Pamitisan is from the Bicol word “bitis” which means “feet”. Made from pre-owned clothes, affordable and durable shoes with a cause for a sustainable environment and local community, Pamitisan came to be. Keenan Ivory Lee Duliesco and his classmates made this their thesis in college, and who would have thought that this would eventually cause a greater impact.
It was in the middle of the pandemic when Keenan and his classmates started making shoes out of old or used clothing, mostly from jeans. According to him, he first got the inspiration for the product from seeing kids outside selling rags and thought of making something out of old clothes for their thesis. Despite not having knowledge on shoemaking, they pushed through making their own research to create a new innovation which led to the making of the “rag shoes”.
With five members in their group, they first contributed P500 each for the materials to be used to make the product. Starting from scratch with no knowledge in shoemaking or business, they were able to make most of their resources as the production is low cost and has low labor cost. The Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST) saw potential in the product made by the group of Keenan and chose it to represent their school in trade fairs for local products. What eventually started as a thesis became a pride and grew bigger as it also continued to attract interest for their cause and purpose.
Throughout their production of the “rag shoes,” which became “Pamitisan”, Keenan shared that they also faced many challenges as they started their business. Among those challenges was how to sell their product and for people to like it. Shoes are not considered a basic need and something that people do not buy that often. Also, the pandemic has limited their reach to the market. They don’t know how to introduce it outside of school, so they solely rely on social media marketing. They were able to build a strong product image that attracted a lot of interest because it has a social impact. For every pair of Pamitisan Slip-on shoes sold, 10% will be donated to Pamitisan’s chosen beneficiaries. Moreso, they also encourage donations of pre-owned clothes to have a 50% discount on Pamitisan Slip-on Shoes.
Joining several trade fairs through DTI, Pamitisan was able to win several awards at the recently held DTI Ferria de Camarines, which exhibited different fashion wear. They were able to win the Racketera Award (Best in Marketing) for putting up a booth not just to exhibit their product but they also put up a donation box to encourage donations of pre-owned clothes for the production of their product. Furthermore, they also won the Best Innovative Product in Footwear for using recycled materials.
As Pamitisan got to be known for their product and their cause, their connections grew, and so did the mass orders of Pamitisan Slip-on Shoes that they had considered mass production. From 5 members to 15 members, as their product was chosen to represent their school in trade fairs, each member contributed P1,000, which made them have a P15,000 starting capital to keep the production and operations going.
While open to the possibilities of getting a loan in the bank to expand their finances to hire more people for labor and buy more materials and additional equipment to be used for production, Keenan was advised by their mentor to have their product improved first because they were able to earn well from it and was able to utilize their resources for the production so far. From P15,000 capital, the sales of Pamitisan in 4-5 months went up to P60,000 with a net of P30,000. Each pair of Pamitisan Slip-on Shoes now costs P750, and 10% of it goes to chosen beneficiaries.
Take it one step at a time, don’t rush. Trust the process and make every step a purpose.” said Keenan.
This is his advice to all other young aspiring entrepreneurs. As the founder of Pamitisan, he shared his plans to partner with BISCAST to let the school invest in his business and become an investor to push forth mass production.
Pamitisan started in 2020. Starting a business right in the middle of a pandemic was not easy. But because of determination and passion in creating a social impact, a business thrives and continues to make its mark in the local community.
Are you also a local entrepreneur who wants to expand your business but low on funds? You can avail Negosyo Loan at Bank of San Jose. The Bank of San Jose supports Small and Medium-Scale Entreprises. Not everything starts big but with Bank of San Jose, your small or medium-sized businesses could grow big. Negosyo Loan could help in expanding and further succeed in your business ventures.
