Kasama, the acclaimed small-batch rum from Filipino founder Alexandra Dorda that celebrates the Philippines and aims to redefine the next generation of both rum drinkers and makers, releases its first limited-edition bottle designed in collaboration with Filipino founder Josie Natori of New York-based fashion house, Natori, to raise awareness and support for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Echoing Kasama’s brand ethos as a love letter to the Philippines, the collaborative 750mL bottle is decorated with the lush vines and tropical flowers of Natori’s signature “Chikayo” print, which the brand is re-releasing to celebrate their 45th anniversary. To complement the bottle, Natori designed a limited-edition, hand-embroidered beach bag with the same Chikayo motif, available exclusively on Natori’s website for $275.
“I am incredibly excited to collaborate with Natori, a brand I have worn and admired for the last 12 years,” says Alexandra Dorda, founder of Kasama Rum. “I have followed Josie’s success and seen how hard she has worked to put Philippine design and craft on the map. In November of 2020, I was a speaker at a virtual summit called the Entrepinayship Retreat and Josie was the Keynote speaker. I remember watching her talk and being so inspired. It’s crazy to think that she reached out to me just a few months later to work together on a collaboration, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to work with her.”
“We are so excited to partner with Kasama and Alexandra. Being able to collaborate with a fellow native Filipino and support a Philippine-based charity makes this partnership even more meaningful,” says Josie Natori, founder of Natori. “We have evolved Natori to become an East-meets-West lifestyle brand across all categories… Rum is now the latest, and certainly the tastiest, extension.”
In order to give back to the Philippine community, 25% of every bottle and beach bag sale will be donated to Voice of the Free, an organization that works to end human trafficking in the Philippines. Kasama and Natori are working with this organization as part of Natori’s “Natori Gives” campaign as modern day slavery is a grave problem facing the Philippines as a result of poverty and limited opportunities. The Philippines is a source country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. The Global Slavery Index report estimates that 784,000 Filipinos are presently enslaved, many as overseas migrants.
The Kasama x Natori limited-edition bottle will be available on the Kasama website for $49.99. Additionally, the Kasama and Natori teams created five signature cocktail recipes to celebrate the partnership, inspired by Josie’s favorite flavor profiles. Full recipes can be found on the Kasama website.
About Kasama
Named after the Filipino term for “together,” Kasama pays homage to founder Alexandra Dorda’s Filipino-Polish heritage with a rum that defies the category. Kasama is produced & distilled in the heart of the Philippines and blended & bottled in Poland. The brand embodies a sunny spirit inside & out – the convivial bottle holds a golden rum that’s aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels with dominant notes of sweet pineapple, a hint of vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt. Leaving behind the typical tropes associated with old-school rum brands like sailors & pirates and absent of heavily spiced flavor profiles – Kasama brings a refreshing approach in both branding & palate to a category in need of a breath of fresh air.
About Natori
The House of Natori was founded in 1977 and today is one of the fashion industry’s most recognizable designer brands, with collections ranging from ready-to-wear, lingerie, and sleepwear, to home textiles, fine jewelry, accessories, bath, legwear, shoes, fine jewelry, men’s loungewear and more. Each of the Natori brand collections – Josie Natori, Natori, N Natori and Josie by Natori – is a reflection of the namesake designer’s distinctive, East/West aesthetic.
For More Information:
https://www.kasamarum.com/pages/kasama-x-natori