Philippine designers dubbed ‘Milan of the East’ at Salone

MANILA, Philippines - It is right that the Philippines is in Milan for the biggest and most important furniture show in the world,” declares Budji Layug of the country’s inclusion in Salone Internationale del Mobile or the Milan Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy recently.

As everyone knows, Budji is an international designer of furniture and interiors, and also creative director of Design Philippines and Manila Fame. Budji had the grand task of curating the Philippine participation and designing the pavilion that stood shoulder to shoulder with the most recognized and respected names in  the field of furniture. The result was an impressive presentation of the latest Philippine products and provided function for access and a smooth flow of buyers, media and business transactions.

Budji believes that presenting in Salone is not simply about showing the products. “Paramount is the philosophy of how space and furnishings work for everyday living. It’s a total approach to life, work, play and how all harmonize to please people,” he expresses.

To be in the Milan Furniture Fair is a long, hard climb to be counted among the best of the best in the most important trade event and design fair for furniture and home fashion in the world. This year, the Philippines successfully returned to FieraMilano, the global benchmark for the home furnishing sector from its last participation in 2006. The attempt to rejoin in 2013 landed the Philippines in Euroluce, the lighting show that forms part of the comprehensive exhibits at the citywide exhibition. The Philippine participation in the main Salone show is deemed a success as it is.

Eleven of the top Philippine designers and manufacturers participated in the international show of shows for furniture and furnishings. Kenneth Cobonpue, globally acclaimed and fresh from having been selected as Asia’s Designer of the Year in the recent first edition of Maison Et Objet Asia in Singapore, led the roster that included Industria, Atelier A, Ito Kish, Lightworks, Bon Ace, Padua, and Prizmic&Brill. Lending aesthetic enhancements to the Philippine booth were Schema by Kalikasan Crafts, Tadeco Homes and Mayumi by CSM.

Every April, the capital of design, art and fashion — Milan — showcases the latest and brightest in home, leisure and institutional furniture and furnishings in a mammoth exhibition site spanning 345,000 sqm. of indoor halls and 60,000 sqm. outdoors set in and amid 20 humongous pavilions. Over 311,780 trade operators from importers, distributors, architects to interior designers, artists, academicians and others involved in furniture congregated in the six-day show and reaffirmed Salone’s primary status as the showcase for the latest in quality furnishing in every conceivable range and style.

In this overwhelming arena of the brand superstars and design hotshots, the Philippine presence signals its readiness not only as a global player but as a sourcing destination for designer products and services in Asia. The country is gaining a name as the â€œMilan of the East,” an accolade that the participants and organizers take as a pat on the back but with humility and caution. Rosvi Gaetos, executive director of the Center of International Trade and Exhibitions Manila (CITEM), the promotions arm of the Department of Trade, is a staunch enforcer of quality and standards and sets an unstinting tone of excellence and professionalism for the Philippine participants and the exhibition. â€œThe recognition and citations that the Philippines is gaining in the international market through the participation in FieraMilano, Maison&Objet Paris and Asia and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York validate our mission to nurture the industry, promote talent and creativity and push the economic goals of the export sector,” Gaetos affirms.   

Lively business transactions and inquiries marked the trade days at the Philippine booth. Ito Kish had another winner for his Juana black and white low-back design which caught the eye of a French designer who placed an order for a trendy restaurant in Dubai. Juana is named after Ito’s, grandmother while his first creation, the baluster-inspired Gregoria (after his mother) was his lucky charm and this design has won for him several awards in his first foray into design two years ago including Manila Fame’s Katha Awards and the Gwangju Biennale Icons of Asia. Ito realizes that it is a nod to the Philippine wares that buyers no longer raise eyebrows at the price quoted at the exhibit and that the bigger number of transactions has gone beyond inquiries. A new development that he is excited about is the prospect of designing for a US company. 

