From its humble beginnings in 2020, Calliah Fashion has quickly risen to prominence on TikTok Shop and evolved into a well-loved local women’s fashion brand. Founded by Divine and McAnthony Aguilar, Calliah draws inspiration from their daughter and symbolizes beauty, strength, and individuality–values that are now reflected in their designs and business operations.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Calliah Fashion became one of the Top 20 Womenswear Sellers on TikTok Shop, driven by strong Self-LIVE GMV performance. Through their strategic use of TikTok Shop’s ACE Indicator System—Assortment, Content, and Empowerment—Calliah Fashion has built a successful e-commerce presence, driving substantial growth in just a few years.

Thriving with Assortment and Strategic Product Launches

Calliah Fashion’s journey on TikTok Shop has been powered by a carefully curated assortment of products that resonate with their audience. They gained significant traction with monthly exclusive releases, especially highlighted during campaigns like Buy Local, Shop Local, where they introduced compelling deals such as Buy 1 Get 1 offers and high-discount product listings. These moves helped boost their Shop Tab GMV significantly.

Their strategic product bundling also contributed to rapid growth. The Chinese New Year 3-Pax Shorts Bundle, for example, saw an incredible 333% year-over-year (YOY) GMV growth during the December 2024 Buy Local, Shop Local campaign, compared to the same period in 2023, as shoppers prepared for Chinese New Year 2025. This success is just one example of how Calliah’s ability to create thematic bundles quickly captured the attention of TikTok Shop users and became top-selling items during livestream events.

“Our brand has always been about empowering women to embrace their own style, and TikTok Shop has provided us with an incredible platform to do just that,” said Divine Aguilar, co-founder of Calliah Fashion. “The platform’s tools and the strong community of women on TikTok Shop have helped us reach new heights, especially with our exclusive product launches and bundles that truly resonate with our customers.”

Content-Driven Success: Livestreams and Affiliates

Content has been key to Calliah Fashion’s success on TikTok Shop. By strengthening their affiliate relationships and creating themed PR packages, the brand maximized the impact of livestreams and product features. Calliah’s livestreams gained notable traction during special events, including an exclusive collaboration with fellow Buy Local, Shop Local seller Josefina’s Kitchen, further elevating their visibility.

Through strategic use of TikTok Shop’s in-app resources and social media promotions, Calliah was able to amplify its reach. The result was a 17% increase in LIVE GMV in November 2024 and an even greater 49% increase in December 2024 during the Buy Local Gems feature. Their efforts in optimizing livestreams were mirrored in their Affiliate GMV, which saw an uplift of 100% in October 2024 and 165% in December 2024 as they tapped into their growing affiliate network.

“Calliah Fashion’s success on TikTok Shop is a testament to the power of authentic connections,” said Franco Aligaen, Marketing Lead of TikTok Shop Philippines. “By embracing livestreaming and exclusive product launches, they’ve built a strong community of empowered women, turning creativity into growth. We’re proud to support brands like theirs in shaping the future of Philippine fashion on TikTok Shop.”

Empowering Growth Through Learning and Leadership

Beyond product strategy and content, Calliah Fashion’s success is also a result of their commitment to personal and professional growth. Calliah Fashion was one of only two Philippine-based sellers invited to represent local craftsmanship at the ASEAN Business and Investments Summit in Laos in November 2024. This prestigious event gave the brand an opportunity to showcase its products to international organizations and world leaders, including Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Additionally, Calliah was featured in the #SarilingAtin docuseries on TikTok Shop, where they were able to promote their commitment to local craftsmanship and share their journey as a Filipino seller. These empowerment initiatives, coupled with their participation in campaigns and seminars, helped propel Calliah Fashion to achieve a remarkable 87% quarter-on-quarter growth, making them one of the fastest-growing womenswear brands on TikTok Shop in early 2025.

A Bright Future for Filipino Fashion

Calliah Fashion’s remarkable growth on TikTok Shop showcases how a local brand can leverage digital tools to connect with customers and scale rapidly. From their product assortment to content strategies and empowerment efforts, Calliah has become a prime example of how e-commerce can drive success for small businesses in the Philippines.

“Our journey is just beginning,” Aguilar added. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know that with the support of TikTok Shop and the community we’ve built, the future is even brighter. We are excited to continue growing and empowering women through fashion.”

To discover more of Calliah Fashion’s latest styles, visit their official TikTok Shop page.

You see their ads often… these restaurants that offer smoked meats that are said to melt in your mouth with goodness. Sa visuals, maaakit ka, as they showcase slices of meat that remain juicy after being processed, and so yeah, maglalaway ka sa akala mo ay yummy.

This is how we discovered Jfred’s Smokehouse in Cavite.

