Russian businessmen hail local designs, tag RP as ‘Italy of Asia’

Russian wholesalers and importers, who have been long partial to European products, are now sitting up and starting to take notice of Philippine designs as the Philippines earned the title the "Italy of Asia" during the recent biggest and most prestigious furniture show in Russia and Eastern Europe.

The Philippine Embassy in Moscow said in its report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that the Philippines is now a new entrant in the market and the country’s furniture industry has set up an initial presence in the form of an information booth for the Cebu X furniture show at the Mebel (Furniture) 2005, which is the biggest and most prestigious furniture show in Russia and Eastern Europe, held mainly at the Expocenter in Moscow from Nov. 15 to 19.

Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Ernesto Llamas said the participation of Cebu X, to be held in the central Philippine city from Feb. 26 to March 1, 2006, is all the more notable because the Philippines is the only Asian country with a booth at the Elite Mebel (Furniture) 2005, an international salon of high-end and exclusive furniture at the Manezh Exhibition Hall next to the Kremlin.

In an exchange deal, Philippine and Russian exhibitors will place full-page advertisements in each other’s catalogues and provide information booths. Cebu X organizers said the booth serves effectively as a beachhead prior to the full-scale participation of Philippine furniture producers in Mebel 2006.

"Philippine furniture is one of a kind. I am sure that the Philippine pavilion will attract a lot of attention early next year because the pieces are distinct from other furniture showrooms," the embassy quoted Explorama executive director Vladimir Gubernatorov as saying. Explorama is the advertising and promotion division of Expocenter.

The embassy said Philippine furniture is getting the kind of raves that have become a mainstay in other Western design exhibitions, such as Valencia, Milan, Paris, Cologne and New York, since the mid-1990s.

This year, Llamas said photo essays on Philippine furniture design and even the embassy residence layout have appeared in the Russian version of The Architectural Digest, Tabouret and more recently in the October 2005 issue of the industry journal Mebel Tseny (Furniture Prices), which introduced the Movement 8 collective to a highly design-fickle sector.

Movement 8, led by artist Budji Layug, is a group of young designers gathered by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) to present an aesthetically united front at the furniture show in Valencia some 10 years ago. In Russia,, their use of bamboo, rattan, hardwood mixed with steel, chrome and glass is considered fresh and innovative.

Llamas added that Filipino-designed and made items have also appeared in high-end glossy magazines such as Elle Décor and Salon, as well as Domus Design in Ukraine.

The embassy, he said, has been at the forefront in pushing the country’s furniture designs to have an even greater exposure in a fast-growing consumer market.

"If Italy tops the international furniture market for its designs, then the Philippines comes in as second," said Vladimir Volkov, the general director of Olimar Ltd., at the recent Furniture Club 2005 international fair at the Crocus Expo. "It is the undisputed leader in Southeast Asia and, by sheer number of designers, could be said to be number one worldwide."

Volkov employs Filipino designers in his Russian-owned company and he is interested in introducing a Philippine line to his current collection of wicker, rattan, tropical and pine wood furniture from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. He said he would be more interested in Movement 8’s designs.

The embassy said the sale and production of furniture is one of the most vibrant consumer goods sectors in Russia. The market offers many locally manufactured products as well as a large international selection.

Official data records a 30 percent increase in sales in 2000 at $1.5 billion, growing to $2 billion in 2001 and reached between $2.6-2.9 billion in 2003.