UNISOL Shines at Manila FAME: Revolutionizing Uniforms with Filipino Heritage and Sustainability

​UNISOL is not your typical uniform company. The Cebu-based, tech-driven apparel company is on a mission to bring much-needed innovation to a "very backwards" industry. Making a strong appearance at Manila FAME 2025, UNISOL (short for Uniform Solutions) introduced their vision for workwear that is stylish, sustainable, and deeply rooted in Filipino culture.

​

Weaving Culture into the Fabric

​The brand's exciting new line, the "Chameleon" collection, is designed for companies and organizations looking for uniforms for 2026. The collection is more than just clothes—it's a conscious effort to preserve local culture by embodying designs and inspirations from different regions of the Philippines. As part of this initiative, they unveiled their Lapu-Lapu heritage collection, inspired by Cebu, the home province of the legendary hero.

​Sustainable and Proudly Local

​UNISOL anchors its product line on sustainability and Filipino pride. Their collection prominently features local fabrics like piña (pineapple fiber), ensuring compliance with the Philippine Tropical Fabric (PTF) Law. This commitment supports the local textile economy and encourages government offices, LGUs, and companies to choose locally sourced materials. They are also actively developing products using other Filipino fibers, including abaca, banana, and cotton.

​

A Brand with a Social Mission

​Beyond fashion and sustainability, UNISOL has a powerful social component. The company was founded to address a labor problem in Cebu, a hub for international contract manufacturing. When international brand contracts expire, many highly skilled seamsters are let go. UNISOL stepped in to provide a second employment opportunity to these skilled, unemployed workers, ensuring the local ecosystem remains alive and thriving.

​Their ultimate vision is simple yet ambitious: to become the go-to brand for workwear. By collaborating with contemporary designers like Nick Rice, they ensure their products are not just functional but are also "truly Filipino," high-quality, and versatile enough for workers to wear outside of their jobs.

​UNISOL is actively seeking collaborations and partnerships for 2026 uniform requirements. You can reach them through their website at unisol.ph or their social media pages.

​The video can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnGxS7jxeGA

Exhibitions to Watch out for in Manila FAME 2023

Subhead: Learn about the three-day sourcing show’s components promoting artisanal craftsmanship from across the Philippines.

By: Aly Dela Peña

This year's edition of Manila FAME will showcase artisanal craftsmanship through its various show components. The Artisans Village and The Coconut Pavilion are two must-see features of the three-day sourcing event. The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) collaborated with the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), and various local government units to highlight the works of local artisan communities.

Manila FAME, the second longest running trade show for the home, fashion, and lifestyle sectors in the Asia Pacific, is set to celebrate its 71st edition on October 19-21, 2023 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City.

Here’s what you can discover from the two exciting components of the sourcing event.

Manila FAME's Artisans Village–an extensive showcase of homegrown artisanal crafts representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The Artisans Village

This holistic program for regional MSMEs in the handicraft sector provides marketing and technical assistance such as product showcases, product development assistance in partnership with the DCP, digital promotions, and capacity-building activities.

For the 2023 edition of Manila FAME, the Artisans Village will feature the provinces of La Union and Antique, and Northern Mindanao region. 

In La Union, Governor Raphaelle Ortega-David spearheaded #LaUnionPROBINSYAnihan, a banner movement which provides developmental support for Research and Development (R&D) to MSMEs. It leverages the natural materials and techniques the artisan communities have mastered. 

On the other hand, the Creations of Northern Mindanao pavilion will feature masterpieces from award-winning designers, as well as artisans featured in prestigious international fairs. It will display abaca-based wearables and homestyle products, bamboo crafts, and various local weaves.

For Antique, the exhibition will carry the creations born out of the collaboration of its  MSMEs and artisanal communities with DCP and DTI-Antique. The pavilion will follow the theme "Hantique", which highlights the hands that craft artfully woven pieces in the province of Antique. The products from the province ranging from textiles, looms, and home decors are set to make their debut at Manila FAME 2023 before going to international trade fair Ambiente 2024 in Germany.

Lighting fixtures made of coconut husks featured at the Manila FAME exhibition in 2017.

