shift from chemistry to engineering but Ruiz dove into it and, soon, was in the center of the world of automobile design. Shortly thereafter, he was assigned to a leadership position in one of GM’s high-priority projects, the E-Flex Design Studio, where he and his team were charged with the aesthetics of the exterior design of GM cars, particularly the Chevy Volt. He was also involved in the initial designs of the GM’s latest muscle retro-car, the 2008 Camaro. Ruiz is proudest of the fact that GM put in a concerted effort to produce a vehicle like no other — an electric car that’s “beautiful, and that’s going to decrease dependence on oil, reduce emissions, appeal to environmentally conscious drivers as well as to gear heads.”

Here is an electric vehicle that will run for 40 miles on single battery charge before it switches to gasoline use. In an all-electric mode, when the generator kicks in, it will rack up 100 miles to the gallon. The Chevy Volt has just catapulted GM to world prominence and, in Ruiz’s own words, “long term prosperity.” At 100 years old, GM has left big footprints in automotive history and is leaving fresh new ones at the forefront of the race to save the planet.

A Pinoy behind Rafe New York Collection

Written by Ms. Confuse on Tuesday, September 23, 2008

In 1989, Rafe Totengco left a successful business that he started in Manila to pursue his dream of a career in fashion design. He moved to New York, enrolled in FIT, and supported himself as a design assistant. In 1994, he produced his first collection of accessories: belts and watchbands ¬for a SoHo boutique, they sold out instantly. When the shop asked him if he had bags to go with the items, he enthusiastically said 'yes'...even if he didn't have a single bag to show for it. One year later, the first collection of Rafe New York handbags debuted at uptown department store Bergdorf Goodman. Since then, Rafe has become one of the most acclaimed of a new generation of New York designers. He has been recognized in his field with numerous honors including:

* FRESH FACES IN FASHION
Gen Art Foundation, 1996

* THE “TEN BEST” AWARD
ENK International, Fall 1997

* FINALIST, PERRY ELLIS ACCESSORY DESIGN AWARD
CFDA, 1999

* RISING STAR AWARD
Fashion Group International, 2000

* BEST ACCESSORIES DESIGNER
Accessories Council, 2001

* TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men)
Philippine Jaycees, 2002, awarded by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

* ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD
Filipinas Magazine, 2005

* ASIAN ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Asian Enterprise Magazine, 2007

In 2006, Rafe was tapped as the first accessories designer to collaborate with retail giant, Target, to create a limited edition capsule collection. The Rafe brand has grown over the years to include women’s handbags, shoes and small leather goods. For designer Rafe Totengco, accessories are the exclamation points to your fashion statement.

The Rafe New York collection is available in upscale department stores and specialty stores throughout the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Russia, the Caribbean, South America and the Middle East, as well as select online shopping sites.

credit : rafe.com

Jasper Garvida - Filipino designer wins in London

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, July 11, 2008

It is always a happy occasion when one chances upon a winner, and an even happier occasion when that winner happens to be a Filipino.

Jasper Garvida is a 31-year-old Filipino-Canadian (dual citizenship) who won a hotly contested reality competition over Sky One Television prime-time known as Project Catwalk in London.

The show, now on its 12th year, gives 12 talented fashion designers (chosen from some 3,000 applicants) the opportunity of a lifetime—a chance to have their collection shown at the prestigious London Fashion Week.

After nine grueling weeks of various challenges, three remaining finalists are made to create a 12-piece women’s wear collection on the final week.

Each of the three finalists are given £5,000 to purchase all necessary materials including fabric, accessories and additional labor components. They are also taken to a place of their choice whose architecture, atmosphere, colors and history are expected to inspire their final collection.

The judges faced a very tough decision, but Garvida’s talent, flair for detail and passion shone through. He won an exclusive deal with online style boutique Oli, a £25,000 cash prize, as well as a spread in Grazia—the iconic, world-renowned fashion magazine covering top designers and trends.

Oli.co.uk is fast becoming a leading name in fashion, forming major partnerships with top designers such as PPQ, Jasmine Guinness, Thomas Vicary and OnIOff Boutique. Oli offers 20 new lines each week.

