'THIS BILDA' is a series that features interviews with creatives and founders in Asia and beyond.
Aggie Blanco is the founder of Webeings, a circular fashion brand crafting handbags from textile and plastic waste sourced in Bali. Working with a team of female artisans, she transforms discarded materials into unique, thoughtfully designed pieces. Aggie’s approach blends innovation with tradition, creating products that are as intentional as they are beautiful. Webeings is more than a brand—it’s a step toward reimagining how we consume and create. With Aggie leading the way, sustainability isn’t just an idea; it’s a practice.
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No small talk - you can meet one person from the past or present who’s it going to be and why?
This is such a tough question, but I’m going to say David Bowie. I grew up listening to his music at home and I am a huge fan myself. I love how complex his mind was and how multifaceted he was as a creative. It would be an absolute dream to get a closer glimpse into it.
Tell us about your current venture, Webeings?
Webeings is a circular fashion brand. We make accessories, mainly handbags, using textile and plastic waste that we source directly from rivers, beaches and landfills in Bali.
We create our own raw materials in house and our team of female artisans weaves them by hand into one of a kind treasures.
We are currently expanding our current collection and experimenting with new materials and new techniques.
We launched a year ago after 3 years of research and development through a global pandemic, it has been an incredible journey and we are very excited for the road ahead.
Walk us through the process of creating a Webeings product, how do you go from idea to execution?
As a company we are rooted in sustainability and driven by design.
Being a circular brand requires to constantly think outside the box. We start by looking at waste materials and experimenting with them to find aesthetic ways to implement them. Then we establish the waste supply chain; some waste materials are sourced in house and some others are sourced in collaboration with local waste banks.
After we figure out the materials, I design the product and work alongside our master weaver, who has the technical skills to execute it in the best possible way. Once we are happy with a sample, the rest of the weavers are taught the technique, and we focus on streamlining the process so we can move onto production.
What’s a challenge about working for yourself that people don’t realise?
The incredible amount of self discipline it requires and how obsessed you’ll become with work, which makes it hard to fully disconnect as it is always in the back of your mind in one way or another.
But in all honesty, I would say it is equally challenging as it is rewarding.
What practical tip would you give someone looking to start their own business?
As with every journey you may embark on you will need a compass, a map and the right company.
Find your why, let this be your compass.
Ask yourself what kind of change do I wish to bring about in the world by embarking on this mission? Once you find the answer let it guide everything you do and always make sure you go back to it, especially on days where the road gets rocky, and inevitably it will. Always remember your why.
Create a business plan, let this be your map. Aside from being a practical document, it is also the most powerful manifestation tool there is as it allows you to draw the big picture, set the direction you envision your brand growing towards and figuring out the steps to get there.
My advice is to not see it as a static document, but rather as a living organism that constantly grows and evolves with the company. Revisit it every once in a while to take a look at your goals, measure progress, and make adjustments.
And lastly, the journey ahead is long and it will be easier with the right people by your side; be it your team, your mentors or other fellow entrepreneurs.
As they say “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together” and I believe that is very true.
What kinds of practices or innovation could make the fashion industry more sustainable?
The fashion industry is rooted in innovation and creativity, if that power is harnessed in the right direction there’s incredible potential for impact.
I believe the combination of modern technology and traditional crafts can lead to incredible developments.
However, in order to truly make a change there needs to be a radical shift in consumer behavior as well.
Thanks to the rise of fast fashion we have gotten used to thinking of clothing as disposable. We need to consume more mindfully, thinking of different ways to style what we currently have in our closets can give us that sense of novelty and going back to seeing clothes as loved items to cherish for a long time.
What’s a ritual you practice to feel your best?
Meditation, especially first thing in the morning is the best way to welcome the new day.
I love my practice, it grounds me and inspires me, so I try to be very disciplined about it.
There is no right or wrong way to meditate, as long as you keep showing up and sitting in stillness, being present, noticing your thoughts rather than engaging with them, you will notice incredible ripple effects on all areas of your life.
What’s a dream collab you’d love to land?
I’m happy to say one of my dream collabs is already in the works. I can’t reveal too much yet, but we are creating a capsule collection of circular products made 100% from waste, it is our most sustainable and most exciting launch to date.
I would also love to collaborate with different artists on limited edition drops for our detachable linings, we have some names in mind and we’ll try to make it happen later this year.
Big picture dream collab would probably involve a big fashion house with a rich textile tradition, I love the idea of creating a luxury product from literal trash.
Are there any small businesses, startups, brands, or founders you think we should check out?
I would like to highlight two fellow women working with textile waste who inspire me.
Threadapeutic is an incredible company making art out of textile waste. Founded by Hana, an amazing woman who in her 50s after spending most of her adult life as a housewife started this incredible project upcycling fabric scraps by mastering an artisanal technique into wall panels and large format art works now exhibited internationally. Her story is so inspiring and a reminder that it's never too late to start a new chapter in life.
Pable, founded by the incredible powerhouse Aryenda Atma, is a company that produces upcycled fabrics in Indonesia. They take apart discarded fabrics and respun it into yarn using industrial machinery that they then weave into beautiful new fabric by hand using traditional loom techniques in a rural village in Java. Aryenda is a force to be reckoned with.
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Follow Webeings on Instagram and check out their beautiful pieces here.