bago is the start of a journey to discover and define oneself.

It is an expression of duality. The balance between being both Filipino/a/x and American.

bago is about identity. A bold celebration of culture. A gift to our heritage through the shaping of its future.

Family. Heritage. Community.

These are the values we live by. Both brand and community together unraveling the tapestry of Filipino heritage. We honor it by forging our own story as Filipino/a/x Americans.

bago builds upon the legacies of those who came before us and serves as balikbayan (a way to return home) to our heritage.

We seek to preserve Filipino heritage by directly collaborating with Filipino businesses and indigenous artisans, showcasing their craft through our designs.

We hope our journey inspires our people to not only connect with their heritage but also with their families at a much deeper level.

Each bago episode (or collection) acts as a vignette telling the story of the community’s upbringing as Filipino/a/x Americans through the lens of fashion and design.

Many years into the future, one may come across objects that were designed by bago. With enough of them in hand, they may piece together the story of our journey.

We work with Anthill Fabrics to ethically source handwoven textiles directly from the indigenous weaving communities in the Philippines. Learn more.

We manufacture our products locally in Los Angeles, CA to ensure we are creating an ethical and sustainable supply chain.

You are not alone if you think you don’t know much about your history as a Filipino. We feel the same.

But we believe this is a byproduct of how our story has unfolded in America as we were taught to blend in and assimilate. In the midst of that, we must have lost our connection to our culture.

This is what prompted our Founder and Creative Director, Brandon Aquino Comer, to start his research on the Philippines. It helped him discover the rich tradition of design and craftsmanship of the Filipino people. More specifically, he discovered and became immediately intrigued by the hand weaving traditions of the Filipino people.

However, he also uncovered that not only are the indigenous weaving communities struggling to compete in this capitalistic world, they are also struggling to merely pass on their tradition to their own children. It became clear to him that without the help of the Filipino diaspora these weaving traditions will eventually die off. And so he set on a journey with a group of friends and bago was born.