Built on family heritage and sustainability, Carry Om transforms discarded fabrics into joyful, one-of-a-kind bags that celebrate Filipino creativity.

Sometimes, the best ideas come from moments that break you open. For Viktoria Salazar and Dhanvan Saulo, Carry Om began as a way to process, to make something beautiful out of a difficult time. Born from a simple project between partners, it has since grown into a label defined by heart and purpose&mdash;one that reimagines Filipino craft, honors sustainability, and celebrates creating with purpose.
Speaking with L&rsquo;Officiel Philippines, the husband-and-wife duo trace Carry Om&rsquo;s story back to a family bag business from the 1970s. Though that original venture ended decades ago, it&rsquo;s proof that what&rsquo;s built with love can always find its way back. Its legacy of care and craftsmanship now lives on through Carry Om, reimagined for a new generation.

Photo by UNDONE Collective

Building on this foundation, Salazar and Saulo set out to continue the family legacy in their own way. &ldquo;My family, my dad, has been making bags for quite a while already. He founded a bag brand in the 1970s, up until it plummeted in the early 2000s,&rdquo; shares Saulo. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d been thinking of going back to revive the bag business because I&rsquo;ve known where to get resources,&rdquo; he adds. With access to suppliers and skilled sewers who had worked with his father for decades, the path to building Carry Om slowly began to take shape.

The brand truly came into its own after Salazar faced one of her toughest challenges: a cancer diagnosis. During her recovery, her friends organized a fun run to show their support. In return, she designed a few bags as a gesture of thanks&mdash;but they insisted on buying them instead. &ldquo;They were an inspiration for starting it. They were a catalyst,&rdquo; the couple shares. What began as a small act of friendship and resilience soon grew into a creative pursuit that celebrated life, artistry, and craftsmanship.
As an industrial designer by profession, Salazar had to learn a new rhythm. &ldquo;I used to design hardware or physical products; I hadn&rsquo;t done any soft goods before because these bags are considered soft goods,&rdquo; she shares. It wasn&rsquo;t until February of this year that she became more involved with Carry Om, and today, she leads the brand&rsquo;s creative direction with a clear and vibrant vision. &ldquo;So the silhouettes and color schemes are done by her,&rdquo; Saulo explains. &ldquo;She still collaborates with my father, who handles the technical direction of the patterns. She does the designs and colors, then passes the helm to my father for the patterns. We also continue to work with some of the people who were part of the Heritage brand back in the 1970s&mdash;they&rsquo;re still with us today. Literal seniors!&rdquo;

For Salazar, design at Carry Om is both creative and intentional. &ldquo;If you wear the bag, you&rsquo;re a walking art,&rdquo; she says. Her inspiration comes from architecture, furniture, fashion, and everyday life, but often, it&rsquo;s the materials themselves that dictate the direction of a design. Many of their fabrics are upcycled or leftover stock, meaning the process always begins with what&rsquo;s available. &ldquo;We work around what&rsquo;s available as a resource,&rdquo; Saulo explains.
Rather than dictating colors or quantities, Salazar embraces what comes her way. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t dictate&mdash;sometimes we get half a roll of a pink fabric, and we&rsquo;re at the mercy of what&rsquo;s given.&rdquo; These materials would otherwise be discarded. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re literally trashed by large bag manufacturing companies&mdash;sometimes they end up being burnt or dumped in landfills because it&rsquo;s cheaper than restocking new fabric,&rdquo; Saulo adds.
That realization became central to the Carry Om ethos. &ldquo;When I thought about reviving the brand, I knew we had to communicate where we were sourcing from. Everything is essentially upcycled,&rdquo; Saulo explains. By turning discarded fabrics into structured, joyful pieces, Carry Om gives new life to what others consider waste.&nbsp;

&ldquo;What I want our OMMIES to feel when they wear the bag is pride and joy,&rdquo; Salazar says. &ldquo;Colors release dopamine, and wearing the bags is like wearing happiness. Ohm is vibrations&mdash;you carry good vibes.&rdquo; Each piece is made to be a statement, a conversation starter, and a reflection of Filipino ingenuity. Their customers often turn heads abroad, proudly saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s made in the Philippines,&rdquo; carrying not just a bag, but a piece of home.

Looking ahead, Salazar and Saulo are planning collaborations with local designers, a children&rsquo;s line called Omelettes (for kids and kids at heart), and more ways to share their craft. However far the brand grows, it remains grounded in the same values that started it all: heritage, creativity, and the belief that what&rsquo;s built with love, and care for the world around us, will always find its way forward.

Meet Carry Om: The Filipino Brand Turning Upcycled Materials Into Wearable Art

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