Carlo Cordaro, an Italian who found his home and work in Cebu, was a whirling dervish as he attended to his pursuits and opportunities, shuttling between the exhibition and all over Milan. He sells as Atelier A, which he plans to grow to Atelier Philippines as the business has been expanding. The economist-turned-designer engineers sustainable furniture pieces made from bamboo and coconut endemic to the Philippines. Experience and maturity have made him impervious to trends but the artist in him opens to creativity and innovation, which are seen in his timeless pieces such as the Palm Love Seat, Tropea Side Chair and the Gazelle in rattan.  Cordaro is pleased with his achievements at the fair where he relates winning back clients, finding distributors for Singapore, Lebanon and Egypt with Dubai proving to be a lucrative market. Cordaro was also tapped to present a modern bamboo installation at the Interni Hybrid Architecture at the State University of Milan by Interni magazine. Atelier A joined a select international group whose giant modern works were displayed on the school campus. 

Jude Tiotuico is CEO, design and marketing head of Industria and is intent to sprint ahead in the succeeding international shows. Industria uses metal sheets, ceramics and tempered colored glass to produce contemporary furniture that surprises in evoking lightness and grace. The products are born out of the design collaboration of Tiotuico and Eric Paras. Industria is identified as an emerging company among the forerunners and can graduate to a higher level of independence in forthcoming exhibits.

Rashmi Tolentino Singh of Lightworks notes that the European market is coming back and hopes to be part of the turnaround. Pleased to meet new buyers, she points to Venezuela as her first order and Poland as coming across. The USA is still top buyer but Rashmi observes that in the high-end category, the downturn in business is minimal. Lightworks came to be a result of the quest for comfortable and artful chairs for their health food restaurant. Customers placed orders for the chairs they started to make themselves. Eventually, the company specialized in gilding furniture in gold, silver and copper. “Our products are finished in high gloss like a Lexus car,” Rashmi proudly states.

Schema’s lamps of honeycomb pattern were accent accessories in the booth. Jerry Jiao amplifies that it is inspired by nature, made of alambre (wire) or the common sampayan (clothesline). It is difficult to make, therefore not easy to copy and is long lasting though fragile in looks. Jiao started with Christmas decor and the company was known as Kalikasan Crafts. His products have evolved and he attributes the innovations to CITEM, particularly the international exposure and the lifestyle design concept that Design Philippines has directed. Jiao adds that Schema is in a good niche as a lighting specialist. “Furniture is a sizeable investment and people take a while to change furniture, while lighting can often be changed to create new looks and refresh designs,” he explains.

Ramir Bonghanoy relates that Bon Ace is famous for the radica shell inlay for which they secured a patent. The process involves a three-dimensional type of shell inlay featuring grooves and ridges departing from the traditional smooth and flat inlay. He is a major supplier of DK Homes of the Netherlands, which carries Bon Ace furniture and furnishings for hotels, restaurants and palaces in the Middle East and Africa. Bon Ace creations can be bought in Turkey, Iran, India and Germany. He claims that he has espied a photo of his “Mammoth Table” in a Hermes boutique. Ramir is unfazed that Vietnam and China are now copying their radica process and quips that they stay a step ahead with new materials and techniques.

Vince Padua is upbeat about an upcoming hotel project in Guatemala for which his firm Padua will be producing furniture for the lobby and 300 guest rooms and new orders from a regular Dubai client for bedroom, living and dining room showcases for the Mall of Emirates and the Dubai Mall.  Padua also closed a project for a nine-bedroom residential villa in Dubai. Like many of the Filipino manufacturers, he uses a fusion of industrial and natural materials — bamboo and stainless steel, abaca and metal. He is grateful to CITEM for the opportunity to participate in the international shows that he says he will not be able to do on his own. He hopes that the Philippines will be able to carry the momentum of global promotions for the next five years at least with the same standard and quality.

