Telus International Philippines

 Celebrating Pride Month in style

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

BPO network Telus International Philippines (TIP), provider of digitally enabled customer experience and business process solutions, celebrated Pride Month with a "Design Your Own Pride Jacket" and mini-fashion show at the activity center of its Vertis North site recently.

"At the School of Fashion and the Arts (SOFA) Design Institute, we enhance individual skill sets; sharing personal narratives through creative self-expression.  This activity is aligned with our objective and purpose of inclusive stories and initiatives," enthused associate director Madz Constantino, during the briefing.

Media attendees to the said event expressed their most authentic selves freely by creating art out of a denim jacket. Participants from mainstream and online media outlets were provided with design materials, Pride-themed patches, pins, buttons, rolls of ribbons, non-glitter beads, and individual work stations. They were given 30 minutes to finish their respective design aesthetics.

At the culmination of the activity, entries from PhilStar.com, Manila Bulletin, and Nylon magazine were adjudged the Top 3 entries.

"Fashion is performance art. Pride Month, to me, is about expressing and celebrating your authentic self in any way you want. And I believe that fashion can be a powerful tool for self expression. It allows us to produce clothing that speaks and walks with a message; conveying a story at every turn," intimated SOFA Design Studio Instructor and fashion designer Fred Telarma, who headed the judging panel, together with SOFA associate director Madz Constantino and TIP's communications manager for Asia-Pacific Pia Gajasan.

"Pride goes beyond the the month of June. Here at TIP, everybody wants to be addressed by their chosen pronouns. Our diversity efforts have been continuing through the years of our operations," intoned Marcos Giammatei Telus International Asia-Pacific's director of brand, marketing & culture.

TIP has reaffirmed its enduring commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through art, fashion, and personal expression, since its inception in 2005. Its edifice is illuminated with the proud colors of the spectrum each night of Pride Month.

TIP has four sites around Metro Manila, as well as two new sites in Iloilo, that's supporting top local and global brands.