Heiress of Ingenuity

By the time this comes out, Rita Nazareno’s exhibition, “ZACARIAS 1925 – An Architectural Tribute,” presented by The LAB/by Please Do Not Enter, has already opened at the NoMad Hotel in Los Angeles.

This is a special exihibition in that Rita is showing “ZACARIAS 1925 bags where I referenced architecture in the design,” she said in an email interview.

Other than a recent email chat, I interviewed Rita sometime ago, and had been wanting to feature her in my column. But always, something would come up and so it’s only now I am writing about her. Rita is a kababayan of sorts. We both descend from families in Isabela, her grandfather Zacarias, whom she calls Lolo Caring, being a native of Echague town, where I come from. We have common relatives, so I was not surprised when I came upon some cousins, who happen to be hers too, working for Rita’s company in Baclaran.

Here are excerpts from my interviews with Rita.

Daily Tribune (DT): What will you show in Zacarias 1925 – An Architectural Tribute?

Rita Nazareno (RN): Showing ZACARIAS 1925 bags where I referenced architecture in the design.

AN architectural tribute to Rita’s grandfather.

I’m also launching the ZACARIAS 1925 the bag.

DT: What materials or media are you using?

RN: Hand-woven wicker with leather details.

DT: Did you meet your grandfather? What are your memories of him? If not, what did your mother Vicky tell you about him?

RN: I was very close to Lolo Caring and have such wonderful memories of him. I would sleep in between him and Lola Gunding when I was a kid. I’d watch boxing with him, sing to him a lot… he was fun.

DT: What is the pervading ethic among the Nazarenos that you may attribute to your grandfather?

RN: We learned a lot from our grandparents… the importance of hard work, being kind, and embracing creativity.

DT: Much has been said of your grandmother especially in embroidery. In what way are you like her?

RN: Lola Gunding was a force, such a beautiful, kind soul.

DT: Are you the only artist in the family?

RN: My second brother, Anthony, is a very well regarded architect. I am very proud of him. He’s such a good guy. He’s very talented.

RN: It should be. It’s really a great family and my mom, you know, she’s kind of semi-retired, she’s done a lot of work in education. She’s in the board of trustees of many La Salle Schools including the College of Saint Benilde and La Salle Dasmariñas. She’s also the chairwoman of Philippine Women’s Univesity.

RN: My Lola Gunding, Segundia Vizcarra. It was she who started it all. She was amazing. She reached grade two in school only. In Baclaran.

DT: It’s good you never left Baclaran, ha?

RN: Yeah, and my mom finally moved back here also, and from here she goes to Makati, wherever. In Baclaran, I am two minutes behind the factory, so I just walked. So Baclaran is really in our hearts. Basically, Lola Gunding started all this. Her mother was Lola Tayang. She was a hundred and nine when she died, and she was a labandera (laundrywoman).

RN: Talk about the strength of a lineage of women. I’m just, you know, very lucky. Talagang strong entrepreneurial women. Lola Tayang and Lola Gunding, who’s a Vizcarra. Segundina Vizcarra started the company. Lola Gunding was the eldest, and she had a lot of brothers and sisters. She had to stop second grade to help Lola Tayang to do the laundry. Lola Tayang used to wash clothes for all these rich women. But she was also good at embroidery, so she would make embroidery. Handkerchiefs. And Lola Tayang would give them to one of her clients, like Doña Maria Tuason.

RN: Maria Tuason was impressed. She said, “Your daughter needs to put up her own business.” So she gave her something like P250.

DT: And the P250 became your grandmother’s capital?

RN: Yes. Lola Gunding started making — ay naku. So everyone knew about it. So she started doing it.

RN: Yes, still single. She started doing this when she was still young. So she started getting people. She started using piña. And then she got more sewers. She did the designing. When she married Lolo Caring, she was already established. She married him at 36. It was Lolo who designed the logo.

RN: He was really the artistic guy, so he brought in the wood carvings from friends of his from Paete. He himself was a sculptor. So he brought in sculpture to the business. But it all started with Lola and her embroidery. I have heard stories that it was Lolo who designed the fork and spoon. It was he who started the wood carvings. I only heard this when I was young.

RN: Yes, that’s why it is S.C. Vizcarra. I was also super close to the both of them. So, I have been influenced a lot by this couple, my Lolo and Lola. So much of myself is my Lolo and my Lola.