One-of-a-kind best describes the furnishings of Prizmic&Brill. Period pieces, vintage trunks, unique lines that are handcrafted and reflect a sense of nostalgia characterize P&B products. Carol Nicdao Brill cites the mezzanine at The Peninsula Hong Kong, the villa rooms of the Six Senses SonEva Kiri in Thailand, the boutique Blakes Hotel in London and the Le Bar of Sofitel in Manila where P&B furniture are carried. They made all the lockers in PGA golf courses and were asked to produce freestanding single lockers for gifts to the top five finalists of the Bauer International.

The FieraMilano is a gruelling show where there is no moment to pause from meeting buyers, networking with the movers and shakers of the furniture field except to catch one’s breath as you move from exhibit to exhibit, and pick up your jaw from the floor at the awesome displays that surround and astound. 

The one dinner for the Philippine delegation hosted by new Philippine Consul General Marichu Mauro, her first official duty four days from assuming the Milan post, was a working evening. After thanking the gracious host, Rosvi Gaetos chaired a debriefing where participants shared their assessment, experiences and learnings in future promotions and participation. 

The Salone buyers as compared to the previous year’s Euroluce were found to generate more sales with an initial report of US$4.4 million in orders and pending negotiations. Regular buyers included Armani Home, Marina Home, Crate & Barrel, Lambert, Abhika/Ago and Moroso. Serious leads were obtained from La Calla of Dubai, Furniture Solutions from Australia, Prestige Products of Tunisia, Stanley of India and Linea P of Quebec.

Design, fresh styles, hand-forging techniques and unique materials were cited by exhibitors as the strength of the Philippine products. The Philippine team was pleased that buyers compared them to Italy and Spain in quality. At the same time, they are keeping a close eye on Thailand, Vietnam, China and Indonesia because of competitive pricing and the availability of similar raw materials as the Philippines. 

All told, the Philippines was a welcome presence in the single most important furniture show. Trade professionals saw an alternative option to the usual European companies they source from. The challenge for the Philippines is to sustain its presence in the international markets to strengthen its image as a country brand for high-value and design-driven products that can compete with the best worldwide, nurture the next generation of brands to develop to the next level and qualify for international exposure and as importantly, to attract increased attendance to the twice yearly Manila FAME shows where more Philippine  companies showcase the wealth of products and designs available.

Gaetos’s hectic appointments during the show were primed towards ensuring the preparation for the succeeding international shows and that of Manila FAME. A meeting with Paola Magro of Cosmit spa, organizer of Salone, negotiated the space for the 2015 Salone. Several talks centered on finding the locations for the One Philippines installation in a public area for bigger visibility in conjunction with the Milan Expo 2015. The legend of Interni magazine, the elusive editor-in-chief Gilda Bojardi, made a surprising appearance to meet Gaetos and discussed a Philippine project with Bojardi’s trusted associates Cristina Bonini and Michelangelo Giombini.  During a visit to the temporary atelier and boutique of celebrated Italian designer Paola Navone, Gaetos clinched the artist’s visit in the coming October Manila Fame. Navone was among the first female to break into the male-dominated Italian design elite in the ‘80s. She is known for avant-garde designs, the Mondo brand and the Otto furniture series. Navone’s presence will be a highlight in the exciting program that is shaping up for the next Manila Fame of CITEM.

The Department of Trade and Industry under Secretary Gregory Domingo and through CITEM is committed to champion the manufacturers and exporters and continuously improve promotions. Rosvi Gaetos declares, “Our mission is to nurture the creativity and hone the talents of Filipino designers and artisans and the challenge is to be consistent and maintain the international presence. It’s no secret that the competition look to the Philippines for ideas and designs. Instead of sweating about that, the key is to be on top of the game and continuously pursue innovation.”

There will be no rest for the exhibitors and organizers. The fair in New York is this May and Maison et Objet Paris will be in September. Next year is doubly challenging as the 2015 World Expo will also be in Milan starting in May, following closely on the heels of the Salone in April. There’s so much to do and look forward to in this truly exciting, promising and interesting times for the country’s furniture and home interiors industry.