About Us
MADE LOKAL by Melissa is a Filipino-owned business enterprise that offers hand-crafted leather accessories and footwear that are made by local artisans of Marikina City -- the "Shoe Capital" of the Philippines.
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I am Melissa, and I am the brand owner.
MADE LOKAL by Melissa started as a side hustle in August 2016 when I was still working in a BPO company as part of its Human Resources team. My goal was to earn extra income while promote locally made products, hence the name Made Lokal.
Since I am a Marikenya, MADE LOKAL by Melissa's initial focus was to support the local shoe industry by promoting Marikina-made shoes. I am primarily promoting the local products in the online market -- through Facebook and Instagram.
Team Made Lokal by Melissa
I started as a reseller of Marikina-made shoes. I get my shoes from local manufacturers and offer it through my social media accounts. From the 4 pairs of shoes, it eventually grew to a box-full then to a shelves-full of shoes.
Pre-Pandemic, I had 2 physical locations in ours mall in the Metro. But due to the pandemic, footwear sales took a hit and there was a dramatic decrease of demand of shoes. This also resulted to a number of our local shoemakers being displaced from work. In order to survive and to provide livelihood assistance, MADE LOKAL by Melissa started offering personalized leather accessories which were handmade by our local shoemakers.
Slowly, I ventured into starting my own manufacturing shop for leather accessories. I have started offering a variety of personalized leather accessories and has accepted orders for custom-made items for companies / businesses and events. This has kept me going, and through this, I was able to provide employment opportunities to displaced workers during the pandemic.
Our products are made of high quality vegan leather material made by local workers in Marikina City
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MADE LOKAL by Melissa's promise to its clients is to provide comfort and style in its shoes, and to provide quality-made leather accessories while also offering affordability and durability.
We are also committed in giving back to our community. We provide help, and support initiatives that we believe makes a positive impact to our people and country (see Social Responsibility page).