About Lumago Designs

UPCYCLED & FAIRLY TRADED JEWELRY HANDMADE in the PHILIPPINES Lumago means “to blossom” in the national Filipino language, and was founded in 2011 when a huge typhoon devastated parts of the impoverished community on our city’s dumpsite. To find another source of income, a group of women from the community learned to make beads rolled from paper. These dedicated and determined women took it upon themselves to start producing and designing jewelry to sell locally. Unfortunately the demand for these products locally could not keep up and they had to reach out to other markets for the project to be sustainable. They decided to blossom and that’s when Lumago Designs, the social enterprise, was born! We believe that giving new life to used materials is a small, but important step in preserving our environment. Today, Lumago Designs has expanded from the paper beads and includes many other upcycled materials including polished pull-tabs from cans, patterned fabric from discarded clothes, soft leather from old purses, and torn out magazine pages. We are proud to say that the designs are our own and we will not stop looking for creative and fashionable ways to turn trash into treasures. We follow the principles of fair trade. Our artisans receive a regular and fair income and all of our profits are distributed into community projects. So our artisans not only have a job, they also have a livelihood.Read their story