Mabuhay! Louisa here, and together with my brother Anthony and our mum Merly, we run Mestiza Filipina.
I grew up in Australia, but thanks to Mum, I never felt far from the Philippines. She’s been performing traditional folk dance for over 50 years and has one of the largest Filipiniana wardrobes in the country. My childhood was full of butterfly sleeves, barongs, and the stories behind them. Through dance, through fashion, through our family, culture was always present.
That’s what inspired us to start Mestiza Filipina.
We know how easy it is for Filipinos overseas to feel distant from their roots. Traditional Filipiniana isn’t always easy to find, and even when you do find it, it can feel too formal or too far removed from your everyday life. So we started to imagine what Filipiniana could look like today, if it hadn’t been sidelined by Western fashion trends. What if we styled it the way we style everything else? What if it felt as wearable and expressive as the rest of our wardrobe?
Mestiza Filipina is our answer to that. Everything we create is made in the Philippines by local artisans and seamstresses. Our designs take traditional silhouettes and reinterpret them in ways that feel fun, flattering, and easy to wear — especially for Filipinos like me, who grew up in two places at once.
I hope our pieces help you feel proud to show up in our culture, wherever you are in the world. Thanks for being here.
Maraming salamat po,
Louisa