Reese Fernandez-Ruiz (born 1985) is a Filipino social entrepreneur and President and Founding Partner of Rags2Riches, a sustainable fashion enterprise established in 2007.[1] The company aims to empower Philippine-based artisans, fashion and home products that follow environmental ethics principles, and alleviate poverty in Payatas, Quezon City and other communities around Metro Manila.
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Therese Clarence Arellano Chua Fernandez-Ruiz 1985 (age 38–39) Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipina |
| Education | Degree in Management from Ateno de Manila University |
| Occupation(s) | President and Co-Founder of Rags2Riches |
| Years active | 2007-present |
This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (October 2021) |
Biography
editShe was born Therese Clarence Arellano Chua Fernandez-Ruiz in the Philippines in 1985.[1][2] She was raised by her mother, a missionary. Her mother’s work exposed Fernandez-Ruiz to the poverty in the Philippines.[3]
Education
editFernandez-Ruiz attended Ateneo de Manila University where she studied management.[4][5] She attended certificate courses for Sustainable Fashion in Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London and Art & Science of Systems Change in Harvard Kennedy School. [6]
Career
editThrough her college organization, Fernandez-Ruiz volunteered to teach math, science, and reading skills in Payatas, a community in Quezon City, Philippines and home to one of the largest dump sites in the country.[7] After graduation, she co-founded Rags2Riches together with a group of young professionals while working as the Program Assistant for the Youth Leadership & Social Entrepreneurship Program of the Ateneo School of Government.
Rags2Riches (R2R)
editFernandez-Ruiz co-founded Rags2Riches after seeing rug-weavers (mostly women) in Payatas receive little profit for rugs they crafted from cloth and scrap foraged from the Quezon City dump site, due to middlemen controlling their supplies and sales.[3] Fernandez-Ruiz, together with the founders of R2R, sought the help of fashion designer Rajo Laurel and other designers to co-design products together with the artisans.[8] Rags2Riches created links with factories and warehouses to provide the artisans with fabric scrap materials and opportunity to sell their products directly to customers.[9] The company also provides artisans with education in personal finance, nutrition, and health insurance.[1] Rags2Riches has recycled over 800 tons of scrap material and has a production facility implementing zero wastepractices.[9][3]
Awards
editIn 2015, she was on Forbes 30 Social Entrepreneurs Under 30, and she was named a Young Laureate for the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in 2010.[10][11]
See also
editExternal links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Rolex Awards for Enterprise". Rolex Awards for Enterprise : Reese Fernandez-Ruiz : Overview. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ "reese fernandez-ruiz". reese fernandez-ruiz. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ a b c "Rags to Riches: A Fashionable Way to Empower Poor Filipinos". 2016-11-09. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ "Young Entrepreneur: Reese Fernandez-Ruiz". 2020-02-21. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ "Rags to Riches: A Fashionable Way to Empower Poor Filipinos". Culture. 2016-11-09. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/reese-fernandez-ruiz/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Rags2Riches Empowers Impoverished Women To Turn Recycled Scrap Into Haute Couture". Fast Company. 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ Cruz, Jose Paolo S. dela. "Trash talk & treasures • Reese Fernandez-Ruiz". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
- ^ a b "Rolex Awards for Enterprise". Rolex Awards for Enterprise : Reese Fernandez-Ruiz : Project. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ "30 Under 30 - Forbes". Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ "Upcycling reshapes lives - Rolex Awards". rolex.org. Retrieved 2021-10-31.