AS far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a huge bag. Be it for school, or casual activities, like shopping or making pasyal with family and friends, my purse has always been sizable.
When curiosity gets the better of new acquaintances and ask what’s in my humongous bag, I always joke, “Bahay ko.” My everyday bag has to be big enough to carry my two phones, cosmetics, wallets, Kleenex, wet wipes, Spanish fan, small face towel, my medicine case, eye drops and a stevia packet.
When I am on press coverage, I either have a notebook and ballpen, or my iPad in my bag. And if I’m at a doctor’s clinic, where I have to wait for hours for a checkup, I will usually have a book in there, too.
When I shop for a bag, aside from the size, I also look for basic colors, durability and a style that can last forever.
Fino Leatherware, like its purses, wallets and other leather goods, has also stood the test of time. It was established almost 25 years ago by Rose Ann Bautista, an interior designer by training, and her husband, Dr. Rommel Bautista, a glaucoma specialist, when they were still dating.
It all started when her husband had a leather briefcase made to jazz up his daily doctor’s outfit. Using the same manufacturer, Rose Ann says she then had leather gifts made for her mother’s export clients in Japan. In 1990 they joined a bazaar and started selling leather card cases, key chains, agendas and planners, unexpectedly earning so much more than the shopping money they needed.
The big break came when a large conglomerate ordered 200 pieces of their leather planner for its corporate giveaways. “It was so huge an account! We didn’t know anything and it was so difficult to make. But after we delivered on their order, I felt we could do anything,” Rose Ann narrates, recalling her 21-year-old self. They set up their first stall in Coalition Zoo, and soon after, were offered a space in Glorietta.
Through the years of conservative expansion, Fino has quietly built up a base of loyal customers who appreciate the brand’s finely crafted leather goods, handmade by local artisans, as well as its zealousness for quality and attention to detail. Lauded for their aesthetic value, Fino’s leather goods are not only wearable art pieces, but are essentially functional and practical—bags that work—“championing the modern Filipina as she journeys toward her life goals,” Rose Ann explains.
The company recently launched its Fino Now campaign, inspired by the Filipina’s drive for excellence in her chosen field. It has tapped contemporary Filipino women as brand advocates, like sportswoman Dyan Castillejo, renowned pianist Serla Russel and ballet patron Margie Moran-Floirendo. For the multifaceted athlete, sports commentator, TV host, wife and mom that is Dyan, Fino designed the Fino Now Active Series 001, the ultimate utilitarian “dump-all” bag that keeps up with her active lifestyle. Rose Ann explains that the bag is “multicompartmentalized” with exterior and interior pockets and also “multidesigned” with a metal inside clasp, transforming the bucket shape into a wider brimmed top in an instant when needed.
Its semimatte, semigloss lightweight leather allows Dyan to dump more things in the bag as she moves around from day to night, shuttling from home to gym to tapings. It’s also versatile featuring a double handle, giving Dyan the option to use it as a shoulder bag or as a handbag.
Multiawarded pianist Serla Russell has inspired Fino to create a bag that is straightforward with an unexpected twist, matching her extensive collection of denim dresses and ensembles, but versatile, as well, when the occasion calls for more formal attire. The Fino Now Flow Series 002 Sonata Tote is structured, featuring a “sturdy ballistic nylon body with contrasting leather trimmings” rather than the typical all-leather design, the contrast cleverly inspired by the black and white piano keys, Rose Ann says. It is versatile with an elegant trapezoidal shape suitable for Serla’s performances when she is dressed up, but can be dressed-down during more casual days.
For Margie, the Fino Now The Advocate Series 003 Station Overnighter complements her passion as a staunch supporter of the arts and her commitment to Ballet Philippines. Fino designed a bag that speaks of understated elegance, inspired by the brand’s travel overnighter first released in the 1990s. Rose Ann notes: “It is elegant but practical and functional, as well, redesigned to suit today’s aesthetic while staying true to its classic charm.”
The bag is both lightweight enough that Margie can use it while she’s at the ballet studio, but also works as a luxurious travel carryall featuring a semiwater-resistant nylon body with leather trimmings, a detachable shoulder strap and a zippered interior body, and flap to safely hold and secure her belongings. Rose Ann adds that, in line with Fino’s corporate social responsibility efforts, part of the proceeds from the new designs will be donated to the entities nominated by Dyan, Serla and Margie: Buklod Kalinga, Young Focus and Ballet Philippines, respectively.
Starting in a rented space in Malabon with just two workers, Fino now makes its leather goods from the Bautistas’ own property in Caloocan, where they now have 150 workers, including sales staff.
Rose Ann’s recipe for success? “You need to have the passion, of course”—to this day, she and her husband still design the bags themselves. She adds, “Go take risks. And timing for me played a strong part in our success story. We were able to carve our own market when we started. And you need the commitment to really pursue the business.”
From just a 10-square-meter space in a retail outlet in 1992, Fino Leatherware stores can now be found in Glorietta 3, Alabang Town Center, Eastwood Mall, The Podium, TriNoma, Shangri-La Plaza, Power Plant Mall, SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Place Manila and Robinsons Magnolia.
Image credits: Stella Arnaldo