Cover Learn about the three-day sourcing show’s components promoting artisanal craftsmanship from across the Philippines (Photo: Manila FAME 2023)
Learn about the three-day sourcing show’s components promoting artisanal craftsmanship from across the Philippines (Photo: Manila FAME 2023)
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For its 71st edition, Manila FAME 2023 features works from La Union, Antique, Northern Mindanao region, and more!
Filipinos know where to go for handmade artisanal crafts with exceptional skill and creativity in Manila FAME, which has been around since 1983.
The fair, which showcases houseware, furnishings, holiday decor, and fashion accessories from the Asia-Pacific region, is set to celebrate its 71st edition from October 19 to 21 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. It will feature collections from The Artisans Village and The Coconut Pavilion through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) in collaboration with the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), and various local government units across the country.
In case you missed it: Manila FAME returns on-site for its 71st edition this October
The Artisans Village
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This holistic program for regional MSMEs in the handicraft sector provides marketing and technical assistance such as product showcases, product development assistance in partnership with the DCP, digital promotions, and capacity-building activities.
For the 2023 edition of Manila FAME, the Artisans Village will feature the provinces of La Union and Antique and the Northern Mindanao region. In La Union, Governor Raphaelle Ortega-David spearheaded #LaUnionPROBINSYAnihan, a banner movement which provides developmental support for Research and Development to MSMEs. It leverages the natural materials and techniques the artisan communities have mastered.
The Creations of Northern Mindanao pavilion, on the other hand, will feature masterpieces from award-winning designers and artisans featured in prestigious international fairs. It will display abaca-based wearables, homestyle products, bamboo crafts, and local weaves.
Antique, for its part, will carry the creations born out of the collaboration of its MSMEs and artisanal communities with DCP and DTI-Antique.
The products from the province, including textiles, looms, and home decor, are set to debut at Manila FAME 2023 before going to the international trade fair Ambiente 2024 in Germany.
More from Tatler: DTI-CITEM is presenting 30 Filipino brands at int’l trade show in Germany
The Coconut Pavilion
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Considered to be one of the Philippines’ most-produced crops, coconut has been commonly used for food and household products. In collaboration with EMB and DCP, Manila FAME saw this as an opportunity to create lifestyle products using abundant raw materials.
The Coconut Pavilion houses the products from the program dedicated to developing and showcasing nonfood coconut commodities in the home and fashion sectors. A total of 15 brands have been producing new pieces for the showcase. These new products and the coconut-based products from 10 additional brands will be showcased in Manila FAME’s Coconut Pavilion.
This unique setting aims to promote sustainability and spotlight Filipino craftsmanship and design innovation. The participating provinces and regions joining the pavilion are NCR, Region III, Region IV-A, Region V, Region VII, Region VIII, and Region XI.
Related: Fiesta Filipinas: a guide to the summer festivals in the country
The Design Commune
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For this year’s edition, local exhibitors collaborated with three renowned Filipino designers to serve as product specialists: Tony Gonzales, a creative director, consultant, and curator of various projects, such as the Pinyapel of the Design Center of the Philippines; and design duo Rita Nazareno and Gabriel Lichauco of Nazareno/Lichauco.
Together, these creatives will share their design processes. “We came up with a concept that hopefully resonates with many–a blend of practical and the outdoors but in a quintessential Filipino that is both fashionable and chic. In the special setting for Design Commune, we want the audience to feel like they are at an anthropology exhibit,” says Nazareno.
“When one thinks of utilitarianism, it is about something designed to be useful or practical. But also, in philosophy, utilitarianism is a theory that prescribes actions that maximize one’s happiness and well-being. We think that’s pretty cool,” she adds.
See more: Dynamic Duo: Rita Nazareno and Gabby Lichauco’s creative partnership
Lichauco, for his part, said that Design Commune this year is an exciting project for the tandem, “We are looking forward to a physical Design Commune after having three years of being in the digital sphere. We look forward to global and local buyers seeing the pieces, touching them, and appreciating the unique creativity of modern Philippine craftsmanship.”
Conversely, Gonzales focuses on two distinct colourways to highlight the country’s skillfully crafted and environmentally sustainable products. “What always inspires me are the craftsmen that I work with. Our artisans’ material manipulation and masterful skill is what our country is known for.”
FAME is a community of brands, designers, and manufacturers that showcase quality artisanal products in the signature trade show Manila FAME, on the digital platform FAME+, and in trade fairs and B2B initiatives worldwide. The FAME community likewise includes global buyers and other stakeholders.
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Credits
Images: Manila FAME
Words: Manila FAME, Aly Dela Peña
Jove holds a degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines–Diliman. She has flair for in-depth, interview-driven stories that explore politics and culture, shaped by her background in national broadsheets.
When she’s not on assignment, Jove spends her days painting, sipping lemonade, and walking her dog, Jupiter. She can often be seen in Escolta with a film camera in hand, browsing novelty shops in search of rare memorabilia. For leads, reach her at Jove@tatlerphilippines.com.
