Design Philippines: The new wave at Maison & Objet Paris
The pavilion of Design Philippines was abuzz when we visited at the recent Maison & Objet Paris at the Parc des Expositions in Villepinte. Rosvi Gaetos, executive director of CITEM, was excited to present what she called “an inspired collection of 12 unique Philippine brands that have made an impact on the international scene.”
CITEM, the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), was behind the conception of Design Philippines as a movement “that nurtures and celebrates the creativity and originality of a globally competitive and passionate community of Filipino designers and craftsmen.” It has also organized the participation of the movement in other international trade shows like the Salone del Mobile in Milan and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York.
This is Design Philippines’ second outing at the premier Paris show, where it has again been given a much coveted space at the prestigious Scenes d’Interieur section, where you find the world’s leading designers and houses known for their finely crafted furniture and accessories.
Frederic Bougeard, director for International Sales of Maison & Objet said he “always looks forward to the creativity that Design Philippines participants show through their collections. We consider it a partner in the promotion of design as an integral part of our offering in our salons worldwide.”
Budji Layug, creative director of the group, shared how they assembled a fitting collection that showcases the playful experimentation between artisans and designers to unveil new expressions of world-class home designs. “These Filipino design brands each have their own unique design language while embodying the craft excellence of Design Philippines,” he said. Rosvi noted how the Filipino designers work side by side with master craftsmen, “challenging convention by exploring new materials, exaggerating forms and fusing processes.”
This collaboration between the old and the new, between intuition and reason “bridges generations and yet brings a light, fresh breeze from a distant design shore,” Rosvi added.
Guests at the pavilion were amazed at the wealth and breadth of talent, materials and manufacturing capabilities from the Philippines. Even Kenneth Cobonpue, a recognized international designer and brand who has been a Maison & Objet Paris exhibitor for the last couple of years, manages to astonish buyers season after season with new designs that fuse native organic materials with innovative handmade production techniques. His Limbo chandelier of a sculpted metal mesh acrobat received a lot of attention, as did his Gobi cactus tables and Parchment line of multi-leaf upholstered furniture that reminded Parisians of their beloved mille-feuille pastries.
For Hive, which Kenneth founded with some friends to produce exceptional lighting and interior design accessories, he designed “Flutter,” a wall installation of Butterflies that belied their material of solid metal with the lightness of feeling that it evoked. His “Enigma,” featuring a floating spinal column, was also of note among interior designers and stylists who thrive on cabinets of curiosities. The whisk lamps by Stanley Ruiz were whimsical takes on the iconic implement in this city of culinary renown.
For Schema, trends were never much of an issue as they use the lone material that built their company from its beginnings as Kalikasan Crafts, concentrating on classic designs that are inspired by nature. When they started 20 years ago, Jerry and Celia Jiao were already using metal wire for Christmas ornaments but as exporters began losing their market share to the cheaper versions from China, they decided to diversify to lighting and accessories. They produced the most graceful chandeliers and finials using the same wire that started their business and this brought a new life to their company, which has now grown with many international distributors. This is their second time with Design Philippines at Maison where they have found new buyers and contacts. “We received a better response this year, receiving comments like ‘amazing, unbelievable, and super,’ especially when they find out that everything is hand-made,” shared Jerry.
The designs of Schema like the Honeycomb and Quadretto series are also very accessible as “they can go with any interior,” he said. Although his wife Celia designs for the company, participation at Maison has attracted many designers who have done collaborations with them: Arik Levy for Forestier, Aurel Aebi for Atelier Oi and Anon Pairot who designed the globular copper pendant lamps for this show.
Rita Nazareno of Zacarias by S.C. Vizcarra was thrilled because it was their company’s first time at Maison and she met many new buyers and contacts for collaborations. “We are ecstatic and humbled by the positive response to the bags and home accessories we showed. The reaction of the European buyers to the wide variety of materials and products from Design Philippines is encouraging,” the heir to the wicker export institution shared. She wistfully reminisces how her grandmother started everything in 1925 with the production of fine piña embroidery, evolving into a manufacturer and exporter of impeccable wicker home accessories hand-woven by seasoned artisans.
Coming home from study and work in San Francisco, she decided to join the family business and reinvent it with Zacarias, a line of home accessories and bags in a simple, unadorned style which she describes as “quiet objects,” reflecting her passion for sculpture, contemporary art and architecture. Thus her homeware collection is called “Monolith” and her bags have names like “Guggenheim” evoking the undulating curves of her favorite museum in Bilbao. The bag, like all their products, is painstakingly handcrafted, following the contours of the hand as well as the waist so that it feels right both as a clutch and as a shoulder bag.
