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Rags2Riches co-founder makes Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of social entrepreneurs


Making an international list of achievers is a big deal, and Reese Fernandez-Ruiz did just that, landing on Forbes Magazine's fourth annual "30 Under 30" rundown for her sustainable fashion brand, Rags2Riches.

Reese Fernandez-Ruiz (right) discusses sustainable design with SoFA Design Institute dean Toby Guggenheimer at the launch of Rags2Riches' eco-ethical home line R2R Living in July 2014. Jica Lapeña
This list of what the magazine calls "today's greatest gathering of young game changers, movers and makers" is divided into 20 categories.

It names Fernandez-Ruiz as one of the world's top young social entrepreneurs, or people who "[leverage] business tools to solve the world's most pressing problems."

Fernandez-Ruiz, 29, was selected for founding "the first fashion and design house empowering community artisans in the Philippines," said Forbes.

As a management student at Ateneo de Manila University, Fernandez-Ruiz visited rug-weavers in the Payatas dumpsite for a Business Innovations class. Seeing the women earn as little as P1 for every rug they made, Fernandez-Ruiz was inspired to create "a platform for artisans to lift themselves out of poverty."

Now, said Forbes, "[Rags2Riches] has trained 900 artisans and directly employ 50 people—professionals, in-house artisans, marketers, and strategists who are all working together towards the same goal."

According to the company's website, that goal is to provide women in poor communities with access to the free market and skills training to "maximize their career potential and take steps towards long-term financial and personal well-being." — BM, GMA News
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