Jun Jun Ablaza blazes a trail in ‘artcessories’

Luis Romero Ablaza III, better known as Jun Jun Ablaza, has been designing fabulous parties that are much publicized and much raved about in social circles. And now, from adorning events and places, Jun Jun focuses his creative eye on adorning people or designing “artcessories” or wearable art.  To celebrate the second anniversary of his Ablaze store on the ground floor, Gift Market of Market! Market! at Fort Bonifacio, Global City, he added a new store that carries more jewelry (some of which he himself designed) and home accessories he brings in from his travels here and abroad.

“I also now have a workshop where people can have their jewelry repaired or redesigned,” says Jun Jun. “I have male plateros who have been with me from way back.”

Jun Jun studied gemology and jewelry design at the Gemological Institute of America in New York and California.

He describes his design aesthetics as not exactly simple  — it’s “one of contrasts in material, color, and mood.”

If you think Jun Jun rocks, it’s because he gets his artistic high from nature — birds, flowers, stones. He uses all-natural materials and found objects, which he converts into stunning artwear.

Of course, Jun Jun gets his inspiration from everywhere — baroque decoration, classical literature, museums, flea markets.

Jun Jun challenges conventional notions of what jewelry should be. “People still think of jewelry in terms of gold, silver, pearls, and diamonds,” he notes.  “I want to show them that contemporary jewelry, though experimental, can still be commercial.”

For Jun Jun, an object’s material value is far outweighed by the priceless experience of wearing it — thus, he came up with his artcessories that are a joy to behold and hold — and wear.

For his first artcessories store, Jun Jun picked Market! Market!, part of the Ayala Mall chain, with its charming street market ambiance. “Because the market of Market! Market! consists mostly of people who like to haggle for lower prices, I do give as much as a 40-percent discount on most pieces in the store,” he reveals.

Jun Jun makes your visit to Market! Market! well worth the trip because, he says, “I see to it that the items I sell are not simple, they have some workmanship on them, they’re unique, they’re one-of-a-kind, they’re beautiful things I bring in from abroad.”

For instance, there are the colorful trade beads from Africa strung together into gorgeous neckpieces and bracelets. The carabao bone bangles from India. The Ming Dynasty beads that fetch a fortune. The Chinese cloisonne, jade, coral necklaces. The tribal wooden masks from Indonesia. And our very own gold metal tambourine necklaces and native shell accessories.

“Buyers bring them to me,” Jun Jun tells us. “Most the jewelry I designed myself or they were redesigned/reworked by me. People can come to my shop and observe our plateros working on the jewelry in our workshop.”

Jun Jun is putting up another store at Tiendesitas in Pasig for less exotic (and less pricey) items.

Jun Jun will tell you that he owes his designing genes to his mother, Mellie Ablaza, dubbed by Philippine Tatler as one of the country’s best party hostesses. Mellie is honorary consul of Guatemala while her husband, Louie Ablaza, is honorary consul of Zambia. Mellie was also past president of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) and continues to be involved in assorted charitable and socio-civic organizations.

“I remember my mom was already hosting parties for her friends when I was five,” Jun Jun relates. “Once, back in the ’70s, we had a fondue party at our home on P. Tuason, Quezon City.”

As Mellie’s party grew bigger and bigger each year, with guests numbering as many as 700, it was moved to Manila Polo Club and then to the NBC Tent which had a much bigger space.

These big parties would always be held to celebrate Mellie’s birthday, which falls on Nov. 27.  But Mellie preferred holding it usually on the first week of December, making it a Christmas celebration as well for her family and assorted friends, who included prominent society ladies.

The invites came with the party favors. For instance, for the Tiara Ball, a tiara —which guests were supposed to wear to the ball — accompanied the invitation.

Every year, guests looked forward to Mellie’s theme parties. Her friends would ask, “O, what’s the theme this year?”

Mellie’s parties were something to see and be seen in, as they were always much talked about.

Jun Jun says he was happy his mom allowed him to do what he wanted for her parties and give vent to his creative juices. “With these parties, all my fantasies became a reality,” he admits.

Jun Jun’s party decor (especially the Christmas ornaments) must really be so captivating some of them were taken home by guests who brought their own paper bags. “Siguro they think marami naman ito,” Jun Jun explains.

Mellie kept these party paraphernalia in a bodega and Jun Jun made sure they got recycled for the next parties.

Every year, the Ablaza family would come together and brainstorm on the year’s party theme; it was a different theme each year. They’d had a Chinese theme party, a tiara ball, a masquerade ball, a “Cirque du Mellie” circus-inspired theme, a “Mellie and The King” theme, and a fairy ball where life-size papier-mache fairies fluttered from the ceiling of NBC Tent.

For Jun Jun, the most elaborate and fun was the “Mellie in Wonderland” party. “It was a full production,” he describes. “Even my mom’s cake was 10-foot tall, adorned with three giant teapots, one on top of the other. My mom wore something blue, like Alice in Wonderland. I covered the walls of NBC Tent with 4 ft. x 8 ft. playing cards, and I put a giant metal chandelier with feathers in the ceiling in the middle of NBC Tent. The whole venue was covered in black, red, and white drapes.”

Of these elaborate parties, the simplest one Jun Jun remembers was the Black & White Christmas Ball, where he transformed plastic CD containers into snowflakes and had a cone-shaped tree that was lit up. “It became simple because that time, I was sick with hyperthyroidism,” Jun Jun explains.

And then came the last party in 2010, with the gods and goddesses theme. “Instead of hosting a party, the whole family now goes on bonding trips abroad,” Jun Jun points out.

Jun Jun is even busier these days because he’s designing the Ablaza hacienda in Alfonso, Cavite. The eight-hectare hacienda will have a chapel, a pavilion, and a 10-room guesthouse. It will be finished by next year, in time for the 50th wedding anniversary of Louie and Mellie Ablaza.

“Maybe I will put up an events place there,” Jun Jun muses.  “People now look for destination places where they can hold weddings, etc.”

Ablaze with exciting new ideas, Jun Jun is out to blaze even brighter trails in design.