Nature-inspired designs shine at Katha Awards

MANILA, Philippines - Nature took center stage at the recent Manila FAME International both as inspiration and as the building block for each winning piece at Katha Awards. The nature-inspired designs stood out from the rest of the new collections on display in the bi-annual trade exhibition.

Incorporating a little bit of Mother Nature into each new design evoked a warm, organic feel to this year’s winning product designs as well as the overall creative energy of the exhibitors.

Katha, which means “creation” in Filipino, serves as a hallmark of Philippine design and innovation. Launched in 1983, the Katha Awards inspires and challenges exporters as well as designers to constantly develop new designs and products for the international market.

More than just a recognition of Filipino creativity and innovation, Katha Awards also serves as a window into the Philippine’s design culture. This edition’s roster of judges included top lifestyle and design gurus and creative directors of lifestyle and design stores such as Chito Vijandre and Ricky Toledo, architect Joey Yupangco, and Preview editor in chief Pauline Suaco-Juan.

Award categories included Best Product Design in Home Furnishings and Fashion Wearable, Best Product Collection in Gifts and Holiday Décor, and Best Booth Design. The judges paid close attention to how the design idea is translated into an entire collection and the consistency that resonated throughout.

S.C. Vizcarra’s Zacarias line bags the Katha Award for Best Product Design in Fashion Wearable.

The Katha award for Best Product Collection in Gifts and Holiday Décor went to Philippine Finecrafts Exports for their BrushArt range of products that are made from buri fiber twisted in a double wire, hand-trimmed to shape with parts attached with the use of a glue gun.

“I am very happy that our little animal designs continue to attract the attention of the judges from among the rich, colorful, and imaginative range of Filipino creations that we can see twice a year at Manila Fame International,” enthuses Paul Holme, general manager of Philippine Finecrafts Exports. “Our aim at Philippine Finecrafts Export is to help keep handicrafts and the genuinely organic, gentle, earth-dependent way of life which they represent — alive even as life in general becomes more machine-driven, violent, and divorced from the natural,” Holme adds.

Kalikasan Crafts was awarded Best Product Design in Home Furnishings for the second time this year — sweeping the category for the 2010 edition of Manila Fame April and October.

Kalikasan in Filipino means “nature,” from which the company draws inspiration.

“We are really proud that we won the award again for Best Product Design in Home Furnishings. It really helps us get more buyers,” says Jeremias Jiao Jr., chief executive officer of Kalikasan Crafts. What sets their items apart from others is the absence of welding points because of their special welding technique. Kalikasan Crafts expanded their collection to include votives, vases, plates, and lamps.

Winning three consecutive awards for the Katha Award for Best Product Design in Fashion Wearable since October 2009 is S. C. Vizcarra, a company founded in 1925, and known for its innovation and originality.

“The collection that won the Katha Award is the first collection of Zacarias by S.C.Vizcarra,” notes Rita Nazareno, managing and creative director of S.C. Vizcarra. Inspired by the name of his grandfather, the Zacarias line has fitting structures, with architecture and design in the production of luxury, handwoven bags, which embodies traditional and progressive weaving techniques.

Another award given during the Katha Awards was Best Booth Design, which went to Tes Pasola’s Mind Masters company. Special citations were given to Team International for product development in holiday décor; and Arden Classics Inc. for home furnishings.

Manila Fame International is led by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), and is the only trade fair in the country recognized by the Union de Foires Internationales, the association of the world’s leading trade show organizers, fairground owners, and major international associations from the exhibitions industry based in Paris. Through the years, Katha captures Filipino creativity in visible form and sets the standard of what is good design in the country’s export scene.

For information on Manila Fame International and Katha Awards, visit www.manilafame.com.