Reaping success

At the time of our visit to London and Garvida’s atelier, it was obvious he was already reaping the fruits of his achievement. He was rushing from one appointment to another, finishing commissioned clothes, working to complete his 12 designs for a capsule collection for Oli and 50 pieces more for a Menswear boutique in Regensburg, Germany near Munich, and he had just been called by Michael Caine’s wife Shakira to do some clothes for her.

He has done pictorials for Draper’s Magazine, his creations have been featured on television shows, and he’s been fielding press interviews.

“I am really a very private person, and some of the demands of the trade I really don’t like,” he confessed. But he is mature enough to acknowledge that some things come with the career he has chosen, and that they are important if he is to reach more people.

All sorts of invitations and inquiries are now at his doorstep that he has had to hire a secretary, a PR person, and student designers who go on internship with him just as he did after graduation from Central Saint Martins in 2004.

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, created in 1989, remains one of London’s most revered art institutions, with strong research and teaching departments in Fine Arts, Fashion, Graphics, 3D design and Performance. It has produced the likes of Gilbert and George, Richard Long, Jeff Banks—designer and presenter of BBC’s The Clothes Show, 007 Pierce Brosnan and fashion designer Paul Smith.

As a young boy of Ilocano parents growing up in a house in Project 4, Quezon City, Garvida was already into designing clothes. When he was 12, his parents migrated to Canada, but he had that nagging dream to study at Central Saint Martins, which he says is every fashion designer’s desire.

Undaunted by the fact that the school has 7,000 applicants each year and that its standards were so strict that acceptance would be difficult, Garvida sent out his application and in three weeks received a positive response. At 19, he left Canada for London.

Garvida’s parents are very proud of their son. His mom was present during the finals of the competition, and Garvida has given her half of his prize money to start a new business in Toronto. He also hopes to visit the Philippines and hold a show here.

Revelation

Garvida’s talent for designing was first noticed when his graduation collection for Central Saint Martins, which centered on fantasy, was reviewed by The Telegraph’s Hilary Alexander as “a dazzling debut.”

The young designer then went on to sell pieces all over the world to various influential people and boutiques such as Nicola Formachetti, Fashion Editor of Dazed and Confused magazine; Kokon To Zai boutique in London; Side By Side boutique in Tokyo; Quartier Gallery and Boutique in Vienna; Museum Dusseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany.

To date, international press coverage of Garvida include features in I-D Magazine, Dazed & Confused Magazine, V magazine, La Republica Moda, Vivid, 34 Magazine, Evening Standard and The Telegraph.

Garvida said his style has developed through the years. “I used to be outlandish, but during the last four years, I have matured, although my clothes still have that element of fantasy plus a lot of intricate attention to detail.”

After serving as Head Designer for Michiko Koshino Couture, he decided he was ready to go solo. His current look is inspired by surrealism, based on images of Salvador Dali’s wife Gala. The collection reinvents classic shapes, meticulously put together using a rich range of materials from feathers and sequins to glass beads and exotic shells.

“It’s a highly wearable High Street version of the clothes that I designed for the Project Catwalk finals,” he explained.

What comes next after all the buzz created by Project Catwalk? The next five years, said Garvida, will be devoted to further honing his craft, participating in the London Fashion Week.

And after that? “After five years, I will be in Paris,” he said with a confident smile.

http://www.jaspergarvida.com/

Tina Maristela-ocampo - known Celestina bag by hollywood celebrities

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, May 08, 2008

A FILIPINO model turned entrepreneur is being featured in Vogue, the bible of women’s style and fashion, for her handcrafted bags that sell for as much as $8,000 a pop.

Tina Maristela-Ocampo’s evening bags—under the label Celestina Maynila New York—are now sold in high-end boutiques in the United States, Hong Kong, London and Russia, and by next year, Germany, according to her husband Ricco Ocampo. (Tina was in Hong Kong marketing Celestina—actually her first name—at the time of the interview.)

The December issue of Vogue, with Australian actress Nicole Kidman on the cover, carries a half-page feature on Tina and her bags.