Lightworks, on the other hand, was a Maison regular from 2006 to 2010 but were absent for three years. “We are testing the waters after the economic crisis,” says CEO Rashmi Tolentino-Singh. She and her husband Ravi create furniture, sculptural water features and wall art which they design “beyond function and imbued with feeling and meaning — objects with sound engineering and ergonomics whose aesthetics inspire joy and wellbeing.” With their comeback to the fair, they also wanted to see what it would be like to be exhibiting as part of a group. “Without really knowing what to expect, we met surprise after surprise every day.”
While many of their guests were French retailers, there were also interior designers for contract projects and they met buyers who will distribute their line in Canada, the northern US and Egypt. “We met a company who used to buy from our German distributor that folded up – they will now be our distributor in Scandinavia.” Because of the booth, many companies like the clients of Lightworks have been reacquainted with the Philippines and now plan to visit the country for the FAME show in October.
Industria’s ultimate goal is to have one dealer in every country in Europe and Maison has helped them achieve this. “The show made us appreciate the global acceptance of our brand – the combination of traditional and contemporary design pieces make it acceptable to all continents,” according to the company’s president, Arthur Viray. Highlighting the expressive qualities of steel and its imperfections as a handicraft product, Industria shapes it into interesting pieces “inspired by experience and the natural inclination of a quirky imagination.” Their starburst pendant lamp is like a teardrop 3-D puzzle while their Pacci lamps look like giant mosaic mushrooms. Basilica, a nest of tables designed by Lilianna Manahan looks deceivingly simple with its triangular tops but has the surprise of gently curving legs that give it another dimension.
For Vince Padua, CEO of Padua, Maison & Objet Paris is the perfect fit, “the best exhibition venue to promote our brand.” Together with Val Padilla, principal design consultant, they fashion recycled wood and other natural materials like abaca, rattan and bamboo to produce a line of enduring and imaginative furniture and home accent pieces. Bianca, an armchair designed by Budji Layug in wood and cowhide has a Jetsons futuristic vibe, which caught the eye of buyers. Their use of environment-friendly resources is also something that sits well with the French and the design world in general, which is one reason they received a lot of attention during the fair.
Realizing the need to differentiate themselves from the competition that uses similar materials, Triboa Bay Living constantly thinks of manipulating and applying these materials in ways that were never done before. Their Romblon collection combines the famous marble from southern Philippines with wood to produce color-blocked nesting tables and wall art that have a midcentury feel. Their bentwood lamps also have a similar retro spirit, which attracted buyers who liked the contemporary look using materials indigenous to the Philippines. Merce Emata, COO of Triboa, was very happy with the turnout at Maison, appreciating the efforts of CITEM in uplifting the image of the country as a design haven: “International buyers will eventually accept that the Philippines is the design destination in Asia which will help industries like fashion, furniture, lighting and other parts of the home sector.”
Optimistic as she may be, she realizes that after getting feedback from buyers, there is still a lot of work to be done: “Buyers gave us insights into what we should do to better showcase our story and our brand. There is a need to hone our branding skills and we plan to do that in the coming months.”
Branding Design Philippines will definitely take some time. “Sustained presence is key,” says Jerry Jiao of Schema, which has participated in the New York and Milan fairs, aside from the Paris one. “People have to see you all the time to better know your brand.” The international market appreciates Philippine products for the artisanship and creative talent involved but the movement wants to disassociate it from cheaper sourcing destinations by mixing craft and technology to create original products that have depth and global appeal. Hopefully, the movement can be a launching pad for internationalizing Philippine design businesses — creating the next wave for Philippine design as an international brand the way Kenneth Cobonpue has become one.
Talking to Kenneth at the pavilion, we realized that he is always a step ahead of everyone else. He is now producing some of his pieces in Portugal like carpets, glass and some metal components, together with his Portuguese partner for the European market. “I tried producing the glass pieces in the Philippines but the lone factory has outdated facilities and is expensive,” he said. True enough, the glass top he produced in Portugal was a gorgeous, thick slab that completed the modern look of a new table he designed — and with the right price points. Will he eventually be manufacturing more in Portugal? “No, our core business — the weaving and handcrafted items are still the bulk and will remain in Cebu. It’s just for things to support this (pointing to a hand-woven chair), you need the glass table to help sell it because they go well together. There really are some things only we can do in the Philippines.”
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See the new collections of Design Philippines at the ongoing Manila Fame show until Oct. 19 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex Log on to www.manilafame.com Follow the authors on Facebook — Ricky Toledo Chito Vijandre; Instagram @rickytchitov and Twitter @RickyToledo23
