09/05/2026
“Woven in Resilience. Carried with Elegance”
“Woven in Resilience. Carried with Elegance”
Leya Mari is a women-led brand that transforms handcrafted weaving into refined and stylish bags, elevating local craftsmanship into modern fashion, while creating sustainable livelihood that honors resilience, ingenuity and Filipino artistry.
Leya Mari traces its roots to a women’s livelihood initiative established during the administration of Mayor Atty. Leah Marie Moral-Romano in the Municipality of Braulio E. Dujali, Davao del Norte. The program brought together local women artisans, providing skills, opportunity, and a shared purpose through weaving.
Through the collective effort of BAFWELA (Banana Fiber Weavers Association), in partnership with the local government of Braulio E. Dujali and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF), this initiative became a space where craftsmanship met purpose. It reached not only women in the community, but also persons deprived of liberty thereby offering dignity, livelihood, and a second chance through meaningful work.
What began as a government-supported initiative was destined to metamorphose into something greater. It was in collaboration with the HOUSE of MUSA, that Leya Mari began to evolve beyond its origins. Through the mentorship and creative direction of Joy Soo, founder of Musa, passion was sparked transforming this into a brand. The decorative elements of Davao del Norte’s known Musa Fabric are woven into each piece not just as material, but as identity.
Today, Leya Mari stands as an independent, privately led brand built to sustain what was started, and to honor the women who never stopped weaving, creating, and believing in what their hands can do.
This is more than a product.
This is a story that refused to end.
And this time, it is built to last.