The Coconut Pavilion

Considered to be one of the Philippines' most-produced crops, coconut has been commonly used for food and household products. Manila FAME, in collaboration with EMB and DCP, saw this as an opportunity to create lifestyle products using the abundant raw material. The Coconut Pavilion houses the products from the program dedicated to develop and showcase nonfood coconut commodities in the home and fashion sectors.

A total of 15 brands have been developing new pieces  for the showcase. These new products, along with the coconut-based products from 10 additional brands, will be showcased in Manila FAME’s Coconut Pavilion. This special setting aims to promote sustainability and spotlight Filipino craftsmanship and design innovation.

The participating provinces and regions joining the pavilion are NCR, Region III, Region IV-A, Region V, Region VII, Region VIII, and Region XI.

A Manila FAME “staple”

The show will also have Design Commune, a showcase of brand new home, fashion, and lifestyle pieces that have been created under CITEM's product development program. Renowned Filipino designers Tony Gonzales, Rita Nazareno, and Gabriel Lichauco collaborated with 40 local companies to create more than 300 products in time for the sourcing event.

Manila FAME’s 2023 edition is organized in partnership with The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), RLC Residences, Jewelmer, and the Philippine Airlines as the official carrier.

Register at https://bit.ly/MF2023-Reg or go to https://fameplus.com/manila_fame for more details.

FAME Leaders’ Academy Pioneers in Lifestyle Medicine Education for Healthcare Leaders

It is now well-established that effective and sustained lifestyle intervention is the foundation of treatment in practically all major prevalent medical problems like cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung problems, diabetes, and cancer.

However, busy healthcare providers usually have very little time to provide their patients individualized, simple and sustainable prescriptions particularly on diet, physical activity and stress management.

According to Mr. Hudson Pelayo, FLA Dean, their training modules and workshops incorporate lifestyle medicine as an essential therapeutic tool in addition to drug treatment, and offer a more holistic management of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and more.

“Drug treatment is needed in most cases,” says Pelayo, “but an effectively implemented lifestyle intervention on top of drug and/or surgical treatment is a more naturally oriented and rational holistic management approach,” he explains.

The Academy’s faculty also includes Dr. Blecenda Varona, founder of the Asian Institute of Lifestyle Medicine, who has helped improve the health and wellness of over 100,000 people all over the world. She has authored several books, lifestyle medicine web-based applications, and various health and wellness programs.

International motivational speaker and life coach Richard Tamayo handles the workshops on stress management and cultivating enriching relationships in the workplace. Tamayo has inspired audiences in the United States, Canada, and Asia. He commits to helping people experience powerful breakthroughs through principle-centered seminar workshops on personal development, emotional wellness, family and relationship improvement, stress management, team building, and leadership.

Noted cardiologist and editor, Dr Rafael Castillo, who is FLA’s Dean Emeritus, provides medical perspective in the various modules, highlighting the importance of combining lifestyle medicine with drug treatment in prevalent medical conditions.

For its continuing series of life- and health-enriching workshops, FLA recently launched “Winning in the Workplace”, a training series comprised of well-designed courses and programs specifically made for each organization’s requirements, with topics ranging from lifestyle medicine strategies with a focus on preventing lifestyle diseases; cultivating strong, healthy, and productive workplaces.

Through its highly-structured courses and programs, FLA aims to impart uncommon knowledge, skills and best practices to participants which they can use and readily apply in both professional and personal settings, all while realizing their full potential as creative, passionate, dynamic and productive individuals.

The Academy is the new addition to multimedia company FAME Inc.’s (Friendly Alliances and Media Expressions Incorporated) growing number of divisions catering to medical and health-related communications services.

For more information, you may email fameleadersacademy@fame.ph or call (02) 892 07 23 or 24 loc. 112.

About FAME Leaders’ Academy

Inspired by the vision of an empowered community of leaders boldly shifting paradigms to continually find better ways of doing things and making it a better world, the FAME Leader’s Academy takes up the challenge of molding future movers and shakers in various professional arenas, making them the best they could ever be. The Academy aims to be a topnotch learning provider for organizations to develop their people’s skills both at the personal and professional levels, so they could be better equipped to handle the challenges of their careers, achieving a seamless balance in the various aspects of their lives.