As the design industry increasingly moves away from assembly line products to hand-crafted, socially responsible goods, the Philippines is rightfully garnering more of the spotlight, as its businesses promote the homeland’s creative legacy and contribute to the livelihood of the craftsmen themselves. One particular group of designers leads the way for global acceptance of and enthusiasm for modern Filipino design. Traveling to trade fairs around the world under the banner of “Design Philippines,” Kenneth Cobonpue, Bon-Ace Fashion Tools, Ito Kish, TADECO Home, Triboa Bay Living and Vito Selma are working to raise international awareness of the very skills that have derived from the Philippines’ raw materials and cultural history.
TADECO Home’s missions are to translate age-old traditions and ethnic crafts into modern designs and to elevate the role of design in alleviating poverty. The textiles that come from this Philippine-based company hail from one of the world’s largest banana plantations. TADECO Home works with communities who utilize the textile plantain abaka (its leafstalks are the source of Manila hemp) to create warp-dyed ikats in the same manner that their ancestors did centuries ago. The company also engages artisans working with wood, paper, stoneware, rattan and additional local products to assist in the livelihood of the plantation workers’ families. In this regard, TADECO Home is working to create beautiful new products, while keeping its cultural heritage and the indigenous artisanal craftwork of the Philippines alive.
Though grounded in his location and culture, Vito Selma admits to being seduced by the Euro-American design world, a proclivity well evidenced in the lines of his statement furnishings. Designs like his Arata Chair create a sense of mystery, with their sensual curves carved out of natural wood. Looking at these chairs, one may wonder how the pieces truly connect or if they are in fact individual entities. Careful workmanship and meticulous attention to detail are obvious as sinuous slats slide in and out of one another so seamlessly that they appear to be in a constant state of flow, craftily hiding where they connect and how they manage to be completely functional.
Bon-Ace Fashion Tools began humbly with what may seem the simplest of products: buttons. The buttons, however, were crafted so beautifully that Italian fashion designers worked exclusive deals with the company to use them in their own designs. The attention to detail and remarkable eye for uncommon beauty has since carried the company into a myriad of additional products for the home, fashion and more. Today, Bon-Ace works heavily with materials from its tropical region, including mother of pearls, skins, glass, nuts, resins, seashells, coral, beads, woods, seeds and rattan, to create vases, jewelry, furniture, lamps, accent pieces, bags and other accessories.
The furniture and accessories designed by Ito Kish reflect the history of the Philippines as a land enriched by
Spanish and U.S. colonization and made complex by ongoing engagements with Asian cultures. Kish also enjoys incorporating the juxtaposition of materials from worlds that might not otherwise meet. Considering the home to be a virtual playground, the designer mixes magnificent materials such as mother of pearl, rattan, wood, mirror and glass with metals and bonding agents. In blending local and global influences, as well as noble and humble materials, Kish’s takes on products as standard as console tables are distinctly original.
Through its use of mahogany, American white ash and black walnut in their simplest forms, Triboa Bay Living lends a sense of tranquility to the environments in which its furnishings are placed. Behind the scenes, however, great discipline goes into creating objects of such perceived ease. Keeping to a palette of raw, texturized wood and metal, this company instills both comfort and elegance into its designs, which translate well to the seemingly basic materials that are worked with extra care to evoke grace along with functional form. The style harkens to the era of Philippine Modern, which emerged in the 1950s, and the desire for uncluttered spaces and austere, yet expressive forms remains as relevant for today’s interiors.
Kenneth Cobonpue consistently relies on local talent to bring whimsy and elegance together in his every piece, and with this, an element of theatre comes with his products. Furthermore, the telling names of his designs speak to their shape, materials and inspiration. Fandango, for example, offers personal interaction: Multiple layers of muslin cotton cloth petals can be adjusted to the desired wave, a motion meant to mimic a girl swaying in her dress. Samba, meanwhile, is intended to be clustered together, bringing life to environments with its colorful options and its curves that mimic dancing hips. Check out ASPIRE’s article on the iconic Yoda Chair made by Kenneth Cobonpue here.