Filipino Style in Dubai

History books reveal that furniture craft came to the Philippines through the Galleon Trade in the 16th century. Owing to a culture with diverse influences, the existence of native artisans with deft hands and a flair for design, and a rich countryside with a wealth and variety of materials, furniture making has evolved into a form of art that is as opulent as the flourishing industry it is today. These, plus the Filipinos’ entrepreneurial spirit, are the main reasons for the industry’s growth. Its success is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the significant mark it has made in the demanding international market.

Despite the global economic crisis, latest government trade statistics show that furniture exports have been on an upswing. The industry ranks third in the country’s list of export winners, next to electronics and garments. In 1999, Philippine exports of furniture amounted to $352.95 million, with rattan and wood as the top choices for furniture materials. Export sales of the industry dominated by small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs grew to $382 million in the year 2000.

The Philippines ranks eighth among the top ten exporters of furniture to the United States, which still is the country’s main market, capturing a huge 65 percent ($204.15 million) of furniture exports in 1999. Japan comes second and Europe third, with France and the Netherlands as main markets on the continent.

With the undiminished determination of the industry and the support of its business partners, the government and the trust of its customers here and abroad, the furniture industry is now at the forefront of the country’s drive towards global competitiveness. The 12th International Furniture and Interior Design Exhibition (INDEX) in Dubai from 02 to 06 October 2002 at the Dubai World Trade Centre is the perfect venue to face global competition head-on and display the Filipinos’ fine craftsmanship and excellent design.

Movement 8, the group of Filipino designers who have won critical and popular acclaim in international furniture shows since 1999, leads the country’s participation by presenting a distinct contemporary Asian lifestyle. Movement 8 won the coveted Editors’ Award for Craftsmanship" from the prestigious International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York last year. Recently, the group scored another triumph when two of its members, Kenneth Cobonpue and Ann Pamintuan, were included among 400 designers worldwide in the 17th edition of the International Design Yearbook, the most authoritative guide to contemporary design covering furniture, lighting, textiles, tableware and domestic products.

"Movement 8 designers have a profound respect for the natural world from which they derive organic and biomorphic forms," says internationally acclaimed designer Ross Lovegrove, who put together the book. "The designs presented in the book show restraint of form and economy of embellishment that emphasize textual detail and surface pattern."

Participation in INDEX, the largest event of its kind in the Middle East and Asia with companies from 50 countries exhibiting, is spearheaded by the Center for International Expositions and Missions (citem), the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry. – Ronald Gonzales