16/08/2026
Kreativ at heart: a homegrown brand with a bigger purpose
By Maya M. Padillo
Edge Davao’s Kadayawan Special Edition
August 16-17, 2026
Kreativ Global PH may have started with shirts, but clothing was never the whole story.
At its heart, Kreativ is about creating something that gives back.
Established in 2024, the homegrown Filipino company began with Kreativ Apparel, offering customized shirts, sportswear, jerseys, team uniforms, and lifestyle pieces. From there, it grew into a creative enterprise providing customized merchandise, branding, apparel customization, and professional printing.
But the story behind the brand began somewhere less commercial: on a basketball court in Toril, Davao City.
For managing owner Jeline Gison-Galagar, Kreativ Global PH grew out of a simple challenge, how to sustain a community mission she and her husband, Kenn Galagar, had already poured their time and resources into.
“In connection with The Kreativ Movement, we established the organization as a way to formally organize Kenn’s vision of creating opportunities for young boys in Toril to join a proper and structured basketball clinic,” Jeline said.
The Kreativ Movement began with weekly basketball clinics for children. As the number of young players grew, so did the costs of equipment, logistics, and other essentials.
“When we started the weekly clinics, we realized that there were costs involved—equipment, logistics, and other expenses and initially, we were personally covering everything from our own income,” she said.
The Galagars soon realized that passion needed a practical partner.
“So when we decided to take this seriously and make it a full-time commitment, I told Kenn that we needed to create a sustainable way to fund the organization,” Jeline said.
That was the turning point. The answer was Kreativ Global PH.
The couple launched the business through Kreativ Apparel, building a model where a commercial venture could help sustain a community program.
“The idea was simple: we wanted to build something that could generate income while also supporting the mission of The Kreativ Movement,” Galagar said.
A portion of every Kreativ Apparel sale goes toward The Kreativ Movement and its basketball programs.
“So, in a way, every purchase contributes to giving these young boys an opportunity to train, play, and hopefully pursue bigger opportunities through basketball,” she said.
“For us, it’s not just about selling apparel. It’s about creating a sustainable cycle where the business helps fund the mission, and the mission creates opportunities for the community.”
The movement’s growth tells its own story.
“We actually started with just five kids. After our first year, the number grew to 15, and by our second year, we were already working with around 30 kids,” Jeline said.
A connection with a city sports program later helped the group stage its second basketball camp, bringing together young participants from Toril and Matina.
“What really encouraged us was that their program was also aligned with many of the values we believe in,” she said.
The experience also widened their vision.
“That experience made us dream even bigger. If we were able to reach these kids, maybe we could bring the same opportunity to more communities and organize more basketball camps,” Jeline said.
But for the Galagars, growth is not necessarily about becoming big.
“But honestly, we don't really want to become mainstream or be a big organization. What we really want is to simply continue what we're doing in our communities—training kids, giving them a safe place to play, and hopefully helping them grow not just as basketball players, but as young people,” Jeline said.
Meanwhile, Kreativ Global PH continues to find new ways to grow. After opening its first physical store in November 2025, the company expanded in 2026 with Kreativ Studio and Kreativ Prints, offering personalized apparel, creative customization, commercial printing, and event materials.
For Jeline, recognition matters only when it creates opportunities.
“Not because we want fame, but because we believe that being recognized can help us connect with the right people and organizations who share the same values and are willing to support the work we’re doing,” she said.
And the dream goes beyond basketball.
“We hope that one day, the boys who graduate from our program will have the opportunity to attend universities through basketball scholarships—to become part of a school's basketball team and continue both their education and their passion for the sport,” Jeline said.
“For us, basketball is really just the starting point. What we hope to give these kids is an opportunity, a chance to dream bigger and build a better future for themselves,” she said.
That may be the real meaning of being homegrown: building something in your own community, growing with it, and making sure that success has room for others, too.
