Design.ph conquers Paris

Maison & Objet in Paris has always been our preferred interior design and decorating show, the prime source for new and established talents and the most innovative, directional creations from the world’s leading designers and artisans. A booth here is so coveted that many companies wait for a couple of years before they are given the privilege of showing to the top retailers, interior designers and architects, not to mention the international press that can’t wait to report on the next big thing from the best and the brightest. So when we got news that the Philippines, through the Department of Trade’s CITEM, was going to exhibit at the M&O’s Autumn edition, we were so elated for our designers and manufacturers whose works could be showcased in this trade show of trade shows.

Many of them, of course, have been represented at Maison through European distributors but having a Philippine pavilion carry their names and promote the country as a design resource was a totally different matter. To top it all, the Philippines was given a space at the prestigious Scenes d’Interieur, the premier section of the show comprised of the most esteemed companies and designers. Actually, the management of M&O already had its eye on the Philippines, acknowledging its design potential and wealth of handcrafted products using unusual, indigenous materials. “They had a standing offer for us to set up a pavilion, but we just wanted to wait for the right time when we were truly ready,” related Rhea Matute, deputy executive director of CITEM. 

To prepare for this show, CITEM’s executive director Rosvi Gaetos asked Budji Layug as design development consultant and Kenneth Cobonpue as marketing and business coaching consultant to come on board and work with 12 select designers and manufacturers to produce a tightly edited collection to present at Maison. This development program gave birth to the collective called Design.ph, comprised of Betis Crafts, Industria Home, Ito Kish, Luisa Home by Luisa Robinson, MASAECO, Mayumi by CSM Philippines, Domicillo by Peter and Paul Inc., Schema by Kalikasan Crafts, Tadeco Home, Triboa Bay Living, Vito Selma, and Kenneth Cobonpue’s Hive. The theme chosen for the show was “The Art of the Craftsman,” a most appropriate choice as the French, and Maison & Objet’s trend forecasters in particular, have always been championing the work of skilled craftsmen and artisans who follow age-old methods and techniques steeped in tradition but recreated for the modern world. For them, just like for us in the Philippines, the work of the hand is a reflection of the soul and imbues a creation with that mystique that a mass-produced item can never have.

When we visited the Design.ph booth at M&O one morning, we had a chance to marvel at the many wonderful creations and talk to some of the designers in between their consultations with French and international buyers and press. Rene Alcala of Domicillo by Peter and Paul, Inc., one of the more established veterans in the world of exports and trade shows, was very happy with the response at the show with buyers gushing at how “beautiful and special” his precious, shell-encrusted mirrors were. “They were amazed with the different kinds of materials that came from the Philippines and the unique ways we can think of when it comes to using such materials.”

Shells have been a staple handicraft industry in the Philippines and we all know how the same old designs have glutted the market for decades with all these shells lumped together as frame borders and boxes, but Rene innovated by cutting them in organic shapes and layering them artfully to create joyous swirls. His designs may echo the Baroque, but there is a totally different vibe going on, transporting you to the craftsmen’s island life and their songs of the sea.

It is perhaps the abundance of our natural resources and our multicultural history that give us an edge in the global arena of design. Schema’s lamps and furniture may have that industrial look that Westerners will find familiar, but the use of fine metal wire painstakingly spaced evenly in grooves gives it a lightness of feeling (and weight) that comes from the Filipino’s lighthearted spirit which permeates the islands known for their fiestas and celebrations. This lightness brings to mind those ethereal parol lanterns made of fine bamboo frames and translucent paper, hung on windows and trees during the Philippines’ yuletide season which is one of the longest running Christmas celebrations in the world. “Our company actually started export operations by producing Christmas ornaments,” shared Jerry Jiao who together with wife Celia opened Kalikasan Crafts, renowned for its signature metal wire furniture and accessories which we have seen in fine stores around the world. Their new brand Schema made its debut at Maison & Objet with more contemporary shapes but still done by hand with the highest standards of craftsmanship.

Vito Selma’s furniture has a zen discipline about it but still manages to give wood a twist and flamboyance which can only come from his native Cebu, known for its exuberant Sinulog fiesta and hardworking entrepreneurs. He actually comes up with wondrous shapes that have complex contours, transcending his family company’s beginnings and even his past works. “I am a culmination of everything I see and everyone I meet,” the adventurous designer says about his inspirations.

