For the past few years, the local fashion scene here in Cebu has grown exponentially. Brands have been emerging left and right, and Cebuanos have slowly started getting into the market as well. But before this domination of bazaars and Instagram labels, there was ATE By Tatah.
A certified Cebu City classic since 2014, ATE By Tatah was established by Maria Aleta “Tatah” Costales dela Calzada as a homegrown brand specializing in ready-to-wear and customized ladies’ apparel led with a refreshingly simple idea: clothes should fit women, not the other way around.
“It’s not alter to fit, because not all that fits you suits you,” Tatah explains.
She goes on to emphasize the importance of fit outside the bodily context. For her, it’s just as much about how a garment aligns with a woman’s lifestyle, personality, and sense of comfort as it is about measurements on a tape.
Because of this, the experience inside ATE By Tatah is purposefully different from that of a typical retail store. Instead of sales ladies guiding customers through racks, the brand employs professional fashion designers and stylists who have been trained to understand proportion, movement, and personal style—focusing on a methodical process of refinement.
This level of attention and thoughtful production reflects the clothes themselves and the brand’s very own business practices.
Defined by clean lines, easy structure, and flattering cuts, ATE By Tatah’s pieces are designed to strike a careful balance of understatedness to integrate seamlessly into everyday wardrobes, along with a charming distinction that’s just enough to stand out. And since they’re tailored to suit each woman’s figure, preferences, and lifestyle, they’re far more likely to be kept and treasured as personal investments rather than disposable purchases.
Priding itself as a slow, sustainable fashion brand, Tatah also explains how they extend these considerations beyond the finished pieces.
“I was actually hesitant to get into fashion. I know that the fashion industry, the garment industry, is one of the biggest contributor[s] to the landfill […] From our end, we actually don’t contribute to the landfill. It’s zero for us.”
She shares that they make sure production is kept deliberate, measured, and cycled in smaller runs so materials are fully accounted for and waste is minimized.
Fabrics are also selected with longevity in mind, and scraps that do occur are carefully collected and given new life. This is done either through partnerships with organizations that recycle textile waste or the brand’s own creative reuse in select pieces and their signature patchwork shopping bag, The Ugly Bag, which they make from leftover cloth.
“It’s wearable art,” she exclaims enthusiastically.
And it is exactly in this passion that the women of Cebu have resonated deeply with over the years, returning not merely for the clothes, but also for the experience of being seen and considered in a design process they know is done full of heart. Especially during a time where the current retail landscape is often led with product-first thinking, ATE by Tatah, turning this process around, is able to communicate to their customers: you’ve been thought about, and you matter.
In doing so, ATE by Tatah then extends itself as a voice that celebrates women as intricate individuals with their own lives, bodies, and identities worth designing around—setting a thoughtful standard for accessible, sustainable fashion that cares for them and puts them first.
Visit ATE by Tatah at their branches in Robinsons Galleria Cebu, Villa Aurora Mabolo, Astra Centre in A.S. Fortuna, and Katipunan in Quezon City. For inquiries and appointments, contact the branch nearest you through their official pages.
