Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
A woman with straight, dark hair sits in a factory with a patchwork owl on her lap.
CCP alumna Cris Roxas, CEO of Brave Story with her mascot Kuwago.

Sustainable Fashion meets Empowerment

The Courageous Story of CCP Fellow Cris Roxas

ifa fellow Cris transforms textile waste into hope: With her social enterprise Brave Story, she combines sustainable fashion, patchwork art and the empowerment of women in the Philippines. Inspired by international networks and local experiences, she shows how social innovation grows from small, courageous steps to strengthen local civil society.

Perched neatly on the edge of a front-row seat, the little stuffed owl looks as though it has wandered in from a storybook – hardly the sort of creature one expects to find at an event hosted by the German Ambassador in the Philippines, Dr. Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke. Yet "Kuwago" has met more diplomats than most people. Made of waste materials sourced from large retail companies, it accompanies its designer, Cris Roxas, everywhere as a mascot for her sustainable fashion social enterprise, Brave Story. 

Patchwork as a Response to Environmental Problems and Textile Waste

Having worked in the garment industry for over a decade, Cris has seen first-hand how fast fashion contributes to pollution and the exploitation of factory workers. "You can read daunting numbers – 92 million tons of textile waste created each year – but it is a very different feeling to make actual field trips to production sites and see huge piles of product overrun with your own eyes." 

Patchwork-style goods such as toys, cushions and clothing are displayed on clothes racks and shelves.
From toys to cushions, towels and colourful clothing: the sustainable social enterprise Brave Story offers a wide range of handmade goods.

In 2022, she decided to turn her passion for patchwork art and embroidery into a social enterprise, using fashion as a catalyst for positive change. Just like a carefully crafted patchwork, Brave Story stitches together a practical blend of solutions to both environmental and social challenges. Using textile waste that would otherwise pile up in storage rooms, on streets or in landfills, Cris designs unique products that are hand-sewn by women from underprivileged communities and rural areas. This provides them with a fair income and the flexibility to take care of their families while working from home.

Alongside colourful collections of clothing, tote bags and pillows, the plushie Kuwago is one of Brave Story's unique products. Its name comes from the Filipino word for "owl" and carries a gentle nostalgia for Cris, who spent much of her introverted child­hood nestled between stacks of books. Although Kuwago is more of a quiet character, its diverse arrangement of fabric pieces tells many stories. 

Empowering Women Through Craftsmanship and Self-Determination

"Brave Story started with my own story of choosing to be brave at a time when it was difficult to find hope," Cris says, "but it goes far beyond me: I teach and work with over 100 women who create my designs." Shaped by her own upbringing with a single mother, Cris now focuses on teaching mothers basic sewing and embroidery skills that can open up new opportunities. 

"Some of them have abusive and alcoholic husbands. Some must desperately find ways to feed their children on their own," Cris says. "We cannot magically erase these hardships. But learning this skill gives them a way to earn on their own. They leave with a sense of pride from having learned something new and knowing there is something they can do to improve their situation, even if it is small."

Learning this skill gives them a way to earn on their own. They leave with a sense of pride from having learned something new and knowing there is something they can do to improve their situation, even if it is small

Cris Roxas, CEO of Brave Story and CCP Alumna
A woman demonstrates her embroidery skills to other women standing around her.
Cris Roxas teaches embroidery skills in one of her workshops.
Three women are sitting in a workshop and smiling at the camera. The woman in the middle is holding up an open book.
Cris Roxas with senior craftswoman Raquel (left) and craftswoman Fely (right).

Fely from Metro Manila learned how to sew patch­work at the age of 80 at one of Cris' workshops. She supports a son with special needs on her own. "She didn’t have a sewing background at all," Cris recalls, "and I told her that at that age she should be resting." Nonetheless, Fely completed her training. "Seeing her determination really reminded me of why I chose the name 'Brave Story': We all have different stories of growth and our own struggles, but the common value we share is that we try to face these challenges with whatever courage we can find within ourselves."

Small Steps That Spark Big Changes

This value is also reflected in Cris' approach to sustainability. According to Germanwatch’s Climate Risk Index, the Philippines ranks as the seventh most vulnerable country in the world to the consequences of climate change, being regularly hit by typhoons, rising sea levels and worsening droughts while contributing comparatively little to global CO₂ emissions. 

