Beauty in Nostalgia
By Jennifer Lo
Larone Crafts, Inc., founded by Veronica Lo, is an enduring Philippine brand that has been part of Manila FAME for more than three decades. She has since retreated from managing the business that is now under the meticulous watch of her daughter, Jennifer Lo. The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) caught up with the now general manager of Larone as she shared her fond memories of her mother, the business, and Manila FAME 2024.
I find myself tearing up every time I reflect on the intersection between my business, Larone Crafts, and my family, especially when it comes to my mother, Veronica, who founded the company in 1984. Imagine this emotional wave hitting me again when CITEM invited Larone to participate in their special setting for the Manila FAME happening on October 17-19, 2024.
CITEM requested us to lend products from our early years for their feature exhibit titled, "Nostalgia." My team and I dove into the archives and rediscovered some of the handbags my mother had personally kept. Seeing them again after nearly 30 years, was like opening a time capsule of memories.
Each piece carries echoes of my mother—like her wearing a beige blazer (complete with 1980s shoulder pads) to a trade show, or the gold and black tassels of her crossbody bag made of buntal (lightweight fibers made from Buri palm) swinging as she walked. I recall a brown frog-skin clutch in hand while in a simple floral dress at a family dinner. Or, on a Sunday outing, dressed casually in cotton twill shorts and a white printed tee, a crocheted raffia tote slung on her arm.
One moment, however, stands out vividly from my childhood. I was in grade school, and we were asked to invite our parents to sit in on a class. I didn’t think my mother would come, busy as she was managing the factory. But, she did. She walked into the room in a linen button-down shirt and pants, carrying an embroidered natural raffia shoulder bag. I overheard my classmates whisper, "Whose mom is that?" And, I wanted to shout, "That’s my mom—she’s so beautiful!"
In photos: Veronica Lo, founder and designer of Larone Crafts, and some of her creations made of natural materials, brass, and capiz.
In the 15 years since I’ve taken over the company, Larone has become an intersection of memory, family, and identity for me. Author Gretchen Rubin’s observation that "the days are long, but the years are short" resonates deeply in the world of export manufacturing, where deadlines loom constantly, yet the handmade, organic nature of our products urges us to take our time with each artisanal piece.
I was only three years old when my mother started Larone Crafts. My first memories of her are tied to her role as a businesswoman—giving instructions in the factory, meeting Japanese clients for lunch, her handwriting scrawled across papers spread out on her bed.
As we celebrate Larone Crafts’ 40th anniversary and the 30th year or so of participating in Manila FAME, I am filled with pride—not just for what the company has achieved, but for my mother’s legacy. She still visits the office occasionally, dressed in the latest fashion but always with a Larone handbag on her arm. Every time I see her, I’m reminded of the little girl who looked up at her mom and thought, “That’s my mom, she’s so beautiful.”
And, it’s a thought that will forever stay.
