Fair Trade And Sustainability-Driven Home Store W/17 Is Kaye Tinga’s “Heaven On Earth”

It all started with Kaye Tinga’s love for beautiful things, and her thrust to promote sustainable and fair-trade products that highlight Filipino talent.

“I’d like to consider myself a creative in the way that I appreciate beautiful things and see the beauty in things,” Kaye says. She and her partner Andrés Vázquez-Prada are the brains behind home concept store W/17, which started offering home and interior décor in 2011.

 

 

While it’s easier nowadays to look for luxurious products and items in the market, it’s still quite challenging to find luxury items that are made responsibly and locally. And this has been and always be the core of W/17.

As an advocate of women’s rights and Filipino talent, Kaye Tinga made sure that W/17 lived to this mission. “This is my way of being part of helping promote the many talents we have in the country,” she says.

 

 

More than half of the products at the concept store are manufactured locally, and are showcased at the store in such a way that the local and imported products sit side-by-side. During Driven host Tricia Centenera’s visit to W/17, she takes note how one won’t be able to pinpoint which is local and which is imported—something that Kaye is very proud of.

“Filipino products are just as good, and sometimes, even better than brands abroad. So here, there’s no need to distinguish which is which, or guilt anyone into buying something just because it’s local,” Kaye explains.

 

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“It’s not just beauty and utility, but it’s also responsible ownership so we only work with fair trade, we only work with sustainable manufacturers, and we also want to continue working with foundations and groups,” Kate continues. “It’s really part of the DNA of the brand.”

The two-level concept store is bursting to the brim with beautiful pieces and furniture, all designed and curated beautifully and thoughtfully. Kaye is very proud of their dinnerware, which they design themselves and are hand-made by local artisans.

 

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At the end of the day, W/17 is all about inspiring people to become more conscious about the products they support, more responsible about how they live their lives, and be more open to seeing the beauty in everything.

Kaye says, “W/17 is our little bit of heaven on earth. I’d like to think that people will come here, even if they don’t buy something, they’ll find an inspiration for their own home and lives.”

 

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Catch Kaye Tinga’s episode on Driven, airing on Metro Channel, channel 52 on Sky Cable and channel 174 on HD. Catch premiere episodes every Thursday, 8:30 p.m., and replays throughout the week.