As we approach the festive season, people are also immersing in the spirit of giving. In a year that has been filled with challenges and uncertainty, we witnessed Filipino individuals and businesses alike step forward to extend support not only to loved ones, but also to communities in need of help.
Here we share the inspiring stories of two Lazada sellers, who are leveraging their businesses to do their part to build resilience for the community.
A vision to give back to the community
Eyewear brand Peculiar’s owner, Isaac Saliendra, started the brand fresh out of university back in 2013. Initially a store that sold watches, Isaac saw an opportunity in selling anti-radiation blue shield eyeglasses which were gaining popularity, and pivoted his business to sell eyewear.
As we approach the festive season, people are also immersing in the spirit of giving. In a year that has been filled with challenges and uncertainty, we witnessed Filipino individuals and businesses alike step forward to extend support not only to loved ones, but also to communities in need of help.
Here we share the inspiring stories of two Lazada sellers, who are leveraging their businesses to do their part to build resilience for the community.
Eyewear brand Peculiar’s owner, Isaac Saliendra, started the brand fresh out of university back in 2013. Initially a store that sold watches, Isaac saw an opportunity in selling anti-radiation blue shield eyeglasses which were gaining popularity, and pivoted his business to sell eyewear.
“We can say that we are the first to sell these types of anti-radiation eyewear online here in the Philippines. Back then, most of these [products] could only be bought through Taobao,” says Isaac.
Over the years, Isaac has grown Peculiar into a brand with a strong following of customers who appreciate the quality his affordable eyewear offers. More recently, the brand also partnered with renowned news anchor and broadcast journalist Ces Drilon to release a line of eyewear she designed to reflect her personal taste and style.
With Peculiar’s growing success, Isaac realized that he wanted to do more for the community, beyond providing affordable eyewear to customers. Last year, the brand partnered with the Tarrasaka Farmers Association to pilot tree-planting activities in the Quezon mountains. To date, over 200 seedlings have been planted in the area.
Peculiar also piloted another initiative earlier this year to provide supplies for recreational activities to children in need. For every online order Peculiar receives, a portion of proceeds go towards donating these recreational kits to children in need. To date, over 2,000 kits have been donated through this initiative.
During the peak of the pandemic a few months back, Peculiar also collaborated with the Office of the Vice-President (OVP), and provided personal protective equipment for medical staff. Peculiar donated 2,000 face shields, 400 UV400 visors and 400 UV400 googles to be distributed through the OVP’s relief efforts around the Philippines.
Peculiar also launched “Project: Thank You, But Not Ours” to encourage support for frontliners and people in need. For every eyewear purchase on the Peculiar website, Peculiar sends a free face shield to customers, and encourages them to share it with a frontliner or individual in need.
“We want to encourage our customers to give the face shield out to someone who needs it. This could be a medical professional, essential workers, or even a homeless person on the street. It’s all about the spirit of giving, being considerate to others who may need it more than ourselves,” explains Isaac.
Isaac shares that he also thanks Lazada for not only helping his business see steady growth, but as well as supporting his giving back endeavors.
“As a platform that reaches Filipinos in all parts of the country, Lazada has been great in helping us spread the word about the various initiatives we advocate for. We’re happy to partner with a platform that not only helps our business grow, but also supports our CSR initiatives,” shares Isaac.
Spreading joy to children and animals in need
Luxxe Angels selling party games, board games and toys online in the later part of 2016. Beyond a business that makes fun games accessible to young children, Luxxe Angels believes that their business can create a greater impact by giving back to the community.
At present, Luxxe Angels engages in various community services and supporting advocacies that are close to their heart. The brand has extended a helping hand to children living on the streets of Metro Manila, as well as children battling cancer and other medical conditions, by donating toys and other products to various partner communities.
“It warms our hearts whenever we see childrens’ eyes light up every time they receive their gifts. It is always a pleasure to be able to give back and share happiness through our products,” says a representative from the brand.
Apart from giving back to children, Luxxe Angels is also passionate about animal welfare, and extends help to furry friends as well. Besides supporting stay cats and dogs, Luxxe Angels also helps spread awareness about pet care and animal safety, and is currently preparing to launch their Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return campaign this December. This will help to provide funds and resources for vaccinations, and neutering and spaying of both stray animals and house pets.
“This effort aims to promote responsible pet ownership and offer a solution to lessen the population of stray animals on the streets,” says the brand representative.
Luxxe Angels also drove initiatives to support relief efforts during the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. 10% of any sale made on Lazada platform is donated to relief efforts for healthcare professionals and the less fortunate. Luxxe Angels also matched the donations and tripled the amount raised to distribute to various partner relief efforts.
Luxxe Angels believes that their efforts are a small step towards spread the word about the causes they advocate for, and appreciate how a platform like Lazada can provide the reach and support to drive attention to their causes.
“Promoting the welfare of children and stray animals through a humble shop such as ours may sound difficult, but Luxxe Angels aspire to be the real-life angels that these kids and creatures need.
Since we started the business, we really were determined to give back to the community once we had the capacity to do so. We’re thankful that through our Lazada store, we are able to reach more people and likely inspire more angels to help out and give back through our products,” says the brand representative.
“We’re happy to see local businesses who stand strong in their advocacies and proactively driving initiatives to give back to the Filipino community. This is something that Lazada also feels strongly about, and we are happy to support our partners to reach a wider audience through our platform,” says Ray Alimurung, Lazada Philippines Chief Executive Officer.
Shop and support Luxxe Angels (https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/luxxe-angels/) and Peculiar (https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/peculiar/) during our 12.12 Grand Christmas Sale this December 12-14.