(One of her bags is featured as well in W, another US magazine devoted to high fashion.)

Ricco, himself an entrepreneur who has ventured into eyewear, clothes and restaurants, says Tina started selling the bags only in September, but already Barneys New York has placed a repeat order.

Celestina is displayed alongside such brands as Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Prada, Balenciaga and Lanvin (which carry price tags equivalent to the year’s pay of a Filipino minimum wage earner).

Local talent, materials

But with a fundamental difference: Celestina uses local materials and once more illustrates Filipino skill and talent.

Per Ricco’s account, Tina employs about 68 artisans aged between 40 and 60 from all over the country to make different parts of each bag.

The materials used include silver, copper and brass from Baguio, filigree from Bulacan, ebony (kamagong) from Pampanga, stingray shagreen (raw hide) from Zamboanga, crocodile leather from Palawan, and shells and mother-of-pearl from Cebu.

Two pieces from Tina’s spring/summer collection for next year—minaudieres that cost from $850 to $995 at Barneys—are featured in Vogue.

Minaudieres, which were in fashion in the 1960s, are tiny jeweled cases that can hold a woman’s lipstick, powder and a little cash for an evening affair. These do not have straps and are hand-held.

Difficult entry

It was not easy for Tina to penetrate the US market, Ricco says.

Tina sought appointments with proprietors of high-end boutiques and editors of American fashion magazines, but they snubbed her because she was an unknown in those parts.

The only shop that immediately carried her line was Joyce in Hong Kong—but then the owner is Joyce Ma, a close friend of hers.

It was only when another friend, Rafe Totengco, a successful Filipino bag designer in New York, vouched for Tina that Vogue granted her an appointment.

When the magazine editors saw her collection, they agreed to do a feature. But when they asked where the bags were available, she had to say nowhere—yet.

Vogue subsequently helped set up an appointment between Tina and Barneys, with a happy result: The store immediately placed an order. (Its repeat order is for Tina’s spring collection, Ricco says.)

Accidental foray

Tina’s foray into bag-making was quite accidental, according to her husband.

After a successful modeling career in the 1980s, she ventured into designing clothes and put up The Black Shop. And then two years ago, Ricco went about developing a homeware brand using local materials.

The materials that Ricco’s workers were using to make homeware prototypes caught Tina’s attention, leading her to use these same materials to make evening bags for her personal use.

At one point, Ricco noticed that her collection of bags was getting bigger. He suggested that she start selling the stuff.

Tina decided to take up her husband’s suggestion. But she realized that she had to target the foreign market because of the steep price tag that the materials and the craftsmanship would entail.

So she traveled abroad in search of boutiques to carry her line.

In the last six months, Ricco says, Tina has traveled nine times to market Celestina.

“The beauty of these bags is that they are unusual. Each piece is handmade and produced in a limited edition (only about 50 to 100 pieces for each design),” Ricco tells the Inquirer.

He says what inspired Tina to pursue the foreign market was the realization that Filipinos can produce quality products at par with the best in the world—and there are consumers ready to pay for them.

Over the past decade, local industries have failed to compete in the global arena because of China’s capability to manufacture cheap goods. As a result, many local industries have folded up.

The ones that have succeeded (including the furniture sector) targeted the high-end export market.

Proud of her roots

Ricco explains that the use of Maynila in the Celestina brand was deliberate to ensure that the Philippine factor is present.

Tina’s minaudieres are named after known Filipinos (like artists Juan Luna and Anita Magsaysay-Ho) and popular places (like Cebu).

“She is proud of her roots and wants to put meaning to true Filipino heroes and talents,” Ricco says.

At present, Celestina is the only Philippine-made bag line with price points at par with foreign brands that are known the world over (like Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga and Marc Jacobs).

So far, the most expensive Celestina bag is a crocodile piece with mother-of-pearl handles that sells for $8,000 (at P50 to $1, P400,000). For the smaller bags, the most expensive price tag so far is $3,600 (P180,000).

And yes, even at those prices—enough to buy a car or a tiny house in the Philippines—American, Chinese, British, Russian consumers are buying.

There are as yet no plans to sell Celestina in the Philippines.

