MANILA, Philippines - The 59th edition of Manila Fame, a bi-annual showcase of craftsmanship, design innovation, eco-sustainability, and artisanship in Philippine products, will take center stage at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City on March 14 to 17.
Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade Industry (DTI), Manila Fame is the premier design and lifestyle event of the country that showcases certified, export-quality products such as furniture and furnishings, holiday gifts and decor, garments, and fashion accessories crafted in the Philippines for the global market.
“We intend to make Manila Fame as exciting as ever, with the intention to dish out modern design concepts. We will collaborate with both new and seasoned designers to ensure that we will showcase fresh and modern product design and innovation,†said CITEM executive director Rosvi Gaetos.
As it aims to position the country as a steady supplier of innovative Filipino products for the global market, Manila Fame will attract local and international buyers via the following event highlights: Design for Exports, Red Box, Manila Wear, OTOP Marketplace, Crafts Spots, and Weaves of the Philippines.
Design for Exports is a multi-tiered and multi-faceted program which provides Philippine exporters, manufacturers, and designers with a full range of design and product development services. These services will cover product design, merchandising, export coaching in business planning, sales and marketing, visual merchandising, and brand building.
Manila Fame will present each product sector (i.e., holiday décor, home, fashion, arts and crafts) in a series of scenography. It will also serve as a viable platform for new and young designers to collaborate with their seasoned counterparts in a design development program called Red Box, which is aimed at harnessing Filipino creativity through the use of sustainable raw materials to produce innovative export products.
“For Red Box, we will showcase a new breed of talents from Cebu, whose works are not known but are globally appealing just the same. Seasoned designers will also take part as usual. It will be a modern exhibit which will not follow boxed-in concepts. The open spaces are guaranteed to make a distinct design statement,†added Manila Fame creative director Budji Layug.
A bolder line of apparel and accessory designs using indigenous materials will be the focal point in Manila Wear, a branding initiative that targets to position the Philippine fashion industry in the tropical/resort wear market segment. Manila Wear aims to direct the creative energies of the country’s leading designers towards the development of refreshing designs in clothing and fashion accessories.
Guaranteed to draw crowds once again are the much-awaited show features like the One Town One Product (OTOP) Marketplace showcase of products created by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); live demonstrations of age-old craft techniques by Filipino artisans in Craft Spots; and a vibrant display of contemporary Philippine textiles crafted from sustainable fibers by local weaving communities in Weaves of the Philippines.
Fortifying its campaign to strengthen the Philippines’ positioning as Asia’s creative hub, Manila Fame will again be hosting the Katha Awards, which is considered as the most prestigious award in the Philippine design scene. Katha Awards aims to give distinction to ingenious designs and encourage exporters to raise their design standards for Philippine export products as well as to pursue a skillful exploration of new materials/processes.
Manila Fame is one of the longest running trade shows in the Asia Pacific, and is the only trade event in the country that has been approved by UFI (Union des Foires Internationales) or the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, the association of trade show organizers, fairground owners, national and international associations of the exhibition industry and its partners.