Yana Santiago: ‘En Route’ to a Colorful World

Yana Santiago: ‘En Route’ to a Colorful World

Yana Santiago brings a splash of color through her social enterprise which promotes sustainable fashion while empowering artisans.

with Tess Halili

An anonymous quote that often gets around social media goes: “Tough times are a blessing in disguise. They always reveal the true colors of the people around us.” 

This is especially true for one social entrepreneur, Yana Santiago, founder of En Route Handcrafted Accessories, formerly called Olivia and Diego. Through her social enterprise which makes colorful bracelets, earrings, and clutches, she brings a kaleidoscope of character and value into the darkness brought about by the pandemic the world is experiencing now.

Color her pink

Pink is a color typically linked with images of young women in the blossoming of their youth. 

For Yana, the seed that enabled her to blossom was planted when she was a Clothing Technology student in U.P. Diliman. Yana’s eyes were opened to the waste of clothing materials and retazos that she and her classmates left behind whenever they would finish a semester.

So in 2013, when she and a handful of her high school friends — including Kayan Capili and Thea Santa Ana — joined a bazaar, that seed began to take root. Overnight, they made handmade bracelets and earrings from old t-shirts. Later, Yana would describe their process as upcycling.

What was a small bazaar project gave way to a business called Olivia and Diego, named after a Moroccan couple whom she and her friends met on the beach of Dahican in Mati, Davao Oriental. “They were into simple living and it appealed to us such that our first products catered to surfers and those who were living simply then,” Yana said.

Color her green

A universal color of environmental preservation, green is also used to signify new life, new beginning, and hope.

In her desire to promote sustainable fashion and a green footprint, Yana, through En Route, seeks to give hope to various communities as she implemented a social enterprise model of business. “I’ve always wanted to do a social enterprise because I think it creates a direct impact on people. The business naturally evolved into that,” she said.

In 2014, they partnered with Talikala and Lawig Buhay, non-government organizations that help rescued prostituted women and children. Yana taught them how to make the bracelets from old or discarded cotton shirts and beads from recycled paper.  Later, she expanded to other communities, such as the women of Tribu Malagos (Bagobo Tagabawa) in Calinan and the women inmates of Ma-a City Jail, who make half-moon clutch bags with patriotic designs. Yana went as far as Lake Sebu in South Cotabato to tap T’boli woodworkers for their wooden earrings.   

Yana also went beyond the borders of their artisan communities and partnered up with local fashion communities in Davao City. Together with the Global Shapers Davao Hub, which Yana is a member of, she co-organized Unstitch in 2018 and 2019, an event that promoted sustainable fashion as part of the global “Fashion Revolution” movement.

Color her blue

The color of the sky and the sea, blue often describes serenity and stability, inspiration and wisdom.

Like the constant flow of the sea to the shore, Yana seeks to pass on to her artisans the mindset of being conscious of the wise use of resources. It is a mindset she got from her lola who used scrap papers to wrap the medicines people bought from their pharmacy in the old days.

Seeing a vast ocean of opportunities for the business, Yana changed the name from Olivia and Diego, which symbolized simplicity, to En Route Handcrafted Accessories, because she believes the business is on the way to something greater. “We want to tour people in our communities and let them see how our artisans work,” Yana said.

Today, their market covers resellers in the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, and Malaysia. Tomorrow, it could be the world.

Color her orange

A combination of fiery red and bright yellow, orange symbolizes endurance, strength, and energy. It is attributed to people who have the vitality to tackle different projects and tasks.

Before the pandemic, Yana used to spend her days creating new designs for their jewelry, attending to clients, conducting crafts training, and visiting her various partner communities.

The energy that Yana has for the business has rubbed off on those communities. With dedication and commitment, their artisans were able to support their families. A T’boli woodworker, Franco Dasan, sent a sibling to high school with his earnings. Another artisan, Jay-ann, a stay-at-home pregnant mother, saved up for her delivery. And the women artisans of Tribu Malagos augmented the income of their husbands and helped provide the basic needs of their families.

Color her brown

Brown is the color of the earth. It signifies humility as well as God’s connection with simple, yet beautiful things.

In the past eight years, Yana’s story has appeared in various magazines, newspapers and websites. In 2018, Air Asia Foundation included her products in their in-flight catalogue. And she was recently featured by CNN Philippines in their web series, “Story of the Filipino.”

Despite these recognitions, Yana has remained grounded and down-to-earth. “We have to deal with people with backgrounds much different from ours in the communities we have partnered with. You have to wholeheartedly love the job,” she said. 

Color her yellow

The cheery and uplifting yellow symbolizes positivity and optimism.  

Life for En Route during the pandemic has been dark. The artisans had a hard time coping and living because of the lack of tourism, their main source of income, in their localities. Orders dropped by at least 75%.

Amidst the dire situation, Yana and her friends brought a bit of light into their artisan communities. They were able to provide financial assistance for the T’boli beneficiaries of Kapit Mindanao as well as for Tribu Malagos. They also donated smartphones for the online learning requirements of some of the children. Though orders were scarce and internet connection was a challenge for the communities, Yana persevered in maintaining constant communication with them.

Color her red

Red is for energy and passion. It is a powerful color associated with love.

The pandemic has brought difficulties in production for En Route and its community partners. Yana could have stopped if she wanted to. But her heart has been anchored in her love and passion for this business and for the communities whose lives she has touched. “Community work is not something to be romanticized. Helping others means being involved with the lives of the workers, even in little things like paying their electric or medical bills. It requires tons of patience and a true heart for the community,” she said.

Yana is also studying branding to equip herself with knowledge she can use for the future of En Route and other businesses. She is also continually on the lookout for new designs for their jewelry.

Moving forward, Yana’s dream is to grow communities whose members could thrive on their own, and could be independent with proper technical training. That is her vision of sustainable development.

Yana is one who lives her life in living colors. She is one whose colors brighten our world and make it a better place to live in. As a young Filipina social entrepreneur, she is blazing a trail for others to follow en route to a productive business like hers. She is truly worthy of our pride.