8 Great Brands to Support This Filipino American History Month and Beyond
October is Filipino American History Month, marking the anniversary of the arrival of the first Filipinos in the U.S., and it's the perfect opportunity to celebrate the incredible FilAm community.
You can start by learning about the culture, enjoying the delicious cuisine and spending time with the Filipinos in your life, but one of our favorite ways to celebrate is by patronizing Filipino American-owned businesses. Below, we've shared a few of our favorites in fashion, food and more to check out this Filipino American History Month.
Sanzo
As sparkling water fanatics, we've fully fallen in love with Sanzo, the first Asian-inspired sparkling water brand. It was launched in 2019 by Sandro Roco, who was born and raised in Queens, New York, adding real juice from unique fruits like lychee, yuzu, pomelo, calamansi and mango to premium sparkling water for a light and refreshing take on classic Asian drinks.
(via Sanzo)
Narra
Miggy and Victoria Reyes are Filipino siblings and co-founders of oat milk drink brand Narra. Their drinks are inspired by the tradition of merienda, or taking a midday rest and snack break as a remedy to afternoon slumps, featuring canned, plant-based Roasted Oolong Milk Teas, Black Milk Teas and Strawberry Matcha Lattes for a dose of caffeine and mood-boosting L-theanine when you need it most.
(via Narra)
Kora
Kora is anything but your average bakery, integrating the richness of Filipino culture and flavors into its incredible baked goods. The brand was co-founded by chef Kimberly Camara, with recipes inspired by her late grandmother, Corazon, during the pandemic. She started baking out of the kitchen of an apartment in Queens (aka Little Manila), and the bakery has since grown into a brand with massive waitlists, ready to ship their recipes featuring ube and coconut, Pangasinan sea salt, ripened banana and more nation-wide.
(via Kora)
Also read about: All the Innovative Candies We'll Be Snacking on This Halloween
MaeMae Jewelry
Eclectic jewelry brand MaeMae Jewelry was created by sisters Rheena Mae and Amanda Mae, first-generation Filipinos who grew up in Atwater Village, L.A.—not to far from where their shop stands today. All of their pieces are hand-made in-store, featuring tarnish-free 14k gold and sterling silver, with genuine crystals, to give every item a personal touch.
(via MaeMae Jewelry)
Mondaysuck
Streetwear brand Mondaysuck is the brainchild of Orcino Tan, who wanted to integrate Filipino culture and street styles into his original pieces. Based out of San Diego, California, the brand is built around the ethos that Mondays suck, but that your clothing doesn't have to, with simple yet supremely wearable styles.
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Pinsy Shapewear
Filipino Pinsy Shapewear CEO and founder Ratchel Pinlac started wearing shapewear young—when she was just 9 years old. Growing up, she saw shapewear as garments that help you hide the "flaws" of your body, but she grew to embrace body positivity, using Pinsy to develope pieces that accentuate the human form, building shapewear-as-outerwear in a way we simply haven't seen from other brands.
(via Pinsy Shapewear)
Abakada
Co-founded by Arvin Boyon and Calvin Calma, the Bensenville, Illinois-based streetwear brand Abakada gets its name from the traditional Tagalog alphabet. It's all about integrating Filipino culture and motifs into modern streetwear designs, from foodie-inspired colors to the Philippine Eagle and the "+63" country code.
Fila Manila
You may have seen Jake Deleon on Season 15 of Shark Tank, eager to share delicious traditional Filipino recipes with the world via his brand, Fila Manila. The Filipino-born, New Jersey-raised entrepreneur has seen great success since striking a deal with shark Daniel Lubetsky, and now, folks all across the nation can access delicious ube spreads, adobo simmer sauces and banana ketchups thanks to Fila Manila.
(via Fila Manila)
Want to learn more about Sanzo sparkling water? Check out our full taste test HERE.