This Angeleña ‘Kikay Diva’ is transforming old jeans, beads and wires into fresh and new pieces of fashion accessories.
Recycling? It’s Upscaling. A more creative and eco-friendly way of repurposing wastes into useful pieces.
For someone with persistent passion in fashion, Katherine Seo chased after her dream to acquire formal education on jewelry designing.
Driven with desire and determination, she was chosen to become one of the scholars of the ‘Kapatid Mentor Me Program’ of the Department of Trade Pampanga.
As they say, hardwork pays off.
She won the ‘Most Innovative Product’ award over six other provinces during the Likha ng Central Luzon in 2017.
In the same year, she officially registered her humble business and named it K’s Creations Beads and Blings.
Here is where she makes anything extra beautiful.
“We all have a pair of jeans in our closet that we most of the time use as a rag. Instead, why not repurpose it into handbags and cloth beads. Locally sourced jeans, beads and wires are turned into earrings, necklace, bracelets, brooches, pendants, barefoot sandals to name a few,” Rivera explained.
Fashion has no age.
Her customers are young career women, middle aged moms, local models and stand-up performers.
“When we offer a one-of-a-kind design,only that client will have that piece,” Rivera highlighted.
Rivera shared she is eager to produce exquisite designs out of local upcycled materials that meet the global standards of jewelry and fashion accessories.
She is also pushing for the empowerment of women especially the stay at home moms.
“We want to share this skill to moms who can’t leave their children at home,” Rivera said.
“To the city government of Angeles headed by Mayor Pogi Lazatin, Chief Adviser and Tactician IC Calaguas, Executive Assistant IV Reina Manuel, ACEDIPO Officer-in-charge Irish Bonus-Llego, thank you for the initiative to help MSMEs recover from the impact of COVID-19 by helping us in promoting and boosting our locally made products. You had given K’s Creations a chance to be one of OTOP’s suppliers and to display our products free of charge,” she added.
By displaying her products at OTOP Angeles Store, she was able to glasscase her designs to a wider market. Her highest payout for a month is P15,000.
“Once this pandemic becomes a thing of the past, we’ll continue exporting our designs and accessories to New Zealand, Taiwan, Malaysia, U.S and Australia,” she vowed.