Catriona Gray’s latest pursuit is channeling her creativity for sustainability with her line of Enviro-Chic Bags
The advent of eco-friendly fashion solutions is here, and Catriona Gray’s latest contribution is her own line of bags that enhances respect for, and responsibility towards, the environment. By transforming odds and ends into your new eye-catching accessory, the beauty queen slash designer proves that your arm candy can come with strong eco-credentials, too.
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In Catriona’s world of circular fashion, turning something used and discarded into something new and useful is the name of the game. In collaboration with Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, waste materials—specifically tarpaulin—that are destined for landfill are intentionally repurposed with creativity and ingenuity. With the beauty queen’s creative impetus and forward-looking vision, the Enviro-Chic Bags voraciously breathe new life scrap material and churn out functional yet stylish bags that are an investment piece worthy of your forever wardrobe.
The Inspiration
“We are deeply grateful to have partnered with a visionary and like-minded individual like Catriona, whose unwavering commitment to sustainability and green initiatives perfectly aligns seamlessly with our own values and mission,” Graham Coates states, vice president and head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.
Inspired by their shared desire to do better for the planet by inventing this new circular way of designing and creating, the bags are a bigger, bolder step forward in pushing the belief that fashion can be both stylish and eco-conscious. The collection also prioritizes ethical design intentions over cookie-cutter perfection, presenting sustainability in the form of longevity and inventiveness. “I wanted to create something both practical and nice to look at; I designed them to be versatile and appealing, so they become a part of people’s everyday lives,” Gray explains. “You can see this intention woven into every aspect of the design.”
Approximately 9.9 tons of upcycled tarpaulins were collected, reimagined, and remade to be your new hand-carry companion. With sustainability at the forefront, these principles define the Enviro-Chic Bags’ design philosophy and govern Catriona’s work: finding new uses for waste materials and recreating them into a bag that fits into your lifestyle. From seeing opportunity in waste by taking a more open-source approach to creativity, the Enviro-Chic Bags promotes a circular fashion economy by implementing ethical production practices and investing in styles that stand the test of time.
Fashion Reinvention With Purpose
Catriona Gray, a long staunch advocate for the arts, sustainability, and local talent, ensured she also maintained the spirit of Filipino craftsmanship by working with social enterprise SIDE B Upcycling Retail Inc. for this collection. Each Enviro-Chic product is not only given a new lease on life with durability in mind, but are also carefully handcrafted. With a focus on providing livelihood opportunities for local craftsmen, the beauty queen demonstrated her passion for skilled craftsmanship and an environmentally conscious design process.
“This is fashion with a purpose,” Catriona declared during the launch of the collection last September 10 at Newport Mall. “I designed them, but the creators were SIDE B; it was a collaborative process. This project also aligns with my work as the cultural ambassador of the NCCA, and with my passion for textiles and weaves. There’s a lot of love put into these bags—they’re all hand-made and hand-stitched. It’s my personal, sustainable endeavor, and I feel fulfilled seeing it come to life.”
Sustainability as a Companion
The Enviro-Chic Bags are pieces to invest in now and love for a lifetime, with their high-quality designs and uncompromising functionality. Available in black and blue, the style is unique per bag, which means that everyone gets something one-of-a-kind, and no product is the same.
“The tarpaulin was the forefront, and when you’re using that material, it comes with its limitations,” the queen exclusively tells MEGA. “It has laid-out design and predetermined colors, so we’re introducing a certain type of durability while working with those limitations. And bags are something Filipinos love as commuters and travelers—so this is a perfect fit.”
The collection includes the ideal carry-on: the Enviro-Chic Large Tote. This spacious tote features an adjustable long strap that allows it to be worn as a shoulder bag or a handbag; it works great as a day-to-day accessory.
In line with the beauty queen’s mission to keep the wheels of innovation turning, she aimed to propel this circular craft even further with the versatile Enviro-Chic 3-Way Folio—wear it as a backpack, a messenger bag, or a clutch by detaching its straps. It has pockets and compartments for accessories in addition to a padded liner to protect laptops. Furthermore, a sturdy zipper guarantees that your device stays secure and safe while in transit.
Finally, the collection also provides your compact solution for your small needs: the Enviro-Chic Essentials Bucket. Originally intended to store water bottles, this device features a pocket for keys, phones, and little accessories like hand sanitizers and chargers. This bag is a chic addition to your arm, and a practical and eco-conscious choice, too.
Beauty Queen Turned Designer
While this isn’t Catriona Gray’s first creative pursuit, having dipped her toes into designing jewelry with Tessera Jewelry and Manny Halasan’s executions, this was her first venture into designing bags. “As a creative person, you need to be inspired. For me, I love to travel and have conversations, watch different forms of art, it’s giving myself new things to take inspiration from and how that manifests. This, for me, I brought my knowledge of working with Filipino weavers and artisans in my previous projects, and it’s ever-evolving, ever-challenging of exploring the facets of what being a creative means to me.”
The good news is, you no longer have to ogle these bags from afar—but they’re not for purchase. You can get your hands on these Catriona Gray-designed beauties by meeting purchase requirements: PHP 7,000 for the Large Tote, PHP 5,000 for the Folio, and PHP 3,000 for the Essentials Bucket. Present your single receipt purchase along with 35 pieces of PET bottles at Eastwood City, Uptown Bonifacio, McKinley Hill, Lucky Chinatown, and Newport World Resorts from September 13 to October 31.
