Filipino entrepreneur shines with metallic fashion accessories

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino entrepreneur is now shining in Europe and Asia. Literally. His accessories combining metal with local materials are a glaring success.

“We are just proud to make women beautiful,” says Rene Simbajon, general manager of Austolia Jewelry Arts, an exporter of various fashion accessories that use metals, gemstones and wood plated to make unique earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets and bangles.

The company began 15 years ago making metal components in silver jewelry for various suppliers abroad and around Cebu. However, the global financial crisis of 2007 withered the company’s exports of sterling silver and, eventually, it lost most of its clients. Simbajon and his team thought of other ways to make use of their plating machines. “We now use chopped leftover wood from furniture shops and also shells.” The outcome is a whole range of unique fashion accessories exemplified by a fusion of eastern and western ethnic designs.

“Our concept is to combine natural materials and metal with handcrafted quality,” Simbajon added. This also paved the way for Austolia fashion to get the global attention it long deserved.

At the April 2009 show of the Manila F.A.M.E. International, Austolia Jewelry Arts was recognized for design excellence in fashion accessories. It was one of the recipients of the Katha Awards, a recognition for product design and innovation combining the ideals of form and function. Its winning product was a fashionable eyewear that communicates a design aesthetic that is both classic and funky. The cutting-edge eyewear is made of graywood, kamagong, mother-of-pearl, jackfruit wood, robles wood with bayong inlay, making it sparkle under the sun. For Simbajon, the eyewear was meant to be as original as possible, using natural materials and making it difficult to be reproduced like pirated DVDs.

Soon enough, with continuous exposure, Austolia had a big pay-off. He now exports to France, United Kingdom, Morroco, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Japan, China, and Thailand.

Led by the Center for International Trade Expostions and Missions, the export promotions agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, Manila F.A.M.E. (Furnishings and Apparel Manufacturers’ Exchange) International is a bi-annual trade platform for exporters from the home and fashion lifestyle sectors.

To see more of Austolia’s and cutting-edge fashion accessories from Philippine exporters, visit Manila F.A.M.E. International this October 15 – 18 at the SMX Convention Center and World Trade Center, Pasay City. For information, visit www.manilafame.com.