Yesterday, March 14, was the opening day of Manila FAME, and since Ito and I had some free time in the afternoon, we decided to drop by. It’s always incredibly inspiring to see other designers’ visions come to life, whether they be in fashion or other disciplines like furniture or industrial design, as well as to see the level of skill and refined craftsmanship of the Filipino artisan.

With the impact of technology and the green movement worldwide, many of this year’s exhibits played with the use of up-cycled materials, or re-engineered organic materials into new designs and forms. The variety of local materials used, combined with the myriad of designs, really exposed the wealth of resources in our country which we are finally learning to truly appreciate. I loved how many of the pieces on show embraced traditional Philippine crafts, but upgraded them with a new lightness and modernity which gave them a very cross-cultural, global appeal.

Another thing I found exciting was the introduction to the expo of the city’s ‘creative hotspots’–those small, quirky, independent and fiercely imaginative areas around Manila where many artists and creative people meet and sell their products. Bringing these arty, handcrafted treasure troves to the attention of international buyers is a great idea, and I’m looking forward to the days when these types of creative hubs will mushroom and go more ‘mainstream’. Ahhh, to dream 🙂

Some photos from yesterday…

 

(Photos by Ito Ocampo)

*Manila FAME is ongoing from March 14-17 at the SMX Convention Center

 

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