It was a rare occasion when some of the country’s bosses and CEOs gathered in one venue to let loose a little and show us what they've got—not in the boardroom but on the fashion runway.
The 26 executives from different industries, with ages ranging from 26 to 74, gamely strutted their stuff to showcase their flair for style and how they’re practicing sustainable fashion.
The fashion event marked the launch of “BossManual,” a book of sustainable style for men, authored by circular fashion advocate and image consultant Tati Miranda Fortuna. According to the press material, Fortuna envisioned the book as more than a typical fashion guide, describing it “as a manual to help men with ambition to enhance their professional image and confidence through practical fashion tips, expert insights, and real-life examples, all with sustainability in mind.”
The book covers all essentials for men to build a winning capsule wardrobe, curate a sustainable closet, address important fashion questions, and explore eco-friendly shopping and dining gems.
“In the book, we feature 32 bosses as models — presidents, CEOs, and leaders who possess both the platform and the credibility to influence, encourage, and inspire others to recognize that being stylish and fashionable can also be sustainable,” the author says in her speech.
Fortuna, the founder and CEO of Escario & Fortuna, as well as the president and CEO of Ucycle Inc. and Business of Style Corp., currently serves as the President of the Association of Image Consultants International – Philippines Chapter.
“For this project, we never shopped for anything new. Instead, we shopped in the boss's closet,” she continues. They upcycled, recycled, repurposed, and reused items that they already had, including the ones worn during the fashion show.
In her interview with the media, Fortuna shares that it took about a year for her to complete the project. She chose to propose the idea to clients she had already worked with on projects. “I have this idea, it's about sustainability. And I am looking for presidents, CEOs, leaders who can be models,” she remembers telling them.
Initially, the idea didn’t seem feasible. “Is this something that can happen?” some of her clients wondered. Then when she explained the concept to them, they all liked it. “Every one of them loved it and agreed to be part of it. They willingly joined and supported the project without any payment,” she says. Her boss models vary, with some just starting, some in the middle, and others fully committed to practicing and embracing sustainability. “I want the idea of sustainability to be approachable and friendly. I didn’t want people to think, ‘Ang hirap naman niyan gawin,’” she says.
Asked about her most interesting discoveries about the bosses she featured, Fortuna shares, “Most of them like to wear uniforms. They call a set of clothing, a uniform. So whether it’s a shirt, a polo, or a suit, they wear them in rotation. Maybe that's why they're successful — whether younger or older, they’re all very frugal and practical,” she says.
Some of them have their favorite jacket or jeans that they have had for the longest time. “It’s already torn. So I took them and patched them with local weave, like a Kalinga weave or Ifugao weave, and now it’s brand new. They can use it again,” she says.
Fortuna says through the book, she'd like for people to think that “being sustainable in your fashion choices is possible. It's not something that is so difficult to do. We can all do it in different ways.”
“The easiest way to do it is to be more conscious about our shopping habits and the way we consume things in general — conscious consumerism, as some may call it. Let us buy better, because when we buy better, we will buy less. And when we buy anything, let us make sure that we make it last,” she advises.
BossManual will be available at Fully Booked Rockwell, BGC, and Mitsukoshi for only PHP1,899. Available soon on Amazon.