"We are a small sustainable fashion enterprise. The creative initiatives we carry out are just the tip of the iceberg," Cris says. "Change really needs to come internationally from large-scale companies and policymakers. But just like the women who participate in my workshops, I focus on what I can do. You never know where small steps can lead you."

Today, Cris collaborates with one of the largest retail companies and hotel chains in the Philippines, using their textile waste materials. "This shows that there is a big shift in consumer behaviour and a demand for sustainable products in the Philippines, because otherwise this huge company wouldn't even notice what we're doing." Kuwago and his hand-stitched friends hit a nerve among local and foreign customers. The small company has trouble keeping up with the demand, as creating each product requires time and excellent crafts(wo)manship. 

We are a small sustainable fashion enterprise. The creative initiatives we carry out are just the tip of the iceberg. Change really needs to come internationally from large-scale companies and policymakers.

Cris Roxas, CEO of Brave Story and CCP Alumna

Cris has been able to spread Brave Story's message beyond the Philippines by joining international fellowships. In 2024, she became a fellow of ifa’s CrossCulture Programme (CCP). This opened doors to representatives and decision-makers willing to listen to her sustainability advocacy. They recognized her perspective as a pioneering social entrepreneur with knowledge of local challenges in one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries.

A man in a suit holds a sewn owl made of patchwork fabrics. Next to him stands a woman with a patchwork bag. Behind them are three flags.
Cris Roxas and her mascot Kuwago at a meeting with German Ambassador Dr Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke at the German Embassy in Manila.

A Little Owl as an Ambassador for Sustainability

Sewn owls made from patchwork fabrics are displayed in various sizes on a table.
Kuwago and her friends, created by Cris Roxas from fabric provided by her CCP guest organisation MELA.

As the warm late-afternoon light washes over the tightly packed homes of Metro Manila, Fely finishes stitching a new Kuwago. The neighbourhood hums with passing tricycles and neighbours calling to one another as she adds one final, careful stitch before placing the owl into a box already filled with its soft, wide-eyed siblings. None of them know their journey ahead. 

When Cris first sketched Kuwago, she never imagined where it would fly: onto the desks of diplomats at the German and U.S. Embassies in Manila, to meeting Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, or sewn with fabric sourced from her CrossCulture host organisation, MELA.

"I hope Brave Story inspires others to dare to dream", Cris says, "because as long as we're still alive, there's hope for our future as we rise above difficulties. If we're unhappy right now, it lies in our hands to use the skills and knowledge we have to change our circumstances."

About the CCP Alumna
A woman with straight, dark hair sits in a factory with a patchwork owl on her lap.
Cris Roxas
CEO of Brave Story

Cris Roxas founded her own company, Brave Story, in 2021, through which she promotes sustainable and fair fashion production. Together with her employees, she transforms textile leftovers into clothing and accessories. Cris studied clothing technology in the Philippines. She participated in the ifa's CrossCulture programme in 2024 and completed her fellowship at MELA Wear in Kassel.

CrossCulture Programme

The CrossCulture Programme (CCP) enables professionals and committed volunteers to think outside of the cultural box! The fellowship recipients gain professional experience in host organizations in Germany or in one of the over 40 partner countries. The goal of the occupational stays abroad is to strengthen lasting civil society networks between Germany and countries across the globe.

CrossCulture Programme

You may also like

Interview Photo of CCP alumna Alina Chaudry

Fighting Injustice Through Art

Interview with Alina Chaudry

When Alina Chaudry told her family that she wanted to become an artist, they were sceptical. Today, she is a highly sought-after multidisciplinary artist, using international projects and scholarships to highlight social injustices and effect change. In this interview, she shares her success story.
Interview Abdalla carries out his project with artists and spectators.

"Theatre is a playground for practicing dialogue"

Interview with Abdalla Daif

In the face of political polarisation, Egyptian artist Abdalla Daif creates spaces for empathetic and respectful dialogue. In May 2005, he became the very first participant of the CrossCulture Programme to arrive in Germany. To celebrate the programme's 20th anniversary, we share his inspiring story.
Blog

Turning the worms

By Rawan Baybars

Abu Ahmad lives in Jerash, a decades old Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, where he is using the humble annelid to become a master of composting, feeding his family and his community. Rawan Baybars reports