After a visit, ano ang masasabi namin?

@outragemag Takam ka sa #smokedmeat? #LGBTQ food trip to Jfred’s Smokehouse @jfreds.smokehouse in #Bacoor, #Cavite ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is easy to find naman, as it’s not too far from malls. Note that this is in Bacoor; meaning, you’d need to allocate time to drive to the place, and extra cash for tolls if you take expressways.

Ikalawa, the actual venue is… okay kahit di full-blast ang aircon. Malinis ang lugar. May maayos na furniture. Proper ang cutlery. Di mausok, so you don’t leave smelling like you sat beside the grillery. And so on.

Ikatlo, attentive naman ang staff. Halimbawa, they can explain the items in the menu; and they’re readily available if you need stuff.

Now… let’s talk about the food.

1. The Smoked Angus Beef (₱900) was noteworthy for being soft, yes. You won’t even need a knife na when you eat because this is what “melts in your mouth” is like for real. However, this tasted quite bland. So when chewing, you – instead – taste the not necessarily desirable meat fat. Also, for ₱900, you get a small serving.
2. The Beef Ragu (₱380) was malaman, and was cheesy. But it was also quite sweet. And yes, maliit ang serving.
3. The Caesar Salad (₱250) was sariwa, and was cheesy. But for ₱250, the serving was quite small din.
4. The French Fries (₱150) was served warm. But eat fast because mabilis kumunat.

Jfred’s Smokehouse is not a bad place. So if looking for smoked meat while in the area, yep… add this to your list of venues.

And yet this place made us realize that smoked meat is an acquired taste. Hindi lahat makaka-appreciate nito. And so yeah, revisiting isn’t in our calendar pa. So we just search for more lafang venues.

Jfred’s Smokehouse is located at 4930 Molino Blvd., Niog III, Bacoor City, Province of Cavite. Contact them at 0999 929 7624.

There’s this venue in Silang in Cavite that started referring to itself as “Little Bangkok”. And why not, when – in a compound – there are various Thai-related offerings, helmed by a Thai resto called Som Thai Silang Bypass.

@outragemag

Looking for #LGBTQ #thai #cheapeats in #Cavite? We checked Som Thai Silang Bypass to see if it's worth visiting

♬ original sound – outragemag

We checked it, and… how was it for us?

Una, this place is closer to Tagaytay than it is to Manila. So magbaon ng pasensiya at pera sa biyahe… considering that, yes, you have to allocate more time and monetary allocation for the gas and tolls just to check this place.

Ikalawa, the actual resto isn’t grand; it almost looks like a karinderya in the province. But then again, it reminds me of the micro and small entrepreneurs in rural parts of Thailand, where locals convert their houses into mini-restos for lunch and for dinner. Just don’t expect much when here.

Ikatlo, the service people were nice (e.g. they’d ask you if things are okay), but they were… slow (e.g. I had to approach the teller to pay the bill).

And lastly… the food; how was it for us?

• The Som Tam (papaya salad, ₱120 for the solo serving) was – in a word – malansa (fishy). There are different ways to prepare this, with some adding shrimp paste (bagoóng alamáng) or dried shrimps (hibi). But the version of Som Thai Silang Bypass tasted like it used fermented fish (bagoóng isdâ) from Pampanga. Now… if you’re familiar with Pampanga’s bagoong, you’d know what I mean when I say malansa.
• The Tom Yum seafood (₱291 for the solo serving) was, at least, malasa (tasty) and contained lots of seafood.
• The Pad Thai chicken (₱249 for the solo serving) was… tasteless. This is sorta disappointing because when a Thai resto can’t make a proper Pad Thai, you start to have doubts re authenticity.
• The Mango Duo (two pieces of half-cut fresh spring rolls + mango sticky rice + garlic mayo and peanut sauce, ₱265) is a cheaper way to get spring rolls and dessert. Nothing special here, but the mango slices used were really sweet.
• The Chicken Satay ((with peanut sauce and vinegar, ₱210) was bland. We were anticipating red curry (or massaman curry) or at least peanutty taste, but neither was noted. Even the peanut sauce did not taste peanutty.
• Be warned that the servings here are small – i.e. when they say “solo”, they’re serious in limiting you from sharing.
• Be warned, too, that some Thai condiments – e.g. tamarind paste – aren’t available. “Ubos na,” we were told.

If there aren’t other Thai restos in the area, Som Thai Silang Bypass should suffice. But this is Silang, a municipality in the Province of Cavite that has too many restos to count. So yeah… you can try if you want, and considering its limitations. Otherwise, let’s just discover more lafang venues.

Som Thai Silang Bypass is located along Bypass Road, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite.