Kai reignited her passion for creating custom couture in 2015 while raising her toddlers as a single parent. At present, she balances a full-time executive administrative work. and couple of business ventures including designing and creating custom couture at BangBiiko. She is also currently finishing her Master's Degree in Business Administratio. All this while being a hands-on mom to her two pre-teens. Kai enjoys scorching black brew in the morning and then goes for a 30-minute Vinyasa yoga or a 10-minute hiit work out. She tries her hands on painting tiny canvases every once in a while.
Designing and creating custom couture has been one of my hobbies since childhood. I created my first original design when I was ten-years-old. It was a Venus cut, red, plaid Filipiniana dress I made for myself for my school's Buwan ng Wika celebration. From then until highschool, I made a point of making my own costumes and outfits for school events whenever possible, including my prom dress.
The hobby of making clothes died down when I became busier in college, taking up new interests in writing literature. Working successfully in sales gave too little opportunities for creativity too, so much more so when I had my first child at 22, and my second child just two years after.
Being a single parent challenged my perception of pursuing happiness. I felt that my whole life then only revolved around raising my babies. Depression kicked in as I spent most of every day in home-based, mommy routines. However, it is when sparks of childhood reignited my passion for creating clothes as I searched for pieces of myself with every stitch I make for my children's costumes.
Parents from their pre-school started noticing how very unique my kids' costumes were and started asking for customized outfits for their children too. That's when I started my costume business, calling the brand BangBiiko after my children's nick names, Bebang and Biiko.
In January of 2015, I was invited to showcase on a fashion show for the first time. Inspired by my daughter's favorite toys (Equestria Girls - My Little Pony), my first collection consisted of ten outfits including a transformation dress inspired by Nephi Garcia. It was the first of many fashion shows and showcases from 2015 to 2019, including international fashion shows in Thailand in 2017 and Hong Kong in 2019.
BangBiiko enabled me to not only showcase my creations and but also to create opportunities to help children in need. Friends from the fashion business including parents, models, event organizers, and co-designers have joined me in several in drives that give support to children with cancer, children in foster care, among others.
It is always amazing how easily things align when you've found purpose and happiness in what you do. Designing and creating custom couture is my happy place and I am thankful to have realized I only ever needed to look back at my childhood to revisit and live in it. Always, it is by doing things that kindles happiness within us that makes life more awesome.
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