Life into the impossible

MANILA, Philippines - The fashion and publishing landscape in Manila is budding with young, creative talent. An industry built on a pantheon of photographers, designers, editors, stylists, creative directors, hair and makeup artists, and so forth.  Fashion is on the cusp of mainstreaming; paving the way for a myriad of unique careers rife with creativity, opportunity and individual passion. More often than not, it takes a veritable army of working professionals to pursue the creation of the perfect fashion image. In a world built on hype and hyperrealism,  what “It” job could possibly be next? Let me tell you, it definitely isn’t fashion blogging.

Enter the whimsical world of set design. YStyle talks to 26-year-old Princess Barretto, erstwhile interior designer turned production designer. With magazine covers featuring A-list celebrities and large-scale retail campaigns, we explore imagination and inspiration, what she does and what it takes for set and sundry to elevate fashion.

YSTYLE: What is set design and what exactly is it that you do?

As a production designer, as I like to refer to myself, I’m responsible for the physical composition and set dress up for shoots — be it an editorial, an advert, music videos, TVCs or even film. To narrow it down, I am in charge of involving the entire creative team with regard to research, design and production of the entire set. It can be as mundane as scouting locations or sourcing furniture, materials and props to fabricate a physical sense of reality. On a grander scale, it involves the actual creation of set pieces. Imagination, but mostly budget, is the limit!

As of now, my projects center on fashion photography; editorials and print ad campaigns for the most part. I’ve built my present career around small and medium scale sets. With set design, you are going to finish projects at break even or sometimes loss. My advice to anyone interested in pursuing this? Be resourceful. Creativity is your well.

What piqued your interest in this field of production design?

I have been into art and design since I was young. Growing up, I enjoyed staying home and doing crafty projects rather than listening to theories taught in school. As it goes, I got involved in my high school art club producing props and stage design for school events. Same thing happened to me in college, but the bulk of my design theory and application came from my time spent in the Philippine School of Interior Design.

What I love about set design is the process of building a physical representation of an idea with various elements. Creating a narrative world via still photography is my main challenge with the most exciting thing being the translation of new ideas through the process of its production. And of course, the thrill of a highly produced image! The best feeling in the world is working very hard and being proud of the final outcome.

Where did it all begin for you?

I never really considered set and production design as a career until my close friend, Eizel Nocon, recommended me to do a floral set for a magazine cover. It was Look magazine May-June 2013 with Heart Evangelista on the cover, think a tropical version of Raf Simons for Dior’s autumn/winter couture 2012 floral maze. Except in a much smaller scale, of course. Upon publication, I use the industry term nanganak ang project since I was booked for an underwear ad campaign right after. I couldn’t have asked for a bigger sign!

That aside, I started getting recognized for my work and the client referrals just kept on coming. It pays to have friends in this industry and I count myself very lucky to have these connections to jumpstart my career.

What was your first large-scale project?

SM 2014 Summer Catalogue was my first big scale set design project. It mostly involved boxes of different scales as props and background. It was a play on space and elevation. It was essentially my first big client so I went all out.

Can you tell us about your research and execution process? What goes into building a fashion set?

Inspiration always depends on the demands of the client; be it a commercial brand or a magazine. If they have photo pegs, I draw inspiration from that mixed with a big dose of reality and expectation setting. I personally prefer if a client just conveys to me the mood of the project and I interpret this on my own. I eventually present to them set illustrations to express my ideas and recommendations.

For the most part, I draw inspiration also from movies, specific places and of course, my favorite set designers Shona Heath and Mary Howard. Heath is the brain behind the whimsical editorials of Tim Walker, easily their working relationship is something I would like to emulate someday. With BJ Pascual perhaps? One of my really close friends and an impetus for where I am today.

Professional production design is far from the school stage experience, you have to consider a lot more factors like client budget, set requirements and production time. I always weigh which is cheaper and faster without sacrificing the final look. It takes a lot of finessing, whether I should just fabricate a piece or should I just purchase from a supplier. As a set designer, especially in our fashion climate, strategy takes as much precedence as design. Most of my sets are constructed and faux, but I always research for ways to create material that reads as real through the lens.

Right now, I already have a team of workers that help me fabricate my designs — but on any given day, you could find me painting the put up walls myself. What can I say? It relaxes me when I’m surrounded by deadlines built on deadlines.

How much of set styling is collaboration? Do you take direction from others or is it a solo effort?

As with any great fashion image, the final output is a collaboration between an editor, the photographer, the stylist and so on — I approach my projects with the same notion, in play with the overarching mood the client wants. I always ask the stylists for the highlighted hue of the clothes and direction. But if I had to single anybody out in terms of my own personal process, I collaborate most with the photographer. Because he/she completes the picture, in the most literal sense. Perspective, proportion and lighting are key elements of any set and the enhancement of the subject is a common goal.

What was your favorite set design project to date?

It would have to be my campaign for Primadonna 2013 Holiday featuring Anne Curtis-Smith. It wasn’t the most elaborate project I’ve executed but the final outcome was really appealing to me. It just, worked!

Usually, clients demand a sense of reality from set designers. A slice-of-life pastiche of something that can exist in reality, be it an old house, a lavish garden or a simple street corner. For Primadonna, the set I made was a composition of plush flowers as backdrop and a mirrored floor. Impractical but a sense of hyperrealism was in play. The captured intent was highlighting the shoes from the holiday collection. It was interesting to see how it all played out. I owe it all to the collaboration between myself, BJ Pascual, Pam Quinones (as stylist) and Daryl Chang (as creative director). Industry greats that I had the pleasure and honor of working with. The final print was put up as a billboard along C5 and the compliments among family and friends in the fashion industry was really motivating.

I learned that I like doing sets that really take a page out of some whimsical fantasy. I prefer this over recreating a mundane location. I like the unconventional.

What is your dream set to build? Any upcoming projects?

I have yet to build a set for a fashion show, so that’s something on top of my bucket list. But in terms of a dream set, I want to do something whimsical a la Tim Walker’s signature as I’ve said. I’m not exactly breathing life into the impossible at this stage of my career but that is definitely the sort of level I want to aspire to.

Given the chance, I’d like to recreate the mood of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Something seemingly so innocently sweet yet laced with a dark edge. Haunting and beautiful is what I dream of. 

Where can we reach you?

You can reach me at info@princessbarretto.com and view my portfolio via my website at http://www.princessbarretto.com