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Why Aya Fernandez's Collab With Bayo Is Much More Than Just an Endorsement

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<div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756217492090537913363_18517728739004835_6173069945115139578_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Bayo x Aya Fernandez</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Curiosity turned into action, action turned into impact.&quot; That&#x27;s the inspiring message behind clothing brand <strong>BAYO</strong>&#x27;s latest campaign, a collaboration with<strong> Aya Fernandez</strong>, an actress/host and the founder/CEO of livelihood project-turned-social enterprise <strong>Eco-Uling</strong>.</p><p>At first glance, one might think that Aya, as a celebrity with an eye for style, serves as the perfect brand ambassador for BAYO for that reason alone. Understandably, some may easily assume she designed a collection for this collaboration, but, while that may not be the case, the brand and the muse connected on a much deeper level.</p><p>As the story goes, Aya met the BAYO team earlier this year during the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/metro-style/fashion/2025/5/19/lamina-bayo-atelier-foundation-runway-1800" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LAMINA</strong></a> lifestyle and art fair. With their shared passion for sustainability and eco-consciousness, they eventually reconnected to share each of their stories and encapsulate their purpose through a fashion collection. </p><p><a href="https://www.eco-uling.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eco-Uling</a> started as a livelihood project called Project Lily PH in 2015. At the time, women and out-of-school youth would make bags out of water hyacinth (or water lilies). Today, Eco-Uling is a social enterprise that makes sustainable charcoal briquettes made from coconut waste. Their charcoal, Aya detailed, lasts for six to nine hours in a closed grill unit, with less to no smoke, delivers that smoky flavor, and most importantly, is eco-friendly. Aside from focusing on having a positive impact on the environment, Eco-Uling also looks at social impact and is committed to community development and economic empowerment. </p><p>&quot;We work closely with coconut farming communities to source our raw materials,&quot; Aya explained. They also collaborate with LGUs to recover coconut waste. Ultimately, this initiative helps address the solid waste management problem because, rather than throwing and piling coconut waste into landfills and possibly contributing to clogging waterways, they are transformed into eco-friendly charcoal. &quot;We produce sustainable livelihoods as we provide sustainable alternative products to wood charcoal because right now, we only have 3% pristine forests left. <em>Konti na lang &#x27;yun</em>,&quot; Aya told <strong>Metro.Style</strong>, her passion for the topic reverberating into a call to action. &quot;Our dream is that, in the future, it will no longer be called a &#x27;sustainable alternative,&#x27; but the new normal. That sustainability is normal.&quot;</p><p>Aya took us back to when she began discovering sustainability and the core concept that shaped Eco-Uling&#x27;s purpose. She shared, &quot;I graduated from a science high school, and the idea started from a science research project. Investigative project. We turned waste into a product... Personally, I&#x27;m just really passionate about research and development.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756221539849535173875_18517560628004835_8128061519395052617_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @bayoclothing</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Aya is the first to admit that their charcoal initially felt out of place at the brand&#x27;s launch. Coconut and charcoal elements decorated the venue, surrounding the beautifully crafted BAYO clothes and accessories. During her speech at the event, she said, &quot;Look at our charcoal. How is that beautiful?&quot; But that&#x27;s only when you look at its dark, rough surface—if you dig deeper, curious about the story behind every piece of charcoal, Aya said that&#x27;s when you&#x27;ll realize what makes it beautiful. </p><p>&quot;For me, in my eyes, what makes it so beautiful is the story that it holds,&quot; Aya told the guests. &quot;Each briquette is made by hand, the families, the passion of our people.&quot; </p><p>Aya further established the harmonious synergy of BAYO and Eco-Uling by reflecting on the meaning of beauty. She opened up, &quot;We&#x27;ve come to a point that, in this world, we glorify instant outputs... However, I feel like it just overshadows the real essence of beauty. When we talk about beauty, we talk about [being] beautiful inside and out. Or like, beauty and brains, substance. But I really believe that beauty lies in action. How is something done? What is the process behind it?&quot;</p><p>That curiosity to know how, for example, a clothing item is created, encourages mindfulness. It sparks many questions that could influence consumers to rethink what they buy by considering the process behind them first and assessing whether they&#x27;re harmful to the environment or not.</p><p>&quot;Whenever we buy something, we wear something, I hope that we always think, &#x27;How does this affect others?