Filipina lands on Forbes’ list of inspiring social entrepreneurs under 30

Since 2007, Reese Fernandez-Ruiz and her colleagues have been helping women in poor communities in the Philippines make a living from weaving eco-ethical fashion and home accessories for their startup Rags2Riches.

Many people have not heard of Fernandez-Ruiz, but today, she takes the spotlight as Forbes includes her in its prestigious list of 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs this year. She’s joined by “an elite group of people who are directing their talent and conviction to better the world,” says Forbes.

Fernandez-Ruiz, 29, is co-founder of Rags2Riches, “the first fashion and design house empowering community artisans in the Philippines,” according to Forbes.

Rags2Riches sells accessories created out of upcycled scrap cloth, organic materials, and indigenous fabrics online and in retail stores. It has trained 900 artisans and directly employs 50 people – professionals, in-house artisans, marketers, and strategists who are all working together towards the same goal.

This goal was laid out by Fernandez-Ruiz in a Q&A article on the Huffington Post last year. “Rags2Riches was created to provide these artisans with fair access to the market and the formal economy, as well as with additional skills-based, financial, and health training so they can maximize their career potential and take steps towards long-term financial and personal well-being,” she said.

The artisans, mostly women, are poor. Many of them reside in Payatas, one of the Philippines’ biggest dump sites, where they developed a means to earn by scavenging for recyclable fabric they can use in handicraft production. Before Rags2Riches entered the picture, these women had fallen prey to middlemen “who controlled both the supply of scrap fabric and the women’s access to the market, which created an unfair value chain,” Fernandez-Ruiz explained.

Like most social enterprises, Rags2Riches also faces many challenges. Sustainability is one, expansion is another. But with a strong, hard-working team, the startup has navigated this landscape well. “The organization experienced a consistent 100 percent annual growth rate for their first five years in existence,” says Forbes.

This 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs list was the third released by Forbes so far. The competition was stiff as Fernandez-Ruiz and the rest of the finalists were selected from over 100 nominations worldwide, according to Forbes staff Erin Carlyle.

See: Social Enterprise 101: Five lessons from an experienced social entrepreneur

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Filipina lands on Forbes’ list of inspiring social entrepreneurs under 30