Cebuano designer confident to develop niche at home base

After making a name in design and creative event management abroad, especially in Norway, Cebuano designer Charlie Manatad is now developing his design brand to serve both the domestic and foreign markets.

Manatad purposely came home from Europe to nurture his designing talent here and create his own designs in fashion accessories, clothing, and bags. Initially, Manatad has created fashion accessory designs for fashion models here, such as fashion icon Tessa Prieto, and now he plans to expand his design advantage through opening an outlet in Cebu.

In an interview with Manatad he said he would like to hit the unsaturated men's fashion accessory market, highlighting his vintage inspired designs.

Although, Filipino men are not into wearing fashion accessories, Manatad said he would like to create or develop a market for it, and also capture some men who are into fashion accessories, also tourists, and Cebuano "outrageous" fashionistas.

"The market for signature fashion accessories is big. I would like to introduce and highlight the vintage inspired pieces bringing the brand Hiawatha's by Charlie Manatad," he said.

He added that there are only few designers who are now capturing the potential men market for fashion accessories, and that he is going to start the "ball rolling" for the Philippines.

Unlike in other countries, he said Filipino men are not fashion-conscious than women, but while the fashion trend has evolved, slowly Filipino men are now appreciating fashion accessories.

Cebu is the home of fashion accessory exporters which supply famous brands outside the country, but Cebu exporters are only the original design manufacturers (ODM), most of them make items for known signature brands, but deals are confidential.

Manatad, whose Dutch business partner Michiel Alexander Ansingh won a bid in New York-based fashion accessory outlet-Swank, to buy some inventories of signature items like Kenneth Cole, Guess, Ann Klein, Marks and Spencer, among others, was more inspired by these brands' products, and believe that he can do better than those designs.

He said Filipino designers are more talented, if given the resources and opportunity to compete in the world playground in designing, they can do better than any of those famous designers in the world, he cited.

He stressed that he would like to create his own name in design both in his home-ground and abroad so that the Filipino's design niche could be more magnified in the world market, following the footsteps of Monique Lhuillier, Kenneth Conbonpue, and other renowned Filipino or Cebuano designers.

Although, his market now for customized fashion accessory designs are the upscale clientele, he said when he will open a shop probably in Crossroads, and try to penetrate the lower A and B market segments, planning to peg his designs of vintage fashion accessories from P500 to P5,000.

In the next one or two years, he said he plans to expand his product lines bringing his brand name as designer for clothing, footwear, and bags.

Manatad's Haiwatha's designs had penetrated Norway, Italy, Japan, Italy, France, and other countries. Charlie Manatad, a successful Cebuano designer making waves in Norway, purposely came home from Europe to nurture his designing talent here and create his own designs in fashion accessories, clothing, and bags. ISTE SESANTE