THE Department of Trade and Industry in Davao Region (DTI 11) celebrated the feat of Compostela Valley-based entrepreneur and fashion designer Cheri-Lou Aranjuez, who made it to the London Fashion Week last February 17.
Aranjuez, a DTI-assisted MSME, showcased a 10-piece collection in the afternoon show of the renowned global fashion outfit, House of Ikons, during the recently concluded London-based fashion festival.
Aranjuez was among the 17 designers and brands from all over the world chosen by the House of Ikons to grace their afternoon and evening shows.
“I auditioned and submitted my portfolio to the House of Ikons. In October 2017, I got a call from them telling me that I am qualified to showcase in February,” Aranjuez shared.
The House of Ikons, which was founded by Savita Kaye, aims to celebrate new generation of global fashion talent and provide an international platform for emerging designers like Aranjuez.
Talking about her design, Aranjuez said, “The inspiration of my pieces is the art of versatility. The collection can be manipulated to different styles and that’s my aesthetic to it.”
“I’m very inspired with women on-the-go, women who handle their business, career and family altogether. Sometimes, they forget they have their ‘own’ self to handle, too,” she added.
She further narrated that the materials used for her collection were sensitively picked. These materials included the handwoven fabric from Davao del Sur. Right after the show, all her 10-piece collection were sold.
With this milestone, DTI 11 hailed Aranjuez for being a testament that local MSMEs can truly be world-class.
"Compostela Valley is very proud of the achievements of Aranjuez, and we, in DTI Compostela Valley, are happy to have assisted Cheri in any way possible. We hope her success would inspire other MSMEs to keep honing their craft and be globally-competitive,” DTI ComVal provincial director Lucky Siegfred M. Balleque conveyed.
Aranjuez was part of DTI ComVal’s pioneering batch for its Kapatid Mentor Me program, a 12-week coaching and mentoring program that mentors business owners and practitioners on different functional areas of entrepreneurship that aims to assist MSMEs scale up and sustain their business. DTI11/RNV/jmm