When is a calf not a baby cow?

Conundrum, silly riddle, mystery title? All will be revealed when you finish reading this feature! For the title does have links to the two women behind the new homegrown designer bag brand Gabriel-Martel; namely, Celine Gabriel-Lim and Andy Martel.

At a recent special show held at Prive, the two ladies unveiled their new collection of evening bags — bags that were statement bags, and immediately feasted upon by the select audience. So much for their standing joke when they started, that if the collection didn’t sell, then the worse downside would be new bags to add to their personal collection, and gifts to give their mothers and mothers-in-law.

It may have started in Andy’s case with the frustration that came when one of her evening bags was sat on and fell apart; and as luck would have it, Celine mentioned bags as a new venture she wanted to enter and needed a partner for. With similar tastes, and a stringent desire for impeccable quality, from the shell of the bag, to the frame and even lining, the two soon began the journey that took them even to the hills of Laguna to find dependable suppliers and workers. With strong interest coming from as far as a chain of boutiques in Spain, Gabriel-Martel will soon join the ranks of young Filipinas producing high quality designer bags for sale abroad — and this despite both not having had formal education in bag design. Locally, they’re exclusively available at Cura V. And the new collection they’re working on goes beyond tiny evening bags, and will include totes and bigger bags.

With only six pieces made per design, exotic materials such as stingray, bone, crocodile, ostrich and semiprecious stones go into the bags. Suede from Germany make up the lining of the bags. And they’ve gone to traditional bagmakers, and even furniture makers, to challenge them on the designs they’ve come up with. They don’t take “No” for an answer, and go by the dictum “If there’s a way to do it, we’ll find a better way!”

The brains behind Cura V at Rockwell’s Power Plant: (From left) Emi Jorge, Trisha Calma, Camille Ongpauco, Nicole Whisenhunt and Kai Lim.

As for the cryptic title, no, it’s not a riddle but an inside joke that the two girls now have, thanks to the travelling they would do to meet with suppliers for the raw materials and finished goods of their “baby.” When they went back to one of their suppliers, and inquired on the calfskin prototype, the supplier insisted that he didn’t have calfskin. Celine and Andy were perplexed, as they were so sure that one of the samples that they liked was made of calfskin. Pointing that out to the supplier, he broke into a knowing grin, and imparted his sage product knowledge, “Hindi ‘yun calfskin, that’s baby cow!” It’s anecdotes like this that have made “living” Gabriel-Martel such a merry merry-go-round for the two! 

When is a retail store an art gallery?

Situated on the second floor of Rockwell’s Power Plant, Cura V has steadily been making a name for itself, in the brief time it has been around. However, the news may be lost on the security guards working in the mall — the first time I went looking for the store and asked where Cura was, the guard happily replied Cura V? And referred to it as the letter V; in fact, it’s the Roman numeral five, for the five ladies behind the concept store. But whether the letter V or the number five, the runaway success of the shop is nothing to scoff at. In no time at all, it has become the new “in” repository for things of quality, with an artistic bent, whether for the home or for one’s person. And that’s exactly what the five ladies had in mind when they conceptualized the store, and took it upon themselves to “Cura(te)” the merchandise that would be on display.

So many good and up-and-coming jewelry, bag and homeware designers, and limited venues and options as to where they can be found, plus the prohibitive cost if they set up their own individual retail outlets — that sums up the situation that the five girls were hoping to address. Good friends Kai Lim and Nicole Whisenhunt were contemplating on putting up a website to address the concerns of these designers when another friend, Emi Jorge, voiced her intent to revamp her Rockwell shop. One thing led to another, and with Trisha Calma and Camille Ongpauco on board as their own version of a mythical five, the seeds of Cura V were “planted.” Naturally, Emi’s and Nicole’s items are found in the store, as are those of Michelline Syjuco and Joyce Makitalo, the bags of Gabriel-Martel, and carefully chosen imported lines such as the edgier, affordable jewelry line Fallon. This early, Kai relayed how a core of regulars has already evolved as clientele, appreciative of how the merchandise changes every two weeks. These regulars visit the store periodically, always asking “What’s new?” and happy to consider “new finds.”

This concept of a “curated” specialty store is not in itself new, and can immediately think of two other shops that share the concept, but they aren’t in Rockwell, and Kai is proud to say that the merchandise mix of Cura V is quite unique. She takes care of the local consignors, while Trisha handles the store visuals and imported lines. Nicole has marketing and promotions chores under her belt, while Emi provided the retail space, and Camille, thanks to her experience with her family’s restaurants, deals with the people and “Admin” functions of Cura. With Christmas just around the corner, Cura V is a timely answer for those looking for unique and singular types of gifts. And with the “brain trust” they have as their strongest asset, the “shelf life” of Cura looks assured. I, for one, am curious to see what they’ll have in store for summer next year.

‘Dayly’ dose of music

Dayly Entertainment is one of the quality music promoters around. After The Script and last month’s Jason Mraz, it brings Train to the Smart Araneta on Dec. 7. Together since 1994, Train is an “old soul” band whose Hey Soul Sister of last year, and Drops of Jupiter from some six years back, have both won Grammy awards. Great music is in the cards with this one.