Ito Kish utilizes the colonial-era barandilla balusters and solihiya cane weaving but has tweaked them into the silhouettes of today. His Gregoria chair, named after his mother, has the turned wood balusters of the beloved bahay na bato formed in a semi-circular shape with an undulating edge; enveloping but not cloying, in its warm embrace. If his pieces can speak, “their language will be Filipino,” says Ito, “but they will not require an interpreter.” His designs have no doubt crossed many boundaries:  He garnered awards at Manila FAME for best booth design and best product design for furniture and won the 2012 Silver A Design Award for Arts, Crafts and Ready-Made Design Category for the Gregoria which was also chosen to be one of the 22 chairs for “Icons of Asia,” on exhibit at the 2013 Gwangju Design Biennale in South Korea. At Maison, this lounge chair also got the most attention.

Another big plus for Design.ph at Maison is the fact that its products are sustainable industries, a major advocacy for the M&O Trend Observatory and for all conscientious designers and manufacturers at the moment. Tadeco has maintained a livelihood training center for the past 20 years to preserve the cultures and traditions of the Mindanao ethnic groups in its home turf. Its T’boli and Mandaya Weaving Centers produce t’nalak and dagmay woven on back strap looms by skilled craftsmen who have been weaving traditional designs passed on from their ancestors. Maricris Floirendo-Brias, its creative director, has expanded the company’s operations, utilizing raw materials from their family plantation and producing lovely cushions and home accents using traditional techniques. The buyers at Maison just loved the feel of these banana and abaca fiber products, not to mention the fact that they were supporting the livelihood and cultural preservation of ethnic communities.

Betis Crafts has also been preserving their Pampanga hometown’s traditions by bringing the art of woodcarving to new heights which their carvers never even thought was possible before, much less be exhibited in a renowned French trade show. “For the past 35 years, despite the advent of modern equipment, we still believe in the value of labor-intensive, hand-carved furniture,” says the company’s president, Alona Bituin-Sinsuat. This ensures jobs for local woodcarvers who bring the legacy of woodcarving to the new generation and provides a stable niche for the company’s products that are unrivaled because of their handcrafted quality. But to bring it to the 21st century, Alona and her team had to put a new spin on the heavy, staid designs of yesteryear. At M&O, they had a mirror with exuberantly carved plumes but restrained by a matte carbon black finish. A classic commode was updated with a new elongated silhouette and inlaid with various woods, with only the scroll handles done in wood carving. Napoleon III chairs, which used to be varnished in earth tones, now came in bold colors of orange. With all their recent innovations, the market of Betis has expanded and they now employ over 300 craftsmen in seven satellite production centers.

We bumped into Rene Alcala of Domicillo at the end of the show and he said it was totally different from the trade shows he attended in the past. “There were many interior designers, architects and retailers, an interesting mix, instead of the usual wholesalers. I’m happy with the reception of the market, we gained new buyers from the Middle East, Russia and Spain,” he was happy to report.

Back in Manila, Ito Kish said that since Maison was a big show, it was real hard work but was worth it. “The interaction you get from industry observers and regular trade show buyers can be overwhelming and you learn a lot.”

What particularly thrilled Ito was that the CEO of Designboom, the on-line authority on the arts, architecture and technology, fell in love with his Gregoria lounge chair. “I told him that I am basically new (Ito started furniture design only last year) and his reply to me was ‘I know, because you were not at Salone del Mobile (The furniture trade show in Milan) and how can you miss this piece?’ They featured the Gregoria on their website two weeks after Maison and you have no idea about the domino effect of the publication.”

As of this date, Ito is still receiving inquiries from magazines and on-line publications from around the world.

It’s great to know that with Maison & Objet as its platform, Philippine design is being promoted in various parts of the globe and that people in various countries can experience the spirit of the country through a beautiful sofa or lamp, lovingly crafted by our skilled artisans. The debut of Design.ph was off to a good start and to confirm this and assure its continuity, Philippe Brocart, CEO /director general of Maison & Objet, is even coming to the Philippines to attend the Manila FAME show which is being held from October 17-20 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. More design wonders are yet to come.