Recyclable Fashion

By: Anna Patricia Carillo

Buy, Sell or even donate.

The Appraisery, is a newly opened store located in Greenhills, San Juan. Giving off a very urban and vintage vibe, the clothing store and café would be a hit for all hipsters in the Metro. The name Appraisery stems from the word appraisal which means an expert estimate of the value of something.

According to Victor Prieto Jr., the Appraisery’s owner, the concept of appraising clothes or “recycled fashion” as he likes to put it came from their hometown in the United States. They decided to put their own spin like collectibles, coffee, paninis and a mini art gallery to the traditional shops found in the Philippines.

“The owners figured that besides being a unique business model in the Philippines, this would also help the environment by being eco-friendly (less Chinese sweatshops and factories contributing to pollution), and be a way for the Ap (Appraisery) and its patrons to give back to the community via their partnership with Caritas Manila,” Prieto adds.

Here is how it works in the appraisery; you can bring in old clothes that you want to sell, you can choose to take 20% of the price in cash, or 40% of the price in store credit and they give you the cash as soon as they put a price on your item/s.

If the clothes that you brought were not really the style that they were looking for at the moment then you can either take them home or you can choose to have them donated to Caritas Manila. The Appraisery is working side by side with Caritas Manila, proving that they are no ordinary clothing store.

Caritas Manila is a Catholic organization founded by Rufino Cardinal Santos, which is solely dedicated to helping the poor. Today the chairman of Caritas Manila is Manila Archbishop Luis Tagle.

The Prieto clan have long been donors to Caritas Manila which is no wonder why they chose the long running institution. Prieto says, “The third generation found it only right to continue to give to an organization that has been actively helping the community and sharing its blessings to those who need it most. “

As to how this would affect their business Prieto answers, “The Ap believes that any business or individual for that matter would greatly benefit from giving back to the community.  To quote one of the great movies of all time, "So shines a good deed in a weary world" - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).”

Regarding any other projects between Caritas Manila and the Appraisery, Prieto says that there is presently a cash donation box located in the store for Caritas Manila and they do plan to continue to work together in the future but nothing has come to the surface as of now.

As to the up and coming events of the Appraisery, Prieto answers that, “The public can look forward to more community events like spoken word poetry nights, swap parties, book clubs, snap auctions, gaming nights, mini art galleries, etc.”

The Appraisery is located at #8 Annapolis St. Green Hills San Juan, Metro Manila. Visit their website http://www.theappraisery.com and the website of Caritas Manila (http://www.caritas.org.ph/) to find out more.