Celebrating the rich tradition and the beauty of Philippine ancestral craft, CALLI offers uncompromising global standards in artistry through its meticulously crafted bags made by local artisans.

Text and Images provided by the CALLI Team
July 21, 2022

Brought to life in 2013 by founder and CEO Tessa Nepomuceno, CALLI is a brand that celebrates a rich tradition of Philippine craft, coupled with uncompromising, global standards in workmanship. It was her vast experience in export and international trade fairs that set a high benchmark for CALLI. “Since the beginning, we were very much focused on the quality of our wooden clutches. They are made like works of art. By the time we started exploring beaded embroidery and solihiya weaving, the same mindset guided us.” 

Behind and Beyond The Name

After a career in the tourism industry, CALLI BAGS Founder Tessa Nepomoceno dedicated it was time to venture into the world of fashion and design. Intuition, a keen eye for detail, and flair for impeccable design guided her as she opened her first clothing and accessories boutique. 

By 2006, the fashion entrepreneur began to dabble in the design process experimenting and exploring various shapes, details, and local materials in the creation of bags. Her impeccably crafted pieces soon made it to various retail shelves abroad. It wasn’t until 2013 that she decided to launch her very own brand, CALLI. 

CALLI was inspired by her eldest son, Khalil. According to Tessa, “calli” is the female version of her son’s name, which directly translates to “beautiful.” Behind and beyond the name, it’s Tessa’s vision, passion, and commitment to showcasing the beauty of Philippine ancestral craft that fuels CALLI. 

From left to right: Ayesha bag in White, Raffa bag in White, and Ada bag in White from the 10 by Calli collection.

From our Ancestors to Our Artisans

Since its founding, CALLI has been working closely with multi-generations of wood carvers from Paete. The brand’s iconic wooden bags, made by the artisans of this area, showcase the centuries-old tradition of carving out treasured stories of Philippine life on wood. 

Meticulous, intricate embroidery is done by the talented beaders of our Merville community: each string and stitch is a reflection of CALLI’s uncompromising commitment to quality. 

A closer look at our Solihiya weaves will reveal the elevated level of craft of our artisans from the Moonwalk community. Utilizing natural materials like banig, rattan, tikog, inabel, t’nalak and denim, CALLI explores the boundless possibilities in a contemporary design using this distinctly Filipino weaving technique. 

CALLI Re-imagined

It has been a decade since CALLI’s first introduction. Through the years, the brand has grown a quiet yet loyal following of patrons both in the Philippines and abroad. In 2018, for instance, Miss Universe Catriona Gray carried CALLI clutch bags throughout the entire competition period. The hand-carved wooden minaudières were designed in collaboration with the crowned beauty queen. Tessa adds, “One of our first and most memorable trade fairs was at Hong Kong Fashion Access where we were recognized for Best in Design.” 

The first decade of CALLI was met by a demand from abroad to supply luxury, artisan bags. “We were mostly exporting for other stories or labels. For me, what mattered most was that we were helping to provide livelihood for our partner artisans.” remembers Tessa. “So this year, I decided it was time to finally focus on CALLI the brand.” The vision behind this was to strengthen and redefine what had been introduced a decade ago to bring the beauty of Philippine ancestral craft to the world. 

A new logo and website was redesigned to reflect the contemporary mindset of the quintessential CALLI woman. Fresh, young, modern yet eternally elegant, the re-imagining of the brand draws from 10 years of experience and a new mindset for embodying what Ancestral Craft and Luxury truly is. The birth of a diffusion line called 10 by Calli also coincided with the brand refresh. “We also later realized that the CALLI Woman leads multifaceted lives. They don’t just get dolled up for parties and special occasions. They also lead purpose-driven, multifacet lives, which demands well-made pieces that reflect their roots and ancestry. This is why we developed 10 by CALLI.” 

10 by CALLI Everyday 

10 by Calli is the accessible diffusion line created by Calli for today’s conscious consumer. Versatile, functional and seasonless, every bag from this range seamlessly integrates elements of Ancestral Luxury like fine solihiya weaving to hand embroidery onto everyday designs. 

Always inspired by ideals of craft and slow fashion, 10 by Calli bridges time-honored traditions with contemporary designs to bring forward a new way of wearing Ancestral Craft–Everyday. 

A name inspired by Calli founder’s birth month and initials, 10 (TEN), is a love letter from Tessa to those whose fashion choices positively impact community, planet, and the preservation of craft. While still staying faithful to the brand’s DNA of uncompromising workmanship, 10 by Calli takes on functional shapes, sizes, and silhouettes that can go from day to night regardless of season. As pieces for the diffusion line were being developed, Tessa had in mind the many hats that women wear throughout each day. “Even on a daily basis, you can still enjoy the beauty of Ancestral Luxury with 10 by Calli.” 

Calli at ArteFino 

From August 24 to 27, pieces from newly reimagined CALLI will debut exclusively at the ArteFino Festival at the PowerPlant Mall. The collection will feature hand-carved wooden clutch bags made by artisans in Paeta. Intricate floral and geometric patterns highlight the beauty of acacia wood. Bags with solihiya weaves and hand embroidery showcase the brand’s uncompromising approach to bringing ancestral craft to contemporary wardrobes. Wooden handbags with solihiya weaves will also grace this year’s biggest artisanal fair. More than a new collection for the season, fresh offerings from both CALLI1 and 10 by CALLI mark the beginning of a journey towards discovering the beauty of ancestral craft.

The holiday collection of CALLI and 10 by CALLI will launch exclusively at the ArteFino Festival on August 24 to 27, 2023. Pieces are available online through https://callibags.com/.