Tessa Prieto-Valdes: Why I dress up

After all these years, I still get asked on why I dress up ostentatiously. Here’s the truth: I do it because it makes me feel happy. It also makes other people happy! And at the end of the day, isn’t the pursuit and distribution of happiness the ultimate mission?

Mission: Happiness

Sometimes, it takes a tragedy for one to be gifted with an epiphany on just how lucky one can be. It was when my brother passed suddenly from a terrible accident that I realized just how short life is and how we should truly live it the way we want to –without hurting others, of course. Call it a Hippocratic Oath for the common person: “First, do no harm. Then dress up however you want!”

Without any hesitation for the first time in my life, I decided to just rock my outfits however which way I felt. It was liberating and colorful. More importantly, people started talking to me and complimenting me on my eccentric wardrobe! They smiled, sincerely asked questions and engaged with me. It was their smiles that gave me so much happiness. It made me realize, that my body is a canvas and what I wear on this canvas can inspire others!

Igniting Inspiration

Happiness sparks a fire inside of you and you can’t help but want to share that happiness. I grew up surrounded and inspired by the generosity of my parents. My mother was actively involved in several community projects and I learned the true power of helping others by watching her. My father also encouraged me to use my talents and gifts for the greater good of helping others to succeed. With all these motivations of continuing to spark significant change in the community, together with the joy of pursuing my love for Filipino fashion, The Red Charity Gala (RCG) came about.

My life experiences were the foundation and building blocks of the Red Charity Gala. My co-chair, Kaye Tinga and I were passionate about supporting Filipino designers and helping our communities with whatever it was that they needed, especially the Red Cross chapters we were both involved in. We found it so rewarding to see that fashion can positively change lives and communities. I’m very happy to say that we have been doing so for 9 years now.

The Red Charity Gala is a stage to not only showcase the best in Philippine Fashion but also an avenue by which guests can contribute through their participation in the auction. Each year, we curate items for auction and all proceeds are donated to our beneficiaries.

Over the years, the RCG has raised more than 30 million pesos and have helped communities in Taguig and Makati (For the first couple of years, we have helped the Red Cross chapters in Rizal and Taguig purchase better EMS gear; supported their medical missions and provisions of vaccines in the health centers;) as well as the communities that have been hit by Typhoons Yolanda and Ondoy. In Mercedes, Eastern Samar for example, we’ve built more than 20 homes for 20 families, rebuilt the school and community center, provided financing for building of boats for the fishermen who have lost theirs; etc. 

It’s not just about providing these things for them to replace what they’ve lost. It’s about giving them hope – giving them another shot at having a better life. We go back every now and then to the communities, just to see what else they’d need. I guess we would move on when we hear them say “We’re good now. We’re helping others too.”

Live, Love, Laugh

Cliché as it may be, there is some truth to the adage of multiplying happiness by sharing. I live for sharing the joy and spreading the happiness.

I live to continue what I’ve started in the hopes that it would spark inspiration for the people around me so they too can start living with meaning and living for others. This way, more and more people will continue to make a difference in other people’s lives.

I love life and live to love it! – Rappler.com