The proudly Pinoy luxury brand celebrates six years of making silken masterpieces that are incredibly fun to style. Here’s a look back at their milestones.
How JIM Weaver Threads Filipino Art, Culture, Fun, and Fashion Through Stories on Silk
Photo from JIM Weaver
Stories Spun on Silk
The idea that sparked JIM Weaver continues to evolve along with the homegrown silkwear brand, growing grander while keeping close to home and heart.
For the four women—childhood friends Jenica Siy, Mischel Mendoza, Isabelle Ocier, and Jenica Kaw—behind the brand, JIM began as a beautiful and unique way to share their stories. Early designs featured bits and pieces of their friendship, daily lives, and dreams.
In 2016, they released their first design, Arya, a statement piece that juxtaposed the sheer power of its messages with the softness of natural silk.
Photo from JIM Weaver
With the launch of their Twillies collection in 2017, the JIM Weaver story expanded to include adding a touch of whimsy to the ordinary—a bag accessory here, a headband there—always in designs and colors that made fashion fun and art accessible.
Photo from JIM Weaver
JIM Weaver Art Director, Isabelle Ocier, shares: “There were mermaids and slugs in those designs, but you could wear them to a fancy brunch or pair them with signature bags and stilettos.”
As their online following grew, JIM Weaver was also making its way around the bazaar circuit, setting up (and selling out!) in Rockwell and events like Spectrum Fair Manila. It was at ArteFino Festival 2018, that they debuted their first collection of designs
inspired by local culture and wildlife.
Photo from JIM Weaver
To this day, the smiling whale shark remains a beloved JIM character. Butanding was an instant bestseller when they launched their pocket squares, later that year.
Photo from JIM Weaver
Things were going swimmingly for the brand, gaining even more momentum when they joined the premier design trade show Manila Fame in 2019.
However, no success story is without struggle, as the pandemic hit and switched the lights off on luxury fashion. Weaving a new thread into JIM history, the team put meticulous work into producing well-fitting and beautifully designed fabric masks.
“There was a clamor from JIM buddies,” co-founder Jenica Siy recalls. “But we didn’t want to rush things and were very happy when we eventually released our masks, able to offer reversible designs, a snug nose-to-chin fit along with adjustable ear loops, and varying sizes for kids and adults.”
Photo from JIM Weaver
The masks became a way for loved ones across the world to show care despite the distance. “There were a lot of personalized notes that we passed on to relatives and friends the masks were being bought for. We were glad that in this small way, JIM was able to tide our customers through the worst of those times,” shares co-founder Mischel Mendoza.
Having a renewed appreciation for home, JIM also launched their exquisite tableware collection in 2021—with nostalgia at the center of designs made with family gatherings in mind.
Photo from JIM Weaver
Over the years, many have grown to be part of the JIM Weaver story: #JIMbuddies, or their customers, most of all; fellow homegrown brands like crafts store Scribe and dessert specialist, Alchemy by Meryl; as well as international companies like Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Photo from JIM Weaver
A notable JIM collaboration is the 2021 limited edition collection with Philippine fashion icon Francis Libiran. The largest JIM scarves to date, they feature designs inspired by architecture and folklore from our royal past. Fittingly, pieces from the collection were worn by modern queens like Pia Wurtzbach, Solenn Heussaff, and Rima Ostwani.
Photo from JIM Weaver
Six years since the JIM women began to tell their stories on silk, their dreams and adventures have only grown. The latest chapter has them embarking on a quest to be as near to plastic-free as they can be.
Photo from JIM Weaver
And the key to keeping our stories going, JIM Weaver has partnered with WWF-Philippines, whereby 30% of proceeds from their Wildlife masks go toward the organization’s conservation initiatives.
Photo from JIM Weaver
Learn more about JIM Weaver on jimweaverdesigns.com, or visit wherever they are available—Rustan’s, Ayala Museum Shop, Power Plant Mall (The Rockwellist)—to hold a story whispered on silk, between your fingertips.
Got any products you’d like us to feature? Email me at angeline.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send me a direct message at When in Manila Angeline on Facebook. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! Join our WhenInManila.com community on Viber, as well!
