Looking for the perfect statement piece for your spring/summer wardrobe? We have just the thing! Founded by three sisters — Karen, Gail and Christine– in 2011, the jewelry line Cayetano Legacy Collection offers gorgeous, handcrafted pieces using natural stones from the Philippine islands such as amethyst, turquoise, citrine, agate, jade, pearl and onyx.
According to the official Cayetano Legacy Collection website, “As first generation Filipino Americans these sisters wanted to bring worldwide attention to the beauty coming from [the Philippines], while also giving back to the nation that has given them their heritage.”
Intrigued? You should be. We were lucky enough to get the chance to speak with the beautiful sisters to find out their story.
Audrey Magazine: Can you briefly tell us what Cayetano Legacy Collection is?
Karen, Gail, & Christine: Cayetano Legacy Collection is a women’s statement jewelry line that works with small communities of women artisans in the beautiful, yet still third world country of the Philippines, to source and handcraft each product. The goal is to give ‘hand ups, not just hand outs’ in a part of the world where economic development is still most needed.
AM: When did you come up with the idea for this company?
Christine: The company was started by my sisters and I, and we’re first generation Filipino Americans. Our parents moved to the US from the Philippines when they were in their twenties and so, like most immigrant families, we grew up seeing them work hard and send any extra money or gifts that they had back to the Philippines to try and help encourage economic stability there among their family members. When the three of us decided to start this business together, I think we immediately knew we wanted to work with the Philippines to help do our part in changing situations there. While we knew we could manufacture our jewelry for much cheaper if we take production to other countries that are more set up to handle manufacturing orders, we want to keep our work in the Philippines to hopefully create a lasting effect of economic growth.
AM: How exactly does Cayetano Legacy Collection give back to the Philippines?
Gail: We work with small communities of women artisans in the Philippines to source the material and handcraft each product. We run training programs there to teach our artisans what works and doesn’t work as far as styling and design goes, and we teach them how to do business on an international level. The goal is to have them able to take these skills and do work with multiple other clients in addition to their work with us, giving them the ability to grow their own businesses and create a sustainable lifestyle for them and their families.
AM: You recently took a trip to the Philippines for the company. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Christine: We all take trips to the Philippines to meet with our vendors, discuss what is working and what can be improved, run trainings, check out new techniques that they are trying out, and overall just getting a feel for how that side of the business is doing –financially, efficiently and emotionally as well. Also, it’s great for us to go out and scope the landscape to see what other resources and techniques are out there from Filipinos as a whole, which can serve as inspiration for our next collections. This past trip in March especially tugged at the heartstrings. Whenever we see the artisans we work with, it really drives home why we do what we do. Hearing them say things like “I continue to pray for yours and our success. It’s been a blessing on my family’ really motivates me, especially to continue to build the business not only for our sake, but for the sake of everyone that works with us and their families as well. In addition to our interaction with our vendors, we were re-introduced to the devastation in Tacloban, the area hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan in which thousands of countrymen didn’t survive. Over a year since the disaster and so many are still homeless and in need of resources. That too has been motivation for us to work specifically with that area to employ artisans from that area, or at least run fundraisers for Tacloban. We want to help in anyway we possibly can.
AM: Growing up, did you all share this passion already?
Karen: I don’t think we quite knew we wanted to start a business together, but yes I think you could easily see that we had pretty specific interests that are now our expertise in the business. Gail’s always been very entrepreneurial; she was the one starting clubs at school, or leading organizations. Christine has always been fascinated with trends. As a child she was the only one of us who would spend time dressing her Barbie and styling her hair, and then into her teenage years Christine would be telling us what looks were flattering on us and what could be replaced. And I have always been ready to enter the fashion industry; I knew this was where I wanted to be. After college I worked for production companies and big brand names on the corporate side, such as Children’s Place and Tommy Hilfiger… so yes, I think we were all passionate about elements of starting this business, and now we complement each other’s weaknesses with the other’s strengths.
AM: What did your parents/relatives say when you told them your idea?
Gail: Our parents have always been supportive of whatever we wanted to do, whether it was this company or the industries we all entered before we started this company together. In fact, when we were starting this business, our parents played a very integral role in helping us find resources in the Philippines. Our dad initially had his cousin helping us as our trusted point person in the Philippines, and our mom suggested we work with Tita Linda, who is now our Project Manager in the Philippines. And our relatives are equally as supportive. In fact, we name all of our jewelry pieces after important women in our lives so many of our relatives are honored in our collections.
AM: Can you tell us a bit more about the process of creating your pieces?
Karen: I work with our artisan vendors directly to understand their jewelry making techniques. We’re limited in design due to the fact that all of our pieces are handcrafted, so we work within the skillset of our handcrafters. We work hand-in-hand to determine what styles and colorways would be best suited for the upcoming seasons’ fashion trends; typically we work 2-3 seasons out. Once I give the final design and direction of our pieces, our Production Manager works closely with our vendors to ensure they’re following the agreed upon designs. Typically 4-6 weeks later we have our initial sample, from which we then photograph and shop to buyers.
AM: If you could describe Cayetano Legacy Collection in five words or less, what would it be?
Karen, Gail, & Christine: Charitable, family, bold, colorful.
AM: What sort of pieces do you create?
Karen, Gail, & Christine: We create bold, statement jewelry utilizing natural stones such as turquoise, onyx, citrine, agate and jade, freshwater pearls, mother-of-pearl, Murano glass and handwired art. We take classic designs and transform them in statement, modern settings.
AM: What’s your all-time favorite piece?
Christine: Our most popular piece by far (and my personal go-to piece!) is our Maximina Turquoise. It’s a gorgeous bib-style silhouette with 7 turquoise colored agate stones that beautifully structurally fall into a V and accented with gold Japanese seed beading that not only compliments pretty much any outfit, but also is truly a bold statement piece that will always catch the eye of a fellow fashion-lover. I love it and will gladly talk anyone’s ear off that stops to ask me where I got my necklace!
AM: Can you tell us more about your latest Collection?
Karen: Yes! Our Summer 2015 line just launched on May 1 and I love it. I say that about all of our lines whenever they come out, and I mean it, and I truly am in love with every single piece in our new collection. It’s inspired by an oceanside vacation, with blue hues prominently weaved throughout the line. There are also pops of brightness (pinks, purples, greens), to delight our customers, emulating those surprising vacation experiences that just make the entire vacation so memorable.
AM: What can we look forward to in the future?
Gail: Well there’s a lot coming down the pipeline, we feel like there’s so much opportunity out there and now we’re just figuring out where exactly to focus our efforts. One of our primary focuses is the building of our online presence. We have a very loyal audience who we want to make sure we protect and continue to design for, but we also know there are opportunities to reach new markets. So you’ll be seeing our line in new online shopping experiences. We’ll also have limited edition one-off lines, including an upcoming summer buntal bag line and a complete ring collection. Lots to be looking forward to!
For more information, visit the official website.
All photos courtesy of Cayetano Legacy Collection.
