Masters

In 1999, CITEM – the Center for International Trade Exhibitions and Missions, the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry – set up Movement8, a design collective made up of 10 – not 8 – of the country’s best designers and manufacturers in the furnishings and accessories industry. Spearheaded by then CITEM executive director, the late Eli Pinto Mansor, and Budji Layug, Movement8 included Budji, Kenneth Cobonpue, Carlo Cordaro, Al Coronan, Tony Gonzales, Milo Naval, Ann Pamintuan, Tes Pasola, Luisa Robinson and Renato Vidal.

Collectively and individually they took the international design world by storm, showing the world that the Philippines had its own design identity – original, sophisticated – and high-end manufacturing capability and was not just an anonymous backroom producer of items that carried other’s brand names. They wowed buyers at prestigious trade shows in Milan, Paris, Cologne and New York, winning raves and awards in the process. They set the standards for Manila FAME, making it a major stop in the international trade show circuit. “Made in the Philippines” became a badge of distinction.

At the recent Manila FAME I was delighted to run into three of these designers – Tony Gonzales, Milo Naval and Kenneth Cobonpue  – not just to renew ties but to see what exciting things they have been up to. They are no longer just exhibitors but are now centerpieces of the show.

Within the Design Commune, an area curtained by one wall of laminated magazine pages and another of overlapping insect wings (they made me think of gamu-gamu), Tony Gonzales created a space wherein you speak in hushed tones so as not to disturb the light. He put together five emerging designers with 20 manufacturers and developed 90 home decor and lighting pieces. Aside from the walls, Tony did a long wood table with the lyrics of “It’s a Wonderful World” – a very apt choice – on the surface, each letter painstakingly cut from wood.

He exhorts the young designers to be aware of AI and the challenges it poses, but to “stay as human as possible… to design with soul, with passion…” Tony, together with Tes Pasola (who passed away in 2024 before a major retrospective of her work), has for years been giving life – rather, multiple lives – to paper: handmade pieces that are more artwork than accessories and lighting fixtures.

The elegant restraint – or restrained elegance – of Milo Naval’s work leaves no room to doubt the artistry and craftsmanship that go into each piece. At the recent Home at FAME setup, Milo got together manufacturers from Cebu, Manila and Pampanga in an open, almost sparse setting, putting the full focus on the pieces. However, the eye cannot help but be drawn to one setting – a really long wood table supported by cylinders of laminated bamboo that seemed to be casually thrown together. Two tall poles of similar bamboo stood at both ends, each with a seat attached and could hold a canopy over the table. A bright red-orange banquette puts an exclamation point to this setting, by Milo’s OMO Furniture.

Milo has always worked with and for Nature. A separate setup celebrates mangroves, inviting you to “step inside the installation and enter the labyrinth of the bakawan (mangroves) – the silent, ancient guardians of the Philippine coastlines.” He issues a call: “Despite protecting us, the Philippines has lost over half of its mangrove cover to commercial development and deforestation. To walk among these structures is to move through a living shield – and a call to action. We must fiercely preserve our remaining forests and aggressively propagate new ones. This immersive journey is a visceral reminder that against the rising tides of a changing climate, our survival is deeply rooted in theirs.”

What else can I say about Kenneth Cobonpue? Since his first Katha award back in 1999, Ken has amassed awards and accolades too numerous to list, from the most prestigious institutions, publications and exhibitions around the world. Since returning from studies in the US and Europe in 1996 and joining the family’s Interior Crafts of the Islands – started by his mother Betty, an award-winning designer herself – Ken has stretched the boundaries of rattan and bamboo, wood and wire and much more, with not just an unerring eye but an understanding of the possibilities of these materials. The Yin and Yang chair (his debut collection in 1998), the Voyage bed (famously purchased by Brad Pitt for son Maddox), the Yoda chair (used by heads of state at the 2015 APEC Summit dinner in Manila), the Chiquita stool (350 rattan dowels – you get a few extra in case one gets lost – give a very playful bounce), the Bloom chair (buyers had insisted it was designed by a Frenchman)… these have become icons of design and functionality, recognized and recognizable worldwide.

And there’s no stopping him: he has expanded his repertoire to luxury pet beds (please don’t tell my dog FJ!), lighting fixtures (how about clouds and acrobats hanging from your ceiling?), whimsical decor items like colorful birds in wire cages (or my favorite little mouse in a teapot) and even a bamboo car! Ken collaborated with Star Wars on a five-piece furniture and decor line called “Woven in the Stars” that includes a Darth Vader chair and a Chewbacca rocking stool.

His showroom at the Grand Hyatt in BGC includes the restaurant Fable, and dining there will feed not just your stomach (don’t miss the lamb tacos) but will fire up your imagination when you browse the array of his creations all in one place. 

The most admirable thing about these three masters is how they have been discovering and mentoring young designers through workshops, apprenticeships and college courses. But most valuable are the personal mentorships, where raw ideas are honed and polished under the guidance of the masters and then brought to life.

As Tony says, “If we don’t bring up young designers, we’ve failed.”