The Muni Pop-Up Shop at Moonleaf Maginhawa
When in Manila, you will notice that eco-shopping is a major trend. Some cities have completely prohibited the use of plastic, and more and more shopping centers are offering eco-bags in an attempt to save Mother Earth. In the same vein, organic and recycled products are becoming popular. What happens when you put together some of the best Earth-friendly items in one of the happening places in the metro? Why, you get the Muni Pop-Up Shop.
The Muni Pop-Up Shop is a one-day shopping arena held at the Moonleaf Tea Shop on December 8, with the aim to promote what “brainwasher-in-chief” Jen Horn calls conscious consumption. Conscious consumption happens when buyers become aware of the impact of their purchases on the environment and the community. According to Horn, “it allows us to save money, help a community, or minimize our carbon footprint.” She invited cultural creatives to gather and help save the world through shopping.
The quirky pins of Pop Pins
Pop Pins
Pop Pins is the eureka! moment of two creatives who saw the value of tansans. They decided to put little pieces of pop art on the bottle caps, resulting in vintage and quirky pins and other accessories. The brand was established to prove that handmade items don’t need to be expensive.
The gorgeous Lagu beach blankets in jewel tones
The Lagu beach blanket in action (photo by Laureen Uy of Break My Style)
Lagu
Lagu was born out of the need to preserve one of our prized gems: the beaches. Lagu is a line of sand-repellent towels, a helpful tool when you realize that a person unintentionally takes away three handfuls of sand each time he goes to the beach. Based on statistics and some basic math, it was concluded that 15.5 dump trucks of sand are taken from Boracay’s shore each year and 155 truckloads of the stuff for the past 10 years. An alarming rate when you realize that sand is one of the main attractions in our pristine beaches. Apart from its more useful aspect, the towels are quick-dry, multi-purpose, and easy to store.
To show Lagu’s dedication to preservation, parts of its sales are contributed for the conservation of our favorite beaches.
Organic and environment-friendly baby products
The line of Messy Bessy cleaning products
Some samples of cloth diapers, which are healthier and friendlier to the environment. Photo from Mayumi and Me
Caleb’s Closet
Caleb’s Closet is focused on natural parenting and cleaning. Their products are a hodgepodge of baby accessories and home care products that are both unique and useful. One of their more popular items is the cloth diaper with disposable inserts with the stay-dry soaker. It even comes in cute designs that will make any baby look chic. Dr. Lei Camiling-Alfonso (yes, she is a doctor so she knows what she’s talking about) says that cloth diapers are healthy, eco-friendly, and most important, economical. According to her, a two year-old toddler has used about 3,000 disposable diapers, which will take 250-500 years to decompose. In the long run, cloth diapers are cheaper and friendlier to the environment. Caleb’s Closet also offers Messy Bessy’s cleaning line (the lavender linen spray and odor absorber spray are just divine), organic soap, and wooden toys.
The very classy journals from Jacinto & Lirio
Jacinto & Lirio
Jacinto & Lirio was one of my favorite stores in the Muni Pop-Up Shop. As a writer, I was instantly drawn to the leather notebooks made from the waterlily, water’s most invasive pest. It is persistent in Laguna de Bay, the country’s largest lake, and has produced some deadly floods. The brand is run by Noreen Bautista and Anne Mariposa, who has created elegant notebooks at surprisingly affordable prices. They branched out to making iPad cases and bags, while promoting jobs in small communities and decreasing waterlilies in lakes.
The dreamy collection of handmade H.E.A.R.T. products
H.E.A.R.T. by artistic-dreams
Abbey Sy runs H.E.A.R.T. by artistic-dreams with a palpable passion seen in her products. She sells tote bags, pouches, pencil cases, and bookmarks, all of them handmade or hand-painted. They all have this dreamy quality that reminds you of afternoon naps and cups of tea. Nothing goes wrong in Abbey Sy’s world, and I got a slice of the action with this bookmark with a quote by Dr. Seuss: today was good, today was fun, tomorrow is another one!
Chic Yakan bags from Vesti
Vesti bags from the Yakan collection. Photo from the Nomad Manager
Vesti
Vesti’s credo is ethnicity with modernity, with a strong focus on fabrics from Mindanao. It is a conscious choice by designer Martha Rodriguez, who began designing bags made from indigenous fabrics. She began Vesti when people would complement an abaca bag she made in 2010. She then decided to use fabrics from the different tribes of Mindanao to showcase the beauty of her home province.
The Nomad Manager’s items: a mix of bags, books, cameras, and clothes
Jen Horn’s calling card, an inspired choice for her personality
Even the Nomad Manager herself, Jen Horn, sold some of her pre-loved goodies. I liked the books, which included one of my favorite novels, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Going eco can both be chic and fulfilling. So when in Manila, always go green and save the planet!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muni.PH?fref=ts
Twitter: Muni_PH
Pop Pins: https://www.facebook.com/popmonsterpins?fref=ts
Lagu: https://lifeonthesands.com/
Caleb’s Closet: https://calebscloset.multiply.com/
Jacinto & Lirio: https://jacintoandlirio.blogspot.com/
H.E.A.R.T. by artistic-dreams: https://www.facebook.com/HEARTbyabbey
Vesti: https://www.vesti.ph/
Go eco with the Muni Pop-Up Shop!
