FashionAlbedo correspondent Aaron Wee talks trash, cash, fashion and development with Jane Walker, founder of the Philippine Christian Foundation.
There are a few things one must realize about Smokey Mountain before reading this article. Firstly, Smokey Mountain is not a mountain per se but the direct result of what happens when a major metropolitan area – in this case, Manila and its nearly 20 million inhabitants – systematically dumps its garbage in a specific location. According to the Smokey Mountain Remediation Project, the site contains over 2 million tons of waste. Decomposition gets so bad that, on particularly hot days, some of the waste actually catches on fire; from hence the area derives its name. What’s worse, not only do an estimated 30,000 people work here, but some call it their home.
Jane Walker, formerly of the United Kingdom, first came to Smokey Mountain many years ago while on sabbatical from her corporate job. It was here that she encountered, firsthand, the tragic conditions of life in the shadow of one of the world’s most infamous dumpsites. Amidst stinking piles of garbage, rusted metal, and decades-worth of urban waste, she found entire families scavenging for a living. Manila’s shadow population, those marginalized by society, struggle to make a living off-the-grid here, some “commuting” from nearby cemeteries. It was among all this that Jane decided to do something and, after raising enough money, she decided to make the Philippines her home and started the
Philippine Christian Foundation (PCF).
Read More >> In addition to running day care centers and providing education, basic healthcare and welfare services in Manila's Tondo area, the PCF also recycles scavenged materials from Smokey Mountain, transforming them into fashion accessories. These have proven to be an immediate hit in Jane’s native UK with orders consistently selling out and ever-growing demand. Jane took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.
FashionAlbedo(FA): Making accessories from trash presents a whole new set of problems in design. For instance, you can never be absolutely certain of the supply of your materials. And yet, equally, everyday must present a whole new set of exciting challenges. Do you believe this ever-changing nature speaks in the designs?
Jane Walker (JW): Definitely. We have to modify or adapt our products to fit in with the materials available but this is a very positive thing as some of our best-selling products have been created this way.
FA: What was the most unusual material that has been incorporated into a finished product?
JW: Ring pull tabs from Spam and also the ring pull tabs from canned drinks. But we are also given a supply of just the tops of canned drinks and we drilled small holes into them and made a really funky handbag.
FA: And interestingly, what does this say about the wasteful nature of society and the resourcefulness of the members of the PCF?
JW: Truthfully, I have found that once people understand that their waste can be useful, then they are very enthusiastic about recycling. But they need to know where their waste is going and what it’s doing. What helps us is that all our profits are invested in educating child waste pickers in our schools and this tends to give people the extra push they need to recycle and support a good cause.
FA: As the saying goes, "You are what you eat". From the skirts modeled by some students, are we, as society, also what we throw away?
JW: Sadly, we do find that it’s easiest to collect potato chip packets and ring pull tabs but we really struggle to find enough used toothpaste tubes.
FA: Are the designs inspired by high fashion or is the PCF "going on its own"?
JW: So far, we have gone on our own with designs. It’s very much a joint effort. Sometimes we suggest products and the recyclers work out how to make the product, then from the prototypes, we test them and then make changes to improve them. But we have just heard that three designers in the Philippines are planning to help us so we are really excited about that.
FA: The PCF has had to get creative in raising funds and, with spectacular results, you've managed to launch a highly successful line of accessories made from recycled items. Its success internationally has often been talked about but what about domestically? Has it been difficult in trying to sell accessories made by the marginalized in society to the Makati-set?
JW: Not really. There is also a lot of interest but many customers are unwilling to travel to Tondo to our factory so we are hoping that some kind retail owner will give us cheap rent and we can open a shop in Makati. (ed note: Hello Makati? It’s FA, please open your heart)
FA: Is it important that the final product for sale looks like it was recycled from trash? For instance, some of the bags made with aluminum tabs, are identifiable as recycled at first glance; some beads however might pass off as blown-glass. Is there a conscious effort in design to have the items look recycled? If so, is there any inherent message it conveys?
JW: Not really but we are concerned about making high end products. We want our products to look professionally made.
FA: London's a pretty smashing place but is notoriously far away from South East Asia. How difficult (or as the case may be, easy) was it to establish a fashion line many thousands of miles away, made and designed by practical unknowns in a city renowned for its high fashion?
JW: We have been aware that there is a difference in fashion preferences. For instace, Asia tends to like more multi-colored designs whereas European markets tend to like coordinated or single colors.
FA: How difficult is it to plug into the trends of the average London shopper, then?
JW: Deciding what a young person and a social shopper wants is harder. Fortunately, we seem to be producing products that match both the young and middle-aged.
FA: Is this socially responsible trend here to stay?
JW: It should be – it’s disgraceful the amount of money we throw away. I think as long as the products are well made and fashionable, there is no reason why we can’t keep designing products with a strong social consciousness.
FA: Obviously, the PCF is not in the business of fashion but fashion, right now, provides a valuable stream of income. What comes next for PCF - what's the next step for them to pull themselves out of poverty?
JW: For the next step, we are designing more products from different recycled materials. I want to really develop a strong brand and push it worldwide so that the PCF will have a reliable source of income as a means of sustaining our work. We currently collect around 8 tonnes of garbage a day but only around 250 kilograms (550lbs) of that is recyclable. So I am now in the process of refining our material recycling facilities so that we can either make more products from that waste or use it for other things like shredding plastic to make cement or resin so that we can use all kinds of plastic and get a higher return for our money. We could also make furniture from Styrofoam by melting it down instead of throwing it down.
FA: Thank you for your time, Jane.
It’s actually pretty amazing what kind of stuff PCF manages to put up for sale – laptop bags, bracelets, even skirts. To describe their fashion line, I’ll leave Bea Raya, a worker with the PCF, with the last word: “If you are looking for something unique, eye-catching, and a definite conversation starter, PCF’s recycled products are perfect for you. Our talented mothers and youths bring new life to trash items like glossy magazines, ring pull tabs, empty toothpaste tubes and Juice Doy packs (ed note: a Filipino soft drink), PCF’s products are both fashionable and eco-conscious statements. Where else would you be able to get that?”
The PCF's noble work has been bringing real change to the people of Tondo, lifting lives and aspirations for a whole new generation of the disenfranchised. I personally wish the PCF the best of luck in their endeavors and encourage you to check out
their website for more information and ways you can help.
