It all started with shoes. Her dream was to shod people of all genders and sizes with just the perfect touch… just the perfect design…. just the perfect fit.
“I want my creations to be inclusive to all. I’m a plus woman and while fashion continues to evolve with increasing level of inclusivity, it is still not kind to people like us. In many cases, we settle for less than what we deserve or less than what we expect, for lack of option. And most of the time, we ended up buying men’s shoes if nothing fits (us),” says Kurbang Lokal owner Hazel Dellosa Dolot.
Kurbang Lokal is another enterprise born during pandemic. It started in 2020 as a shoe enterprise but lack of insight caused the business to go under.
Lacking the skills to market her product, Dolot sold online through her brand website, a move that was not only expensive but also inefficient. Without an active partnership with logistics firms, her products were priced higher due to more expensive delivery charges. She also covered the losses of product returns and exchanges that added to her woes.
In retrospect, Dolot admitted she regretted not having a detailed feasibility study before she indulged into the business and it was by sheer whim she pushed for a project that cost her hundreds of thousands of capital at a time when many businesses fail and hers is just another sad story to add to countless of anecdotes of frustrated ventures.
“I had a hard time looking for a supplier that will cater up to plus size. And if that part wasn’t difficult enough, I had problems in costing and pricing that really had my business reeling. That was in December 2020. In January 2021, I pivoted,” she said.
What she lost in her first project, she took in a stride. That mindset allowed her to move on and boosted her confidence for a second attempt into retail fashion, this time, into the bags segment.
Like her footwear, Dolot and Kurbang Lokal bags proudly carry the Marikina brand of ingenious craftsmanship. Marikina is where many locally-distinguished wearables are manufactured. She said that whenever she sees Marikina-made products, they spark a little fire of hope for small enterprisers like her.
When contemplating on the specifics of what to offer, she thought of the millennial working class, the women, men and the gay community whose active lifestyle could be best complemented with similarly hard working yet trendy satchels that can hold several essentials at a time.
The initial batch of satchels were laptop bags, all unisex and gender-encompassing, and another bag design for the more feminine and sub-feminine genders. The bags are crafted from polyurethane (PU) material, a good substitute for genuine leather, but thrice, or even, 4 times more affordable than bags made from animal hide.
The bags are lightweight but well built, strong enough to hold up to 6 to 7 kilograms of contents. To manage expectations from buyers, the brand assures customers that the bags, particularly the laptop satchels, are custom made with 4 kilos carrying capacity. All handmade, the bags are supported with high-grade materials and superb sewing skills of the production team.
What is striking about the product apart form its elegant pastel colors and subdued basic colors of tan, mahogany and shades of brown, is the expert craftsmanship that is evident in every style and in every single item on the shelf.
The brand has sported over a dozen bag designs in a short span nearing two years in January. A few have either been phased out or redesigned, but the brand always carries a minimum of 8 designs, at any given time. Kurbang Lokal also offers smaller products like coin purse, card holder, bag organizers and removable sling straps for bags.
Bag production is tedious, says Dolot. “It takes us about month or two to come up with the prototype and another month to mass produce. The process of revision and quality checking is repeated over and over for every design until the item is finalized and perfected.”
The decision to pivot to bags changed the course of her business and by February 2021, all her stocks were sold out. A month later, instead of sourcing ready-made designs that are open-branding, Dolot decided to buy the most popular designs she commissioned in her first attempt at bags rebranding and later on, fabricated her own designs in collaboration with her production team to create pieces that are pleasing to the senses yet gratifyingly durable.
Kurbang Lokal production staff are all based in Marikina City while storage and delivery are in the City of Manila, a location the owner finds more strategic for its proximity to other cities and adjacent provinces, especially for same day deliveries.
Her 3-room storage area, located in Intramuros, Manila serves as her showroom to clients who are insistent on checking the details of the products physically. And some buy on the spot.
This time, instead of selling through her website, she pushed her products in online marketplaces like Lazada, Shopee and throughout Facebook and Instagram. That also resolved concerns on shipping fees and other delivery issues. Tiktok which is a very popular app for all age groups is another virtual marketplace Kurbang Lokal is keenly looking at.
Dolot said she is very thankful to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for introducing the concept of bazaars and trade fairs.
“They (DTI) initiated to help market my products through roving bazaars, free of charge. This was my first attempt to show my products in a physical set-up. And it worked for me and its been tradition and a recurring practice to purposely join DTI-sponsored fairs. Sales from bazaars have been good and I make sure to man the booth and assess for myself crowd interest in my products. That convinced me to join commercial bazaars,” she shared.
She remembered the first time the DTI invited her to join a government-sponsored pop-up bazaar in Lucky China Town. With an appreciative crowd, Kurbang Lokal went back to the same mall 5 times since then, selling in paid booths.
“In fact, I really enjoy joining bazaars and trade fairs, because I’m proud of my products and I enjoy entertaining prospective buyers. It’s a different feel when you see your clients physically there looking at and feeling your products from just providing details through chat. And this also works well for me, to materially showcase my bags as against the virtual space where photos can be edited,” she added.
Kurbang Lokal actively joins mentorship programs organized by the DTI and Go Negosyo where it found a community of merchants with similar journeys and similar stories, who willingly share and provide advise to new entrepreneurs. The mentorship presented opportunities to enterprises such as partnerships, possible source of raw materials, joint promotions and marketing collaborations.
“That meant a lot to start-up enterprises like mine. While listening to their experiences, I noticed similarities of what I’ve been through. And with their experiences, I now have prior knowledge to where my decisions will lead me. I get to self-check my own journey and avoid circumstances that will compromise me and my business,” Dolot said, noting the amount of knowledge she had amassed now compared from when she started her footwear business.
With a growing population of loyal clients, Kurbang Lokal plans to level up its line-up. It will soon launch its genuine leather collection for the finicky crowd who are willing to pay the extra cost for an upgrade.
A set of existing designs are now in its prototyping stage. Kurbang Lokal plans to release the genuine leather pieces in the first quarter of 2023, 2 years after the brand pivoted to producing exquisite, quality bags.
Dolot noted that her product line attracts not only the working class millennials but the more mature clients, as well. This is her target market for her genuine leather collection.
The brand is also interested to branch out into apparels, with emphasis on inclusivity as its selling point. There is no specific timeline for the apparel segment but things are happening fast for the start-up. It will not be a surprise if it unveils its apparel line in the next 2 to 3 years.
Noting how cutthroat the competition these days are, especially among similar homegrown products, the brand made sure it is always a step ahead against competitors by crafting more designs, upgrading the line-up and revisiting previous endeavors, hoping to find another gem among the memories.
Dolot said she has never given up on her first love. It may take the backseat at the moment, but the brand will find time to revive the inclusive shoe project soon.
“I learned to never give up on what we want or what we desire the most. Things will happen if we strive to work for it. If we fail, we can try again. The missteps we have will remind us to never go that same path again,” she said.
