Arden and the art of creating elegant home furnishings

MANILA, Philippines - What do big international names like Ralph Lauren, Lane Crawford, Harrods, Neiman Marcus and Armani Casa all have in common? At one point or another, all of these have become clients of Arden Classic Inc., a Cebu-based manufacturer of elegant home furnishings and accessories.

Arden’s creations are one-of-a-kind products made from the finest indigenous materials and exquisite workmanship that’s steadily gaining local and international acclaim. Their designs include intricate timeless pieces using seashells, ostrich egg, mother-of-pearl and even animal bones accented with silver-plated brass and other metal accessories.

“It’s hard to imagine that the items we used to make in our kitchen from a small Cebu City apartment will eventually find their way into department stores, and even be patronized by some of the biggest names and world-renowned brands,” begins Arden Siarot, the owner and visionary behind the 12-year-old company. “I thought — if these brands were able to sell our products, then why can’t we sell them on our own?”

A reptile figure made of shell and metal

Even as a child, Arden’s creativity and entrepreneurial skills were already apparent. Coming home from school, he often went with his father to collect melted candle wax, make designs out of it, and sell them to candle-makers for a meager amount. As a teenager, he and his siblings peddled bananas and sweet potatoes to their neighbors to  augment their meager family income.

A technical-vocational course in Electro-Mechanics at the Don Bosco Manpower Training Program equipped him with skills in machinery maintenance and fabrication. To further his studies, he took up Electrical Engineering at the University of San Jose Recoletos.

His technical skill and creativity were further developed when an Italian jewelry manufacturer at the Mactan Export Processing Zone hired him to head its engineering department. Then 30 years old, he was practically running the company’s operations where he also developed his craftsmanship. Eventually, he ventured on his own. “At that time, I was thinking: I’m young and can still find work. If this doesn’t work out, I’ve got nothing to lose,” Arden recalls.

But first, he and wife Jen Elizabeth had to embark on a small venture of selling miniature furniture in local department stores in 1993. “Every day after work, I’d pass by Robinsons and see if they would sell,” he says.

In 1994, Arden Classic Inc. became a furniture subcontractor of the biggest high-end furniture maker in Cebu. The business became part of the heyday of wrought iron furniture. Their expansion was fast — until the industry died down.

“Since jobs were few, we started joining international trade shows and then we diversified. We included home decor and accessories like picture frames to our wrought iron furniture,” he shares.

In 2000, he was inspired by a German book which showed art pieces that combine shells and metals. He relates, “It was a slow start: I finished my first creation after three months. But I got hooked. Every time I saw a shell, I would imagine designs.”

Arden Siarot displays a bowl made from animal bone marrow. He owns Arden Classic Inc., a Cebu-based manufacturer of elegant home furnishings and accessories.

Arden himself trained their now 80 employees. “At first, our employees knew nothing in this industry, but I’ve painstakingly trained them one by one. Imagine, I had to pay people for them to do nothing but practice.” He also fabricated his own equipment to save on cost.

That’s when he learned that nothing is impossible. He explains, “In the beginning, we didn’t know everything that had to be done but somehow, we knew we’d eventually learn them. We also didn’t know how to make lampshades, but we were receiving bulk orders. So we learned together; we kept repeating the process until finally, we got it right.”

When their competitors started cutting prices, Arden Classic Inc. even raised the price of their products. He says, “Everybody was trying to compete with China. I also tried to make low-end products so I can drop pricing — but there were no takers. So, I changed that mindset and I began creating the best quality products without minding their cost.”

“Back then, I felt that our high quality creations would speak for themselves,” he continues. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, in recognition of his creativity and passion, Arden Siarot has received recognitions for product excellence and innovation such as the President Ramon Magsaysay Award from Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Golden Shell Award for Manufacturing Excellence from Citem-DTI in 2002. He was also given the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2003. According to Arden, several companies abroad have also been asking their permission to carry their products in their high-end lifestyle stores. In fact, last June, Arden Classic products were launched in Taiwan. Arden Classic Inc. has also partnered with Planters Development Bank, which is known for supporting small-and medium-scale enterprises.

“They continued to believe in us even when others started to doubt. Plantersbank knew our situation when the wrought iron industry died and the economy wasn’t that good. Still, they believed in us — they saw we are focused. They helped us grow our company by financing our expansion,” says Arden.

For its consistent world-class quality and commitment to creativity, one can say that Arden Classic has not only gained the trust of Plantersbank, but more so the trust of a continuously growing set of loyal patrons.

To know more about Arden, visit www.ardenclassic.com, call 792-4408 to 09 or e-mail ardenluxury@yahoo.com.