&#x27; &#x27;What is it made out of?&#x27; &#x27;Where did it come from?&#x27; &#x27;Who made it?&#x27; Because who knows, that little spark of curiosity can really ripple into big waves,&quot; Aya mused, as she explained the concept of sustainability.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756223668611Memories in frames during the That’s Bayo x Aya Fernandez launch yesterday. ✨🥥 All the love and.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @bayoclothing</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><p><strong>Alyssa Lagon</strong>, the chief experience officer of BAYO, also talked about nostalgia and how the brand continues to reinvent itself, sharing, &quot;Being here for so long is both a blessing and a challenge—a blessing because we get to be part of your milestones and a challenge because it pushes us to stay curious, adapt, and keep growing with you. And I&#x27;m so happy that we found Aya, who shares the same kind of curiosity and values. We believe fashion can tell stories, and we love doing that through BAYO.&quot; </p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s not only a launch, but it feels like a culmination of our story in Eco-Uling and of Bayo as well,&quot; the fashion ambassador said during the BAYO x Aya Fernandez event.</p><p>Like the well-thought-out campaign, collection, photo shoot, and the accompanying sketches by Kat Garcia, the launch event was mindfully put together as well. Alyssa highlighted the event&#x27;s elements, inspired by Aya and Eco-Uling: the photobooth with charcoal as the backdrop, the <em>kakanin </em>desserts made of coconut, the illustrations inspired by charcoal art, and the clothes featuring unique illustrations.</p><p>The collection comprises versatile pieces, ideal for the modern, on-the-go woman. Aya&#x27;s favorites are the romper (available in khaki and black), which she said is something she can wear to their factory, and the shirts inspired by Eco-Uling that feature prints such as a Filipina, coconuts, and the <em>ihaw </em>(or grilling) method that makes use of charcoal<em></em>.</p><p>&quot;I cried. I was really touched,&quot; Aya said of the moment she first saw the collection, saying that she also appreciated how the core of Eco-Uling was integrated into the products through thoughtful elements like the buttons made of coconut shells. Aya was also drawn to a pair of dangling earrings because they had a charcoal-inspired design, showing the brand&#x27;s in-house design team&#x27;s attention to detail. </p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756255889625aya bayo .jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Charcoal-inspired earrings | Photo by Grace Libero</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756255868826aya ana bayo.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">BAYO&#x27;s Anna Lagon presents Aya Fernandez the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) pin  | Photo by Grace Libero</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>When it comes to her personal style, Aya said that white polos, trousers, and pointed heels are her go-tos, but that thanks to this BAYO collection, her closet now has some colors. &quot;I have at least 20 white polos in my closet. I love collars,&quot; she shared, noting that she&#x27;s particular about the fabric. &quot;My <em>lola</em> and my mom taught me how to spot good fabric. I appreciate the stitching.&quot;</p><p>That&#x27;s why Aya appreciates BAYO even more because of how the brand sources its fabrics and creates every piece intentionally, ensuring the processes are not harmful to the environment. </p><p>What Aya advocates for is very much aligned with BAYO&#x27;s brand values and philosophy, making her a perfect ambassador. &quot;BAYO is a member of the <strong>UN Global Compact</strong>, so it&#x27;s very, very important how we choose our ambassadors, and we&#x27;re really very proud of how we found Aya. I think it&#x27;s not a coincidence but really meant,&quot; BAYO co-CEO and BAYO Foundation executive director Anna Lagon said, as she gave Aya the SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) pin that cements their commitment to supporting Aya. &quot;The SDGs would reflect the value that we both share.&quot;</p><p>And just like how the SDG pin is not something you can just buy from any store, the BAYO x Aya Fernandez collaboration is not just any endorsement—it&#x27;s a partnership that goes beyond the clothes and highlights fashion as a platform for amplifying the &quot;why&quot; and &quot;how&quot; behind the &quot;what.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><p>Lead photo from <strong>@bayoclothing</strong></p>

<p>Here's why Aya Fernandez's collaboration with the brand is much more than an endorsement. </p>

Here's why Aya Fernandez's collaboration with the brand is much more than an endorsement.

The Beautiful Story Behind the Collaboration Between BAYO and Eco-Uling's Aya Fernandez

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The Beautiful Story Behind the Collaboration Between BAYO and Eco-Uling's Aya Fernandez

Grace Libero

Published August 27, 2025 09:30 AM PHT

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Updated August 27, 2025 09:32 AM PHT

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