Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneur & Circular Economy Advocate; President & Founding Partner of Rags2Riches; Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz Biography
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz is a Filipino social entrepreneur and the president and founding partner of Rags2Riches, a sustainable fashion enterprise. Fernandez-Ruiz co-founded Rags2Riches with the mission to empower artisans in the Philippines through fashion and home products that adhere to environmental ethics principles, aiming to alleviate poverty in Payatas, Quezon City, and other communities around Metro Manila. She studied management at Ateneo de Manila University and completed certificate courses in sustainable fashion at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London and art and science of systems change at Harvard Kennedy School.
The origins of Rags2Riches are rooted in Fernandez-Ruiz's firsthand experience with urban poverty. After graduating from college, she worked as a teacher in Payatas, a neighborhood in Quezon City known for its large dumpsite. Fernandez-Ruiz co-founded Rags2Riches after witnessing the poverty of women in the Payatas dumpsite, who were earning less than 50 cents per day for weaving rugs from fabric scraps. She collaborated with fashion designer Rajo Laurel and social entrepreneur Xavier Alpasa to connect the women with factories for scrap materials and to enable direct sales to retailers, bypassing intermediaries.
Under Fernandez-Ruiz's leadership, Rags2Riches has grown into a prominent social enterprise in the Philippines and Asia. The company has trained more than 1,000 artisans across the Philippines, supporting them in bringing their products to market and earning fair compensation. The enterprise also partnered with IKEA as its official sewing and upcycling partner in the Philippines, servicing the largest store in the international chain. Fernandez-Ruiz works with traditional weavers, including women in northern Luzon, the Mangyan of Mindoro, and the T'boli weavers of South Cotabato.
Fernandez-Ruiz's work has earned her international recognition, including being named a Rolex Young Laureate, the youngest recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service Award, Young Entrepreneur Awardee of the World Entrepreneurship Forum, and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Her honors also include Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs, the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year award, CauseArtist's recognition as one of 40 Global Social Entrepreneurs to Watch, and Asia Tatler's Most Influential People. She has also spoken at the World Economic Forum alongside Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
Beyond her work at Rags2Riches, Fernandez-Ruiz is recognized as a thought leader and advocate for systemic change. She is a key opinion leader for entrepreneurship, a proponent of the circular economy in the Philippines and Asia, a strategic finance consultant for cause-driven businesses, and a public speaker. Fernandez-Ruiz addresses topics such as sustainability, circularity, purposeful business, financial literacy, and women's empowerment. Her career demonstrates the impact of design, community, and commerce in driving social change.
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz Videos
-
How do I book Reese Fernandez-Ruiz to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Reese Fernandez-Ruiz for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Reese Fernandez-Ruiz or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Reese Fernandez-Ruiz
Speaking fees for Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Reese Fernandez-Ruiz are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Reese Fernandez-Ruiz speak about?
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Art & Design, Business, Entrepreneurship, Fashion, Fashion, Influential Women, Innovation, Leadership, Social Entrepreneurship, Women in Business -
Where does Reese Fernandez-Ruiz travel from?
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz generally travels from Philippines, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Reese Fernandez-Ruiz’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Reese Fernandez-Ruiz for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Reese Fernandez-Ruiz for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Reese Fernandez-Ruiz or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book Reese Fernandez-Ruiz for your event is available upon request. Reese Fernandez-Ruiz generally travels from Philippines and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Daymond John, Omar Bailey, Christoph Gebald, F. Scott Moody and Uzoma Orchingwa. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Reese Fernandez-Ruiz for an upcoming live or virtual event.
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.








