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MEET TRUDE
Ask Trude Lizares about her namesake brand and she’ll gently correct you: to her, it’s not her brand; it’s her philosophy.
“Fashion is not just aesthetics—but rather a fusion of the soul of the modern woman and her spirit of yearning for what is eternally true and beautiful.”
Trude is an artist with a passion for excellence, not just in her work (which is, in fact, excellent) but in her commitment to the people who believe in her. Her aesthetic is timeless, staunchly unfussy, and universal. Her designs have a way of bringing out the best in the wearer, no matter their style, size, or spirit—it’s as if confidence is sown into every seam.
Trude is influenced by the elevated-casual aesthetic of Ralph Lauren, Georgio Armani’s attention to detail, and the artistry of Filipino designer Patis Tesoro. She loves dance, yoga, and being immersed in nature.
HISTORY
Even in her teens, while studying at the Ateneo de Manila University, Trude was designing hand-painted pieces for the women at the House of Negros, a nonprofit organization founded to alleviate poverty caused by the downfall of the sugar industry in her home town of Negros Occidental, Philippines. Here, her atelier—where ready-to-wear and custom pieces were treated to her signature style-meets-sustainability touch—got its start.
In 1987 she relocated to Australia. However, Trude’s heart was in the Philippines with her art and her team of artisans. In 1990 she moved back to rebuild the atelier for herself—and for the artisans. Subcontracting overseas, where labor is considerably cheaper but business practices are exploitative, went against everything Trude believes in. Instead, she personally managed production (which she kept local) and her Bacolod City shops up until she decided to retire from the fashion industry.
In 2017, when her daughter, Katrina, came home from Sydney, Australia to get married, Trude came out of retirement to dress her. Katrina had initially asked for a modern bridal dress of imported silk, but her mom—as moms are known to do—insisted on an elaborate, traditionally handwoven, hand-embroidered, and hand-beaded gown. The resulting suite of jaw-dropping gowns was cut entirely from Piña, an indigenous handwoven fabric derived from Pineapple fibers and Silk Cocoons made by indigenous silk worms.
Empowered by a renewed commitment to the local artisan community and the indigenous fabrics of the Philippines, Trude returned to work, this time with a partner: her daughter, Katrina. So, here we are, present-day Trude Lizares: A mother-daughter operation bolstered by a rich legacy of social awareness, creativity, and sustainability—with our hearts forever in the right place.
OUR VALUES
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Here at Trude Lizares, sustainable practices are essential in all parts of our business – from where and how our fabrics are sourced and processed, our daily operations, the development of our pieces, packaging and in the recycling and limiting of waste.
According to the United Nations (2019), the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. Approximately 93 billion cubic metres of water (enough to meet the needs of five million people), is being utilised annually by the fashion industry. Furthermore, about half a million tons of microfibre (which is equal to three million barrels of oil), is now being dumped into our seas each year (UNCTAD, 2019). With reference to carbon emissions, this industry is accountable for more than all international flights and maritime shipping collectively (United Nations, 2019).
Our commitment to environmental sustainability means that we only use natural fabrics such as 100% Cotton and 100% Linen sourced from Italy, Ireland, Japan and Korea, as well as indigenous fabrics from the Philippines, like Piña, (made of Pineapple fibres) and Silk Cocoon (made by Silkworms) handwoven by our local community and marketed as beautiful unique pieces.
We also use Hablon, made from 100% Cotton, handwoven by the indigenous people of the Mountain Province. The patterns of our Hablon are designed by the designer herself and handwoven exclusively for our brand.
For our 2021 initiative, we have also partnered with Negros Forest to plant a tree for every piece of clothing sold. Torrential rains and devastating floods plague the country every year during typhoon season. This partnership helps us combat the tragic consequences of climate change, rapid development, and deforestation that endangers the lives and homes of hundreds of Filipinos every year.
FAIR WAGES
In our continued efforts to understand and strengthen social equity, we ensure that our local artisans are being paid fair wages. A fair wage is at least two times more than the minimum wage. Depending on the season, it is equivalent if not exceeding the income of corporate workers in the Philippines. Aside from their wages, annual bonuses, housing, health care, retirement benefits are also provided.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
According to The Guardian (2016), there is an estimated 60 million workers within the fashion industry, and 80% of these workers are women. This industry is widely recognised for its abusive business practices, with low wages, unsafe working conditions, forced overtime, flexible contracts and harassment rather customary (The Guardian, 2016). This situation is worsened by the prevalence and familiarity of gender inequality in everyday life.
Trude Lizares exists to provide a hopeful alternative for women. We want everyone to know that they are an essential part of the community. In fact, research has shown that women play a substantial role in eliminating global poverty, thus are key to sustainable growth (Center for American Progress, 2013).
Aside from providing our women with fair wages and a safe working environment at our homegrown atelier, they are furthermore treated with utmost respect. They are inspired and empowered to believe in themselves and understand that they are not just seamstresses who only work for the income. They are respected as artisans, who have mastered their craft and produce pieces of art rather than ordinary pieces of clothing.
We have a core team of highly experienced women who have been working with our designer for almost 30 years, all of whom we consider family. Even with the pandemic, we try our best to give them work so they will not cease to have hearty meals on their tables. To us, this is ways of giving them dignity and opportunity.
For every Trude Lizares purchase, we want you know that you are supporting our women, their families and their communities. These artisans who made your pieces are well taken care of and loved.
And that ultimately, as we continue to foster empowerment amongst them, you too are an essential part of this journey.
SUPPORTING LOCAL ENTERPIRSES
We ensure that locally produced fabrics such as Piña, Silk Cocoon and Hablon are prioritised in our designs. This is due to our founder and designer’s heart for social awareness and patriotism. She takes pride in the Filipino talent and craftsmanship and sees the need to showcase these to the world.
Our tote bags are also made by the women of Gawad Kalinga, a nonprofit organisation which aims to alleviate poverty in the Philippines. Moreover, our threads are also locally made.
As compared to fast fashion, where labour is being subcontracted in different parts of Asia and is considerably lower, however business practices are unethical, we at Trude Lizares have our own homegrown atelier as mentioned above, where our founder and designer takes the time in conceptualising creations that Filipinos will be proud of.
Our Artisans
According to an article released by Fashion Revolution in 2017, 98% of workers within the fashion industry are unable to meet basic needs, and 75% of these workers are women ages 18 to 21. This is prevalent in the Philippines where social injustice is rather customary amongst local artisans. It is common for the workers to be underpaid and overworked.
In our continued efforts to understand and strengthen social equity, we ensure that our local artisans are being paid above average wages in an effort to move towards collective social improvement. Above average wage is three to four times higher than the minimum wage. It is equivalent if not exceeding the income of corporate workers in the country. Aside from their wages, yearly bonuses, housing, health care, retirement benefits are also provided.
On top of this, our artisans are treated with utmost respect.
Their skills are given so much importance that they are empowered to believe in themselves and understand that they are not just seamstresses who work only for income. They are respected as artisans, who have mastered their craft and produce pieces of art. We have a core team of highly experienced artisans who have been working with our designer for almost 30 years, all of whom we consider family. Even with the pandemic, we try our best to give them work so they will not cease to have hearty meals on their tables.
To us, this is giving them dignity and opportunity.
