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Dr. Rommel Bautista of Fino Leatherware 

<p>On any given week, Dr. Rommel Bautista splits his days evenly between the clinic, operating room, and the FINO factory. For over three decades now, he and his wife Rose Ann have steered the country’s premier leatherware brand through economic crises, a worldwide pandemic, and countless shifts in the retail landscape. “When we started, I was still in medical school, while Rose Ann was working for her family business which was in seafood export,” the ophthalmologist and co-founder begins.</p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-4" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWD9Q3BCO-q/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A4032181.300000012%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="858" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><strong>FROM PASSION PROJECT TO BRAND  </strong></div><p>Both had no intentions of starting a business, let alone growing a leatherware heritage brand. “To be honest, I just needed beer money or date money,” Bautista says candidly. As a medical student in the 90s, he felt there were limited choices for leather accessories–especially for men. He needed a bag for his medical books, and found the offerings at that time lacking. “The options available were polarizing. You had luxury imported leather bags, which were well-made yet expensive. If this was out of your budget, you had to settle for more inferior products where design and quality left much to be desired.” So, Bautista decided to make his own leather bag. Back then, students perused physical books.  </p><p>His family was in the furniture and construction  business, which gave him access to leather craftsmen and scrap materials. “Everything just morphed from interest into a business,” he recalls. After the first bag was completed, he then got to developing a filofax planner, the analog version of what we now know as Google Calendar. Recognizing the attention to detail and elevated level of quality, multinational companies took notice. They began placing orders for corporate gifts.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:575px;display:block" width="575"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783605937519Dr. Rommel Bautista_Thumbnail.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:575px;display:block;height:auto" width="575"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>For over 30 years, Dr. Rommel Bautista has balanced a thriving medical practice with growing FINO Leatherware into a respected Filipino heritage brand</em></span></span></span></div><p>The big break inspired the couple to set up a workshop. “This was also the time when TESDA had programs designed to develop the leather industry in the Philippines. We tapped into TESDA who linked us up with craftsmen trained in working with leather.” Initially, production was dedicated to fulfilling corporate orders.  </p><p>When the brand was invited to become a concessionaire for the now-defunct multi-brand store called Koalition Zoo at the Edsa Shangri La Plaza Mall, the retail journey began. “It was also at the time when we started building a more sizable work force,” explains Bautista. The brand began to grow a loyal clientele that recognized quality workmanship that was evidently a cut above the rest. From men’s accessories, the brand ventured into the women’s category.  </p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:520px;display:block" width="520"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783606250320The first bag and filofax planner designed and created by Dr. Rommel Bautista.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:520px" width="520"/><span class="fr-inner">From the archives: The first bag and filofax planner designed and created by Dr. Rommel Bautista</span></span></span></div><div><strong>BUILDING TWO DREAMS AT ONCE</strong></div><p>Although FINO was growing, Dr. Rommel continued in his medical practice. “My parents thought it was a distraction,” he intimates. “After I completed my training at Stanford University, they predicted that I would never practice.” Against all advice and odds, the doctor and brand co-founder endeavored to build the practice and the brand from the ground up. Simultaneously.</p><p>Bautista did not come from a long line of medical practitioners. “I did not have parents who warmed up a seat for me at the clinic. I had to grow my practice from scratch. There were days when I had absolutely zero patients,” he explains. Just the same, there was no workshop or leatherware company set in place. FINO in the 90s had yet to go through all the birthing pains and milestones.</p><p>In retrospect, Bautista now sees how both endeavors helped to uplift the other. “Because there was an additional income stream from FINO, I did not have to worry about having enough patients and doing enough procedures. I was able to practice in a manner I believed to be ethical” he reflects. Many of the brand’s patrons who have now become friends of the founders deduct that the high level of workmanship and keen eye for detail stems from the good doctor’s practice. </p><div><strong>THE CRAFT BEHIND EVERY PIECE</strong></div><p>Since day one, Bautista has been mostly involved in product development. “Design is a moment. Sometimes you’re inspired and other times, you feel stumped,” he shares. He is also immersed in sourcing high quality leathers and hardware. “This can be very challenging,” he confesses. “Leather as a material is not endemic to the Philippines and so are the other components that go into crafting a finished article. That said, a large part of my work is devoted to sourcing and research.”</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaC2lV4iOY-/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2704145.900000006%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="855" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Bautista reveals that in the creation of one style, at least eight suppliers are involved. “We are a vertically integrated company, so we carry the burden of this kind of supply chain.” And while it may be regarded as an obstacle especially where capital is concerned, this model allows FINO to push creativity. ‘It also gives us enough independence to pivot and shift.”</p><p>At present there are around 120 working on the workshop floor. “We make sure that all of our makers are cared for. There is no piecework, and we have our own in-house apprenticeship,” declares Bautista.  Over the course of 32 years, FINO Leatherware has expanded its presence in key retail locations around the metro. Both founders, Rommel and Rose Ann, have also  been recognized by Ernst and Young as Entrepreneurs of the Year in the early 2000s. </p><div><strong>CARRYING THE LEGACY FORWARD</strong></div><p>The road from a little over three decades past has been paved by innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness. “Growth is something that I continuously look forward to,” shares Bautista. Success compounded over the years have indicated increasing demand for high-quality leatherware in other mega cities in the archipelago. “Of course this means preparing our workshop and professionalizing the company further.” </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZhkyRcCIHU/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A2768016.599999994%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="858" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>As can be expected of a family enterprise, the brand’s future also hinges on the next generation. “I hope my daughter will take an interest in the business. As a parent, you want  your children to do better than you,” intimates the founder and father. His daughter, Adrianna, is currently in Madrid taking up her MBA. Prior to relocating, she took on an active role in brand initiatives including the recent launch of Atlas by Royal Pineda for FINO Leatherware. “Ultimately, it will be up to her if she wants to take over. But if that’s the case, she would really need to study and learn how to professionalize operational structure and scale up without sacrificing the identity of the brand and its values.” </p>

<p>For more than three decades, Dr. Rommel Bautista balanced life as an ophthalmologist and entrepreneur, proving that craftsmanship and purpose can grow side by side. The founder of FINO Leatherware says that building a homegrown brand from the ground up began with a “happy accident.”</p>

For more than three decades, Dr. Rommel Bautista balanced life as an ophthalmologist and entrepreneur, proving that craftsmanship and purpose can grow side by side. The founder of FINO Leatherware says that building a homegrown brand from the ground up began with a “happy accident.”

The doctor behind FINO Leatherware: Dr. Rommel Bautista on building a Filipino heritage brand

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The doctor behind FINO Leatherware: Dr. Rommel Bautista on building a Filipino heritage brand

Bianca Salonga

Published July 09, 2026 10:37 PM PHT

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