They Won A Million Pesos Twice, How Banco Popular And FedEx Backed A Brand That Refused To Mass Produce

They won a million pesos twice. While Freedom Ecowear, a sustainable swimwear brand, had stopped producing entirely to rebuild around natural fibres, Banco Popular backed them in 2021 and FedEx in 2024 with seed capital prizes. Sat in the atelier with Vivi Rufino and David, the couple and partners who built the brand, Vivi explains how the money finished the factory, and why winning while refusing to mass produce felt like confirmation they were doing it right.