Kasama Rum Teamed Up With Fashion House Natori For A Bottle That Benefits An Important Cause

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, two female-founded Filipino brands have come together to create a collaboration that gives back to the Philippines. Kasama Rum, a small-batch rum brand by Alexandra Dorda, and Natori, a New York-based fashion house by Josie Natori, have launched a limited-edition bottle and hand-embroidered beach bag. Both benefit an important cause: 25 percent of every sale of each product will be donated to Voice of the Free, an organization that works to end human trafficking in the Philippines.

“I am incredibly excited to collaborate with Natori, a brand I have worn and admired for the last 12 years,” said Dorda in a press release. “I have followed Josie’s success and seen how hard she has worked to put Philippine design and craft on the map. In November of 2020, I was a speaker at a virtual summit called the Entrepinayship Retreat and Josie was the Keynote speaker. I remember watching her talk and being so inspired. It’s crazy to think that she reached out to me just a few months later to work together on a collaboration, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to work with her.”

Said opportunity turned into a sort of love letter to the Philippines, which is essentially Kasama’s ethos as a brand. The $49.99, 750-milliliter bottle features the lush vines and tropical flowers of Natori's signature “Chikayo” print, which the brand is re-releasing to in honor of its 45th anniversary. The $275 canvas tote bag is embroidered with the same “Chikayo” motif.

Most importantly, the collaboration is also meant to give back to the Philippine community, “as modern-day slavery is a grave problem facing the Philippines as a result of poverty and limited opportunities,” notes the press release. Thus, Kasama and Natori are working with Voice of the Free as part of Natori’s “Natori Gives” campaign to help actively fight trafficking.

“We are so excited to partner with Kasama and Alexandra. Being able to collaborate with a fellow native Filipino and support a Philippine-based charity makes this partnership even more meaningful,” said Natori. “We have evolved Natori to become an East-meets-West lifestyle brand across all categories… Rum is now the latest, and certainly the tastiest, extension.”

The limited-edition bottle is available on Kasama’s website now, and you can find the matching tote on Natori.com. To coincide with the launch, the two teams came up with a few cocktail recipes in celebration of the partnership, which are also available on the rum brand’s site. Keep scrolling to see the new products, ahead.

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