Alan Del Rosario - FilAm fashion designer

Written by Ms. Confuse on Saturday, April 05, 2008

Alan Del Rosario knows all about bringing sexy back. The Los Angeles-based designer presented his latest fashion collection line at the star-studded Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at the Smash Box Studios in Culver City last March 11. This is Del Rosario's third trip to the exclusive fashion event.

About hundred clothing buyers, spectators and media personnel checked out his fall collection in Lightbox, a standing-room only venue. Among those that attended include adult-entertainment star Jenna Jameson, mixed martial-arts fighter Tito Ortiz, actress Apollonia Kotero, fox 11 news anchor Christine Devine and musician Sean McNabb. They all waited to see the latest design from the Pinoy's Fall 2008 collection.

Del Rosario's latest collection, Bow and Arrow, is a mixture of fashion from decades past. He dressed his runway model his favorite look from the 50's to the 90's. The models sashayed down the catwalkwith panache as the crowd rubbernecked left-right-up-and-down dissecting every aspect of Del Rosario's clothing design from the fushia stockings and shoes (made popular in the 80's) to loose and casual black and white simple day dresses of the 60's.

"I wanted to merge my favorites design of those decades and make it relevant now," said Del Rosario, whose dresses retail $1,500 to $2,000. "Women now like to buy pieces and adapt to the style today."

After he presented his red carpet-worthy designs, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

For Del Rosario, the crowd's enjoyment of his design is his satisfaction. But for all the glitz, glamour and blinding flash bulbs, the ovation signified more than just applause for his latest fashion design collection.

It's been a long road foe Del Rosario, whi went from being a civil engineer to one of the most popular fashion designers in the US.

He had endured rising to the top of his profession winning the California Designer of the Year award to being a casualty in the cut-throat world of fashion and design business, and back again. Despite all the obstacles, Del Rosario persevered. What keeps him up at night is thinking of the latest fahion and design.

"I love what I do," he said admitting he only sleeps four to five hours a night. "Nothing can stop me."

Starting from Scratch
Del Rosario arrived from the Philipppines in the late 80's to pursue his fashion and design dreams. He studied civil engineering in the Philippines to fulfill his parents wishes.

Growing up in Cebu, his parents were reluctant for their only son to pursue a career in the arts, fashion and design. Since the arts was in his heart, he made a deal with his parents -- he'll get a degree in civil engineering first but he can pursue whatever he wishes after graduation.

With a Civil Engineering degree as a safety net, he left the Philippines for Los Angeles. At that time, he was a 27-year-old international student laiming to start over looking for a break in the fashion world. He started by studying at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). There, he excelled in their accelerated program eventually worked his way up to earning a scholarship and being awarded the school's prestigious Bob Macke award.

"I really believed [that] what I was doing was right," said Del Rosario of his decision to go to US.

After FIDM, he worked for a large company learning the ropes and business side of the fashion industry.

In 1999, he started his own line carrying his namesake. It was a major hit. A year later, Gen Art LA awarded him a winner of the prestigious Fresh Faces in fashion for eveningwear.

Known for his signature style and evening-gown-dresses, major retail stores and specialty boutiques flocked to order Del Rosario's clothing line. The became so overwhelming that it was hard for Del Rosario to keep up with the demands. He eventually lost some accounts.

Post 9-11
After the September 11 attacks, retailers stopped calling. The economy slumped and the demaand for his clothing line went downhill. del Rosario had to close his business. "It was hard time for me," he said. "I was on top then lost everything."

Wanting to start over, he joined a clothing company (that he doesn't want to mention) and revamped their way of business. According to Del Rosario, he returned the small clothing company from $7 moillion-a-year business to a $40 million-a-year earner.

A few years ago, he received a call from an old friend about starting another line. This friend, Henry Kim, now financially back his new collection.

Del Rosario is once again rising to the top of the fashion and design world. His grown so popular that Hollywood stars like Michelle Pfeiffer, Minnie Driver and Debra Messing wear his private collection. His clothing collection can be found at major retailers such as Nordsstorm, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's Beverly Hills, Anthropology, Fred Segal and a number of other specialty boutiques in Los Angeles and New York, the fashion capitals of US.

