Thinking of starting young at business and financial literacy?

DAILY TRIBUNE stumbled upon filmmaker Connie Macatuno and her son Caxatino at their I Am Lokal fashion, home and art store at the recent ArteFino in Makati City, and picked up some lessons on how they earn not only income, but also quality time for each other, through their common passion for eclectic style.

“I’m not a designer, I’m a TV director, I’m a filmmaker, but I love clothes!” direk Connie adamantly accepted the title when referred to as a “designer.” For her, “mall rat” is more like it.

“I’m from the entertainment industry, which I can leave anytime I don’t have anything to do, so I’m a mall rat! I love to shop,” she giggly but shyly admitted.

“Because of that going around (malls), I know what I usually don’t see and I’ve learned the hard lesson of not getting that item. So that’s my shopping tip: if you something that you don’t normally see, get it… Because when I come back and what I want is not there anymore, I had to buy the second best for the same price! So it was a hard lesson.”

‘Film is the same as clothes’

Macatuno’s foray into clothes started in college and her 20s, when she would cut up clothes that did not fit her well – as if clipping scenes from a movie.

“For me, fashion is a storyteller,” she attested. “In one glance, you’re going to guess if you’re interested in that person or not… It’s a second layer of storytelling.”

In the ‘90s, as the director of hit morning talk show Teysi ng Tahanan, Macatuno would wear tribal costumes such as T’Boli tops worn by a T’Boli princess, for work.

“I would wear one with shorts and sneakers and they were like teasing me because I looked like a katutubo (tribal native),” she shared. “At that time, it was 1997, I wouldn’t know of anyone who would wear Filipino costumes in the workplace. Eventually, they wore out and that’s when I started to cut them out and put them into my denim jacket.”

From curating costumes for Jodi Sta. Maria in Broken Marriage Vow, Macatuno also curated 10 to 15 looks for Lovi Poe for the movie Guilty Pleasure.

“Film is the same as clothes. It illuminates the characters… Fashion brings out that expression of who we are where there’s no censorship and where there’s freedom to express ourselves on the daily basis and to find our own happiness that would perk us up for the day.”

Even through her busy schedule as the director behind cult TV series The Broken Marriage Vow and movie Glorious, among others, Macatuno always tries to find ways to spend more time with Caxatino, which is why in 2010, they started I Am Lokal.

“I know that if I make a mistake, I’ll be able to turn it around and make it into something that’s useful. So I think that’s thing that keeps me going forward — because thank God, I’m unafraid to try something different and unafraid to fail.”

Art to wear

She recalled Caxatino approaching her to ask help to sell his art.

“So we started making hand-painted T-shirts. Also because I wanted him to have his own shirts. And mahal ng damit ng batang lalaki (Boys’ shirts are so expensive)!” she jested. “I said, okay, let’s sell those, even though I don’t wear T-shirts.”

At first, Connie did not take the business seriously, until it evolved into more than just a store for her son’s art.

“We were selling at the Legaspi Sunday market. It’s our Sunday bonding,” she shared. “I bring him there because I want him to grow up in an environment where he meets different kinds of people and also he would know how to handle money.”

After five or six years of selling shirts, the mother-and-son duo began adding more items into their store, including jackets and kimonos that reflect Connie’s love for everything Japanese.

“It can’t be too traditional because it’s not going to connect to the younger generation and it might be too heavy. I feel that it can be fun and so that the younger generation would continue to patronize and to wear local weaves and appreciate local embroidery and beadwork,” she explained.

“The concept is not to have art just on the walls, but you can wear them every day. I mix the two things that I love — Filipino weaves and the artworks that my son does. That is how I created our brand.”

Advice for new designers

Caxatino, now 22 and in his second year taking up Linguistics at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, shared to those who also sell their art to explore many different channels.

“There are many different platforms and mediums where you can do that. So, if one of them doesn’t work, just try exploring the other one and you’ll probably be able to find something you’re comfortable with,” he advised.

On the business side, he learned that “sometimes the way you originally envisioned it is like a very far cry from how it’s eventually going to turn out.”

“For example, I never expected that all of these like embroideries and jackets would actually come to the picture, but I think it’s like a welcome addition,” he noted.

As for working with his mom on their brand, he said, the experience is “pretty good!”

From being aspirational, Macatuno dreams of coming up with a sister label that would carry more affordable pieces.

“I would like to reach a bigger audience so that they would be turned up to wear more Filipino contemporary wear.”

For those who also want to venture into a fashion and design business even without a formal education and training, her advice is to “be true to yourself and find your voice.”

“Definitely along the way, there would be many obstacles… and, of course, copycats. I want our new generation of designers to find their voice and share it so it offers diversity. There will be many choices and it may not cater to everybody… but I am happy when I connect to clients who get it and I want to meet more of those clients who get it and will give value to it,” she added.

“So to the new designers, you don’t have to follow the template of one who has succeeded before you or one that you like… Bring a diversity to it.