Boredom and creativity, when mixed together, can result to big ideas, and this is exactly how Laraine Llanes started Outlines., a brand that sells tote bags each with an artwork that was designed along with Ian Abella and Alessa Engalan.
Despite the different personalities of each collaborating artist, they all have one common thread: their advocacies. With hand drawn art, line art and minimalism, each artwork is not just an artwork or a design but rather, an advocacy.
What makes Outlines. different from other brands is how instead of using the usual color and typography often seen on tote bags, they use lines and outlines. This straightforwardness helps anyone who looks at their designs instantly see the advocacies of each design.
Through Outlines., one is forced to face the sensitive topics that, more often than not, the Philippines, as a conservative country, chooses to look away from or refuses to talk about such as nudity, lesbianism, body-shaming and sexuality.
Outlines. wants you to embrace your body, your sexuality and… you. By putting advocacies on a tote bag where it can be seen by everyone, it would exactly be like wearing a badge of honor.
This brand may just be starting but the future already looks pretty amazing – more collaborations with more local artists, more sizes, more products, more advocacies.