Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — Two years ago, Fred Perry launched #WeAreTipped as an online initiative to celebrate its iconic twin-tipped shirt, and a creative uprising it sensed was coming. The campaign saw the brand shortlist a band of creatives that they “tipped” for success. Each creative was given a profile on Fred Perry’s site, telling their story and how their story relates to the brand, accompanied with a photoshoot of them wearing Fred Perry shirts. The brand included the public at large by inviting them to share their photos wearing the shirts, using the hashtag #WeAreTipped on social media.
A few months after Typhoon Haiyan left the country devastated, however, Fred Perry Philippines — through the efforts of H&F Retail Concepts, Inc. — decided to take a more altruistic tack to the campaign. On our shores, #WeAreTipped evolved to become a campaign that not only raised awareness about the ongoing plight of the victims of the typhoon but also took an active part in raising funds for Haiyan aid. While Haiyan was a little less than a year ago at that point, many continued to struggle to rebuild their homes — moreso their lives — and communities were left without basic amenities like schools or hospitals.
Fred Perry Philippines’ version of #WeAreTipped was a three-pronged initiative. The campaign first began with a portrait series featuring seven of the country’s best photographers in different Fred Perry stores in Manila. Every weekend for two months, BJ Pascual, Geric Cruz, Jo Ann Bitagcol, Kai Huang, Joseph Pascual, Roy Macam, and Mark Nicdao took turns treating customers to black-and-white portraits, free for every purchase of the classic tipped shirt, with 10 percent of sales going to Habitat for Humanity Philippines.
The second and third parts of the campaign were launched under the event “Rebel with a Cause.” The brand put together a three-day food and art charity throwdown in Rockwell Power Plant, which featured culinary movers like Margarita Fores, Blackbird, Sarsa, Pink Panda, Patricio’s Cevicheria, Spring by Ha Yuan, Your Local, Linguini Fini, Nolita, Arroceria, and EDSA BDG putting together special menus for the fundraising.
A silent auction also featured the work of 14 artists. Artists Eugenia Alcalde, Zean Cabangis, RM De Leon, Dex Fernandez, Nikki Luna, Leeroy New, Costantino Zicarelli, Carina Santos, Luis Santos, Soler Santos, Isabel Santos, Ryan Villamael, Liv Vunluan, Everywhere We Shoot, and MM Yu reimagined the Twin Tipped shirts into artworks — from collages to sculptures — for the art auction, with 100 percent of sales going to the cause.
All proceeds of the #WeAreTipped initiative were donated to Habitat for Humanity Philippines’ efforts to rebuild schools ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda. “In fulfilling H&F’s aim to improve education, Fred Perry Philippines, together with Habitat for Humanity Philippines, tips its hat to everyone who took part in this positive rebellion, from the specialty food vendors and artists, to the customers and patrons who pledged their support to help rebuild Tacloban,” says Habitat Philippines Managing Director and CEO, Charlie Ayco. The proceeds went to the construction of a two-classroom building in Tacloban National Agricultural School, replacing a laboratory that was destroyed during the typhoon.
On June 21, 2016, a “classroom building turnover ceremony” was held in the school, with Fred Perry Philippines, the city government, the Department of Education, and Habitat for Humanity Philippines. The event was attended by City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, Barangay Chairman Edwin Bramida, Habitat’s Program Development & Stakeholder Engagement Officer David Liban Jr., Schools Division Superintendent Thelma Cabadan-Quitalig, and Fred Perry Philippines Marketing Officer Manuel Gonzales.