MANILA, Philippines - It is no longer just your tita or mother’s choice of décor. Lalique, the French luxury brand that carries a cultural heritage that spans a century and the most important design movements, can now be found all over the home — not just on tabletops or consoles. (We do have to admit, though, that the frosted glass figurine of a pair of intertwined lovebirds brought nostalgia of those days in my grandmother’s house.)
Check your ancestral houses for crystals — they might just be Laliques that have grown very valuable through time. One Lalique decanter, for instance, fetched more than half a million dollars in an auction.
Rustan’s Department Store, which has been beefing up its home department with new luxury brands from Europe, last Sept. 24 reintroduced Lalique to the local market and launched renowned architect Zaha Hadid’s Crystal Architecture collection for Lalique.
The timing is perfect. Donnie Tantoco, the genius behind the exponential growth of Rustan’s Supermarket division for the past 20 years, had just assumed his position that week as Rustan’s Department Store president. With his trademark self-deprecating humor, he jokes, “I’m a supermarket guy! And now, suddenly, I am surrounded by all these luxury brands.”
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He is being modest, of course. The truth is, Donnie knows a lot about luxury brands. Even when he was head of Shopwise and Rustan’s Supermarket, his grandfather, Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco, sent him to represent Rustan’s to the International Association of Department Stores — whose member companies are the likes of France’s Galleries Lafayette and the US’ Neiman Marcus.
Donnie not only represented Rustan’s so well, he became the president of the international association — of department stores worldwide! He looks back at this with laughter and says, “My lolo Bening liked to give me ‘suicide’ assignments or missions impossible.”
Donnie leads the Rustan’s team in introducing Lalique CEO Roger Van Der Weid, and South East Asia chairman and CEO Daniel Ong at the media luncheon.
Founded by the late René Jules Lalique, a French-born glass designer who redefined lifestyle products in a sophisticated and exclusive way, Lalique has developed five main pillars that push the limits of creativity: decorative items, interior design, art, jewelry, and perfume. From having started with glassware and fine accessories in an independent firm to now being present in 40 specialty boutiques in Paris, New York, Singapore, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Dubai, and the Philippines, it has definitely proved its timeless status worldwide.
“Lalique conveys an extraordinary style that’s signature to its brand — a contrast of clear and satin-finished crystal,” Van Der Weid explains. “An owner of one Lalique item has already kept a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Whether a panel, furniture, or lighting, each piece is beautifully curated by the skillful hands of the brand’s design house in the eastern part of France.”
Lalique also brings itself into the modern times with collaborations.
Besides the in-house designs that widely range from the stunning glassware to adorable decanters, and functional home furnishings available in its store, Lalique also collaborates with other topnotch brands in making special editions, such as the 100 Points collection in partnership with James Suckling, Bentley Flying B Fragrance and Paperweight, Soundboard Aerosystem by Jean-Michel Jarre, and Jaguar by Lalique perfume bottle in crystal.
One of these collaborations is with Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Hadid designed the Crystal Architecture collection, now available at Rustan’s. It is composed of glassworks that “bestow a sensory and tactile experience with the velvety touch of satin finish that comes in colors of either crystal clear or deep black.”
In an interview on Lalique’s website, Hadid says, “I have always had a passion for glass and crystal, and started collecting pieces at an early age in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. I was delighted to be asked by Lalique to collaborate as we have recently been exploring the specific properties of glass and its behavioral characteristics. Lalique is synonymous with elegant, fluid designs that are innovative and timeless, yet do not compromise the integrity of the medium — or the craftsmanship of its production. Each piece is a true celebration of the unique properties of crystal. Maurice Rostand called René Lalique ‘the Rodin of transparencies.’”
Hadid’s Visio Vase is a representation of the natural forms of beauty and complexity similar to the running water or currents of the air, while Manifesto Vase is a wonderful symbol of infinite and innate fluid lines with a nice combination of satin and polished finishes.
Another crystal piece from Lalique’s Decorative collection is the Tanega Vase, which is named after the island from the Osumi archipelago in the Southwest of Japan. “Tanega Vase exudes an amber color and an injected Gingko leaf from Gingko tree, which is one of the oldest trees in the world that has been in existence for 270 million years now. Indeed, Eastern design inspiration meets the Western techniques in this artisanal piece.”
Timeless art, indeed, has a place in every home.
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Lalique is available at Rustan’s Makati, and Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza Mall.