Fashion and beauty photographer, instructor and constant Rank Magazine collaborator, Rxandy Capinpin took his line of sustainable wearable art pieces to new heights while on quarantine by breathing life to a community livelihood project in his extended stay in Antipolo, Rizal.
Staying for more than three months in Rizal, with projects put to a standstill by the imposed community quarantine, the established photographer sought a creative release not only to bring a fifth season to his line of quirxessories, Macro by Rxandy, but also a project forging a partnership with the people of Rizal to breathe life to a small but significant community livelihood.
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“It took some time for me to get myself going, to be honest. It really is not an easy time. I may have been fortunate to be in quarantine comfortably with my family, but I know livelihoods have been greatly affected and the thought of the future is really discomforting, not to mention the paranoia of thinking the virus is an enemy that remains to be unbeaten. This felt like a great outlet for me creatively, but also to help even in my smallest of ways,” Capinpin divulges.
The project features handmade tie-dyed bucket hats with attached face masks, and bubblegum-scented pocketbacs designed and curated by Capinpin himself and constructed with the help of people in his community.
A slight departure from his line of repurposed funky accessories, the multi-faceted creative joins a number of designers who have taken strides towards sustainable and health- and safety-conscious designs, from start-up to luxury brands coming up with washable face masks, PPEs, and even face shields.
“I personally curate the quirxessories that will make their way to the buck hats, along with tie-dying the fabrics to be used. Then I have Ate Jo, from Brgy. San Juan in Cainta, who also assists me in dying the fabrics and sewing the laces for the masks. There’s Ate Viel, my niece, from Brgy. San Roque who made the hand-drawn stickers and sewed the laces for the masks,” he shares.
Capinpin also enlisted the help of Manang Ledia from Brgy. Buhanginan in Antipolo, Rizal to sew tie-dyed face masks, while Lola Narsisa from Brgy. Santa Ana, Taytay, Rizal, constructed the bucket hats. The designer’s Tita Vic and Jazmyn, both from Brgy. San Roque, in Antipolo, Rizal, created the bubble gum
sanitizers.
“More than anything else, I love that the project empowered this great number of women in our community to get something more than a livelihood, but a sense of normalcy in this time of unprecedented pause,” he adds.
Right now, Capinpin is set to release a new collection of hand-painted buck hats to sustain the community livelihood project. As of this writing, the collection is on its last 20 pieces available.
For details, visit MACRO BY RXANDY on its official IG page.