Written by Tomas Waller. Published May 5, 2022. Read on the WWD website.
The two female-founded Filipino brands come together to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a partnership that gives back to the Philippines.
New York-based designer Josie Natori has linked up with Alexandra Dorda, founder of Kasama Rum to create a limited-edition bottle that gives back to a personal cause important to both of the Filipino creatives, raising awareness and support for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May.
“We are so excited to partner with Kasama and Alexandra. Being able to collaborate with a fellow native Filipino and support a Philippine-based charity makes this partnership even more meaningful,” said Josie Natori, founder of Natori. “We have evolved Natori to become an East-meets-West lifestyle brand across all categories. Rum is now the latest, and certainly the tastiest, extension.”
Echoing Kasama’s brand ethos as a love letter to the Philippines, the collaborative 750-ml. bottle is decorated with the lush vines and tropical flowers of Natori’s signature “Chikayo” print, which the brand is rereleasing to celebrate its 45th anniversary. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from the sale of every bottle a will be donated to Voice of the Free, an organization that works to end human trafficking in the Philippines. Kasama and Natori are working with this organization as part of the “Natori Gives” campaign.
The Kasama x Natori limited-edition bottle will be available on the Kasama website for $49.99. To complement the bottle, Natori designed a limited-edition, hand-embroidered beach bag with the same Chikayo motif, available on Natori’s website for $275. Additionally, the Kasama and Natori teams created five signature cocktail recipes to celebrate the partnership, inspired by Josie’s favorite flavor profiles.