He said that he designs for the modern woman are simple and sophisticated. Asked what sexy means to him, he said, "Comfort. Comfort is sexy to me. you have a lot of women [who] wear these very nice outfits but they look stiff like thay can't move. What's the use of wearing something if you can't enjoy it?".

He said he's fortunate to be able to do what he loves. He advises young designers to follow their heart. "Be true to yourself," he said. "Don't be influenced by other people or designers. If you have a vision, and some other people might not like it, 90 percent of the time you're right. Believe in yourself."

Gilbert Canlas is one of the best interior designer in U.S.

Written by Ms. Confuse on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Designer is a broad term for a person who designs any of a variety of things. That usually implies the task of creating or of being creative in a particular area of expertise. It is frequently used to reference someone who draws or in some ways uses visual cues to organize their work.

Designer is also the title for a person practicing in one of the design fields, such as architecture or engineering, but who is not licensed or does not possess a four year degree in that field.

Designer is especially used in reference to a fashion designer, usually one who has his/her own line or house (disambiguation), such as Givenchy and Versace. [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=designer. See Haute Couture.

Gilbert Canlas a FIDM By Night alumni. Gilbert graduated with honors from FIDM in 1997. Gilbert always had a passion for interior design so he acted on it and attended FIDM's Interior Design program. He worked full-time while attending school. His experience as a designer is mainly in the high-end residential area. Gilbert has fond memories of his years at FIDM.His advice to the prospective student is "Work hard at what you want. If you really want it and are willing to do the work to get there, you will succeed."

Monique Lhuillier

Written by Ms. Confuse on Friday, February 08, 2008

Diane Monique Lhuillier (born 1971 in Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines) is a Filipino fashion designer based in the United States. She was born and raised in the Philippine province of Cebu and is of French and Cebuano descent, hence her typical French last name meaning "the oilmaker".


Monique Lhuillier Lhuillier's family is one of the more prominent names in Philippine high society. The family owns a chain of pawnshops currently operating in more than a hundred cities in the nation.

Having had a difficult time finding her own gown, Lhuillier, a 23-year-old newlywed at the time, decided to begin sketching her own line of dresses. Her husband figured it was little more than a hobby, one that she would tire of soon enough. "He thought I had the wedding blues and eventually I'd get over it," she told USA WEEKEND Magazine.

She made the news with two high-profile celebrity weddings in a row. She designed Christine Baumgartner's wedding dress for the fall 2004 wedding to Kevin Costner shortly after designing both of Britney Spears's wedding dresses in her wedding to Kevin Federline. She's also designed the wedding gown of US former Vice President and former Second Lady Al and Tipper Gore's youngest daughter, Sarah G. Lee, during her marriage to Bill Lee, Giuliana DePandi's wedding gown to The Apprentice winner Bill Rancic, and Allison Munn's wedding gown to actor Scott Holroyd.

Subsequently Lhuillier added evening wear to her line, and several of her efforts showed up on red carpets before awards shows. For the Fall 2007 season she branched off into more typical oddball runway collections.


Official Website:
http://www.moniquelhuillier.com

Gina Lopez Alexander - known bag designer at Hollywood

Written by Ms. Confuse on Thursday, January 24, 2008

by Midweek
Gina Lopez Alexander’s handbag designs and her cause, HOPE for Children, have caught the attention of countless Hollywood celebrities.

She shares about her meeting with Elizabeth Taylor, where they sat in the actress’s home as they browsed through personal family photos.

“She’s just nostalgic, an icon,” says Alexander of Taylor, who instead of picking a photo herself for her bag, instructed Alexander to just surprise her. There’s the recent creation of a diaper bag for new parents, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck.

“They chose to use a picture of them kissing, taken when they found out she (Jennifer) was pregnant.”


And then there’s the phone calls from hip-hop and R&B artist Ashanti, Usher’s mom and others. “I get in shock every time my phone rings and it’s someone like Kobe (Bryant),” she says.

She also had an order from Arnold Schwarzenegger, who purchased a photo bag for all the women in his family.

