EVER thought of pursuing your hobbies as a career path? Or combining your hobby with what you learned from your course to start a business?
Faith Mary Mae Guzman, Alex Dianne Silva and Raven Lean Monterde, psychology graduates of the University of the Philippines Cebu, used what they learned in college as an influence for their own brand. They gave the trendy tote bags a twist and started a business with it.
Garche was inspired by the word archetype. “Two years ago, we had this discussion about starting a business. Somebody in the team suggested starting our own local brand. From there, we gathered ideas until we came up with what we have today,” Guzman shared.
The brand, which showcases local art through archetypes, developed its first collection called “The Visionary.” “This explains our interest in including different archetypes in our products,” she said.
Garche, they said, is a brand that shares the stories about psychology. “We wanted to create a brand that emphasizes the story behind the designs instead of focusing only on aesthetics. Psychology, storytelling, art, and fashion are things that we are all passionate about, and Garche is the culmination of all those things,” Guzman said, adding that this is how The Visionary was born.
Guzman, Silva and Monterde design their products themselves.
In designing their collection, movies, comics, video games and even photos of events become an inspiration in conveying emotions without using words. People can relate to the design, the girls said.
The Visionary Collection hopes to inspire and let people relate to psychology and art at the same time. Guzman said their future designs and releases will also be based on a theme—an archetype that any human being can relate to at any point in their life.
The girls sell tote bags from the Visionary Collection for P479 to P499, with prices depending on the type of strap used in the bag. Garche also plans to expand their product line.
“We also have plans to release other products, such as shirts, jackets and pouches,” said Guzman.
Garche uses locally sourced materials, mainly cacha, for their bags. As a proud start-up brand, Garche envisions to be positive.
“We thought of an archetype that has the traits we want our brand to have: optimistic for the future, innovative, and someone that thinks differently,” she shared. Soon, the brand will release another set of collection called “The Lover.”
In an interview, Guzman shared their struggle in sourcing not only the materials for their bags but also people who can make them.
“It was challenging to look for the most affordable materials and labor while keeping in mind the quality and just compensation for the people involved,” she says.
Tote bags are trendy, true, but Garche’s owners are finding that tote bags that tell stories are classic. “We wanted to tell stories of the same topic, but at the same time, we also want to emphasize that even stories of the same nature have their own unique twists to them,” Guzman shared.
Locally, artists and visionaries use their skills as inspiration to start a brand they can call their own. From exploring trends to discovering what clicks, it won’t hurt to try experimenting with your hobbies and give it a twist with your skills.