Cover The team and some exhibitors behind MaArte at The Pen 2025 (Photo: courtesy of TBWA)
The team and some exhibitors behind MaArte at The Pen 2025 (Photo: courtesy of TBWA)
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Discover how the MaArte Fair once again champions heritage, innovation and the nation’s most exquisite artisanal talents at The Peninsula Manila
The Peninsula Manila is poised to host the 15th annual MaArte at The Pen from August 7 to 10, 2025. More than a mere calendar fixture, this event has cemented its place as a cornerstone of Philippine cultural preservation, a nexus where heritage converges with contemporary ingenuity. Organised by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, MaArte stands as their signature fundraising endeavour, this year with its goal of “Cultivating Partnerships, Strengthening Legacy.”
This ethos resonates deeply throughout the sprawling exhibition, transforming the hotel’s 5th-floor guest rooms, 2nd-floor meeting rooms, The Conservatory, Upper Lobby, Garcia Villa and Balagtas Function Rooms and the Rigodon Ballroom into a veritable showcase of Filipino artistry.
At the heart of this year’s MaArte Fair lies a heartfelt paean to the very essence of the Filipino artistic journey, articulated through three guiding principles: Kaalaman, the profound mastery of a craft, encompassing its intricate techniques and the materials from which it springs; Kultura, the deep, lived context of heritage that informs aesthetics and serves as the wellspring of inspiration and Kaartehan, that inimitable flair, the innate imagination and creativity that imbues each creation with a distinct soul.
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This year marks a significant expansion, with over 160 exhibitors gracing the fair, including 40 compelling new participants. The diversity of offerings has never been richer, extending beyond traditional crafts to introduce, for the very first time, a dedicated food and beverage category. Here, culinary artisans, such as La Mesa Mead (CoffeeXmead), creators of the country’s inaugural commercially available Filipino mead and Palawan Brewery, a pioneer in craft beer, will present offerings as thoughtfully conceived and executed as any handcrafted jewel or textile.
Among the returning luminaries and exciting newcomers, a curated selection of creative entrepreneur-cultural advocates promises to captivate. Happy Andrada will unveil her inventive interpretations of Filipiniana, showcasing modern silhouettes adorned with exquisite hand-embroidered artistry. Art Joy will present one-of-a-kind jewellery, each piece a miniature homage to the Philippines’ natural and man-made wonders. Oscar Mejia will transport attendees through scent, crafting fragrances that evoke a powerful connection to home, memory and identity. The internationally lauded Neil Felippe returns with his extraordinary bags and accessories, renowned for their fantastical elements and meticulously detailed brass work.
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The textile arts, ever central to Filipino identity, will be powerfully represented by Yssa Studio, showcasing Filipiniana fabrics in traditional styles reinterpreted with contemporary lines and versatile designs, and Raquel’s Piña Cloth, a celebration of the timeless beauty of native textiles. For those with an eye for the avant-garde, Construction Layers makes its debut with retro-future apparel, blending early 20th-century aesthetics with unconventional elements and atypical fabric choices. Alexie Nethercott will present her uniquely Filipino, intricately detailed handcrafted shoes and fashion accessories, while Angkan, led by Carol de Leon, offers custom pieces hand-drawn and crafted, all while steadfastly supporting indigenous communities, among so many others.
MaArte Fair stands as a loving and deliberate act: a resolute commitment to celebrating, elevating and safeguarding the very essence of what it means to be Filipino. Every purchase is not merely a transaction but a gesture of profound support, a direct contribution to the Museum Foundation of the Philippines’ vital work in preserving our national heritage through exhibitions, conservation efforts, education and outreach.
Admission is free. For more information, visit the Museum Foundation’s Instagram or the official website at museumfoundationph.org.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