“Can you imagine,” says Alexander, “Maria Shriver’s mom (Eunice Kennedy Shriver) carrying around one of my bags?”

When asked what types of pictures are submitted the most for bags, she answers, “Kids and pets. People just love their families.”

With more than 60 kids in her family from siblings and cousins, Alexander always assumed she would have at least four children of her own. For years Alexander and husband Richard tried to conceive. When they finally did, it wasn’t what they expected.



The family reunion photo on the bag at right led
to Gina Alexander’s adopting a child
“I had an ectopic pregnancy,” she explains, “I almost died.”

The pregnancy loss and learning that she may never be able to carry a baby to full term made the grieving process long and difficult.

At about the same time, the Alexanders actively participated with the non-profit child placement agency HOPE for Children. “Richard and I were volunteers with no plans to adopt.” Three years after their disappointing loss, the couple decided to look into adoption. According to Alexander, the cost of adoption can be a financial strain, and explains that it costs anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 to adopt a child.

In an effort to help alleviate some of that, the fashion-conscious Alexander decided to make handbags. The sales of her designs would help her and Richard earn enough money to complete the process. Alexander used her love of the fashion world and background in trend forecasting, merchandising and marketing to create Gina Alexander Inc.

Following a one-year intensive application process, and with her photo handbag business moving forward, the Alexanders flew to Atlanta for the birth of their newly adopted baby. Again, they would find themselves in an unexpected situation. The baby’s birth mother changed her mind and the adoption came to an abrupt halt.

Emotionally devastated and drained, the Alexanders were uncertain that they would ever become parents. Fortunately for them, someone else knew they would.

“About two months after our first attempt at adoption, we got a call from HOPE for Children,” recalls Alexander. “They said a birth mother wanted Richard and I after she saw our family reunion picture in Maui.”

The family picture was part of an album that the Alexanders put together for the child placement agency during their first adoption. Hopeful, the couple courageously began the process one more time. Their perseverance, strength and creativity would pay off. On Aug. 16, 2003, the couple became the proud parents of Katelyn Regina-Kealani Alexander.





Alexander’s love of family and people are apparent in her trademark bags and are traits she learned while growing up in Honolulu. She recalls her grandparents, “Mama and Papa,” who legally adopted her. She remembers their home on Nihi Street in Kalihi where she lived as a child. After their passing, Alexander went to live with her mom in Waimanalo. Although the 38-year-old business owner is now based in California, she maintains a very close relationship with her mom.

What started in the back room of a house six years ago has grown to become a hugely successful business with an ever-expanding warehouse, 25 employees, and generating more than $2 million in sales over the past 24 months. Alexander is the family-run company’s founder and chief executive officer. Richard is co-founder and chief financial officer, and cousin Alexander Aquino, also a co-founder, is president of the company.

“My sister Angie Nakamoto is head of our customer services department and all my family members are reps,” gushes Alexander.

In addition to her success in business, Alexander has launched a very lucrative phil-anthropic effort - she uses her handbags as a way to give back and help other couples that want to adopt a child.

“A portion of the sale of every handbag goes to HOPE for Children,” says Alexander. She and her handbags have already helped to complete the successful adoption of children from Ethiopia and Russia.

Alexander’s line of bags includes designs for women and men. Folks can choose from wallets, pocketbooks, journals, totes, wristlets and more.

Adoration for Alexander’s bags and humanitarian efforts are many, but it is the stories of everyday people that get Alexander teary-eyed.

There’s an order she filled for a soldier in Iraq who surprised his wife with a photo bag of himself dressed in his Army uniform.

Alexander talks about the grandmother in the Middle East whose grandson sent her a bag with a photo of the grandchildren on it.

“He says his grandmother doesn’t use the bag. Instead, she displays it on the mantle.”

And then there’s the bag with one of Gina’s own photos, the one of the family reunion on Maui that sealed the deal for her daughter Katelyn’s adoption.

“Katelyn has created the heart behind the product,” says Alexander.

To learn how you can create your own designer Gina Alexander handbag, visit http://www.ginaalexander.com/