Local Brand PIOPIO, Known for Supporting Filipino Weavers, Is Shutting Down

(SPOT.ph) It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on every industry, but small, independent, and homegrown businesses were hit disproportionately hard. In 2020, many beloved local shops were forced to close down with a few more resigned to the same fate in 2021. Despite much effort from online communities and individual shoppers to advocate for supporting small Filipino businesses, many continue to close down. Today, September 11, local clothing brand PIOPIO announced that they will be shutting down operations.

Why Local Brand PIOPIO Is Closing Down

In a hearfelt Instagram post, PIOPIO thanked their customers for their support and encouragement over the years. “What was born out of a personal passion and excitement for Filipino art, culture, and artisanal tradition snowballed into a community beyond our wildest imagination,” they wrote, but admitted that the challenges brought about by the pandemic led to major difficulties in their operations, noting that they have found it difficult to run their business “without jeopardizing the true value of the product and protecting our weavers and retail team.”

“COVID-19 has been hard to so many—and PIOPIO is sadly no exception. With this, we have decided to pause our journey for now,” reads the post.

PIOPIO is known for creating clothing and accessories that not only advocate for slow fashion—their pieces typically take between two to six months to produce—but also showcase traditional Filipino textiles. They work with local and highly skilled weavers from communities around the Philppines who create handmade fabrics that honor our cultural heritage and artisanal methods. “While this chapter of PIOPIO may be over, we encourage you to continue buying directly from weaving communities,” they said.

You can still shop PIOPIO online until the end of September. The brand will continue to accept custom orders and sell their remaining stocks until then.

For more information, log on to PIOPIO’s Instagram page.

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