Turn down the funk — beloved local brand PIOPIO is closing shop by the end of the month.
Known for its vibrant, colorful pieces and masterful weaves using local patterns, the Palawan-based clothing brand said that they are shutting down operations after sustaining difficulties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The brand, which is headed Paloma Urquijo Zobel, made the announcement in an Instagram post addressed to their “PIOPIO family”, thanking them for years of support and encouragement.
“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 — one of like-minded, fun, and colorful individuals brought together by a shared purpose of supporting our local artisans and keeping our history alive”, began PIOPIO’s post.
After tipping their hat to their “treasured local weavers”, they delivered the bad news: “With the current health situation today, we are finding it difficult to produce and move our items without jeopardizing the true value of the product and protecting our weavers and retail team alike. 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.”
Graciously, PIOPIO’s goodbye post ended in a heartfelt plea for their followers to continue buying directly from weaving communities, and tagged some of these artisans.
Customers can purchase from their online store and place custom orders until the end of September. Meanwhile, their artisanal hub and workshop space, Kalye Artisano, will remain open.
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