I was a fashion model in the Philippines in the nineties. Having walked the ramp for top designers, I was very much immersed in the world of fashion, which exposed me to various designers and their way of creating. This exposure has had a big impact on how I design my bags for my label, M for Marjorie. M for Marjorie creates world class luxury bags using Filipino ingenuity and Philippine indigenous raw materials. We redefine elegance by sourcing out natural, sustainable materials and transforming them into elegant designs that can compete in the world market, thereby securing a niche for Philippine-made products in the global fashion arena.

Inspired by my experiences from across the world, my collection draws upon a truly cosmopolitan imagination. From Paris to Manila, London to Hong Kong, New York, LA and back again, each bag has its story to tell, as daring as they are unique, as exotic as they are elegant. Keeping with a tradition of expert French craftsmanship, my designs are exclusively handmade. Each bag, purse and jewelry box stands as a testament to luxury, cool refinement and peerless design perfection.

M for Marjorie re-imagines the form and texture of the natural universe. We use sea shells, mother-of-pearl, animal pelts, dried leaves, pili pods, and tropic woods. We even use unusual materials like termite-eaten wood. I see beauty in the ordinary. I think that nothing should go to waste, that is why we transform natural wonders—dried leaves and shells lying on the beach included—into strikingly invigorating forms to satisfy the most daring taste. We target elegant women who are adventurous enough to try new materials and bold designs, and who consider a purse not just a functional accessory but also a piece of art.

I love discovering new elements whenever I travel around the world. I use them as inspiration in my creations that’s why I never run out of new ideas. As for my motivation to create, I am inspired to continually improve my craft whenever I see the impact of my company on the lives of the craftsmen who work hard to create my bags. We support Philippine indigenous art forms. One of our raw materials, the woven Tinalak fiber, is created by the T’boli tribe in northern Philippines. This rare fiber is manufactured using traditional techniques that have been handed down through generations.

I have always been involved in charities because I believe that we need to give something back to the community that nurtured us to become who we are today. Being someone who is passionate about purses, I found a way to mix my passion and my advocacy by creating my own line of luxury bags. The more bags I sell, the more I can give to charity. M for Marjorie’s first bag donation as a company is to an auction for the benefit of underprivileged women in a small town in China.

Our vision is to create jobs and promote self-sufficiency among indigent Filipino communities through livelihood programs. We are happy to see how our workers’ living standards improve through their hard work. We also seek to help train deserving students gain practical skills in the field of bag design, which will eventually equip them to become either highly knowledgeable workers/employees or proprietors of their own small-scale industries. We have recently started a partnership with a non-profit organization to assist them in giving scholarships to underprivileged Filipino children.

What I consider challenging in my business is the fact that I have to travel from Paris, where I am currently based, to our factory in the Philippines several times a year. As I am a hands-on designer who wants to make sure that every detail of my design is followed, I have to actively participate in every stage of the manufacturing process. It can be taxing physically and logistically but it is well worth the effort.

German avant-garde designer Wolfgang Joop personally chose M for Marjorie purses to be included in his Fall/Winter collection fashion show held at the Rumpf Villa in Potsdam, Germany on 10 May 2012. This is such a great honor for me and I hope to collaborate with him again.