Personally, I always believe in local talent. Out of the blue, homegrown, a jewel in the rough kind of thing. I have a keen eye of spotting talented people. Probably, talent attracts talent. Part of supporting that sphere is supporting their work, their merchandise. Produced and conceived by Jude Valderrama, Dayo is set to take the UAE apparel game by storm.
I am really glad to be part of his ever-growing community, always lit. Take Flight, Stay Rooted
What is Dayo?
Rollan Rodriguez - Creative Director and Human Being at Ape
"First time that I heard about the UAE was from a friend. I didn’t intend to move here, I thought I was just vacationing, for a change of scenery. Saw an opportunity for a career challenge. Told myself, why not? To be an Expat or ‘Dayo’ is to be a forward thinker. Someone who can blend in, an absorber, and bringing out disruption to whatever circumstance. Going about being an expat is thinking laterally and putting yourself on common ground. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of being a Filipino expat is proving that you are worth fighting for, in a land that is more invested on Western ideals, being Asian and brown is almost automatically a harder position to penetrate the success ladder. Good thing about it, is it just makes the best version of you. What I really like about being a ‘Dayo’ is the feeling that you are a part of this international community (although that community still has to be determined). In a hindsight, I feel a sense of responsibility that I represent my homeland. Thriving outside the country is not an easy job, my only golden rule would be: relax and just do awesome stuff whenever and wherever."
Photographer : IG: @catnipkilledthecat
