Ayumi Nishigawa has big dreams to put her fashion expertise and business acumen to work to lift children in the Philippines out of poverty.
The 25-year-old, who founded Kobe-based clothing company Coxco Inc. last December, plans to open a free fashion school for Manila's poorest kids that she hopes will prepare them for future jobs in the fashion industry.
Her initial plan was to open a "Coxco Lab" fashion school in September in Quezon City, part of the larger Manila metropolis, where students age 14 to 20 could learn modeling, design and nail art among other vocations, but the coronavirus pandemic completely disrupted preparations.