Bahay Kubo


My dad is one of the hardest working people I've ever known and growing up there would be days where he would leave the house with us still asleep and return back home late at night after bedtime. He would often joke with my mom and ask "do these kids ever get up". Our Bahay Kubo T-shirt was inspired by a scene that he would often draw for my sisters and I back since we were little kids growing up in Queens.

The scene is an ode to a simpler and peaceful life back home in the Philippines. Bahay kubo, or nipa hut, is considered as a cultural heritage, a symbol of togetherness. If you look inside, a typical nipa hut has no partitions for rooms in order to accommodate the entire family. My dad probably drew this scene a number of times for us and to this day still draws it for his grandchildren. To honor it, MY KAI enlisted the talents of Rashelle Stetman to elevate some of the main components of his original drawing. The end result far surpassed our expectations and my dad himself even gave it two thumbs up.