Manila FAME 2019 will teach us not to be afraid of color and minimalism

In the heat of an April afternoon, members of the media and designers convened at one of the Artelano 11 houses in Pasay City for a sneak peek of the 69th edition of Manila FAME, the country’s main bi-annual design trade event.

DTI-CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan explained this edition’s theme of “Heritage Reimagined” to the guests: “It’s not a new concept. Many of us as editors have done this before and have featured it…all of our publications did that—push Philippine talent,” she says.

“But the important thing is to tell the world the story of Philippine design. Keep doing so, and keep doing it regularly. We can work together to tell the story of Philippine fashion and Philippine design.”

For this edition of Manila FAME, which will run from April 25 to 27 at the World Trade Center, there will be the Design Commune Special Setting, a collaboration with manufacturers and designers curated by creative director Vince Uy. 

The designers for this collab include Stanley Ruiz for home and lighting, Nix Alanon for furniture and lighting, Andre Chang for fashion, and PJ Aranador and Maco Custodio for the home and fashion sectors.

Photo: Rachelle Medina

Select pieces from the Design Commune were previewed at the second floor of Artelano 11, wherein the fine craftsmanship and sleek designs were showcased against the bold backdrop of the fair’s signature colors of the season.

At the conference and at the exhibit, the designers talked about the trends that visitors would expect at the upcoming show:

Vibrant color

Creative director Vince Uy relates how he came up with the color theme of FAME’s special setting. “We got this piece of Yakan tribal fabric and then I kept on zooming in on the design. And when we zoomed in really close, I saw these geometric patterns that were so modern, and all these beautiful colors that weren’t really visible at once…what stood out was a mint green color, which is so fresh and on-trend now.” This mint hue was used for the collaterals and backdrops of the Design Commune’s Special Setting, and was also featured in a lot of the pieces.

Cabinet by Nix Alanon, accessories by Andre Chang

Vibrant hues are apparent in the pieces exhibited at the preview, from the Crayola colors of Stanley Ruiz’s wooden bowls for Chanalli, to the blush-and-pistachio bookmark panels of Nix Alanon’s cabinets for South Sea.

“I think in the past years, there was a direction towards more neutral, more subdued palettes, so we wanted to bring back our appreciation for color,” Uy adds.

“And at the same time, just color in the actual pieces, and also color as a backdrop, as something that can complement or contrast with a product. So basically, that’s how we imagined our heritage to be…something very bold, something that’s exciting.”

A reworking of traditional weaves, materials, and classic designs

Philippine tribal fabrics are having a renaissance of sorts in fashion and the home, but stylist Andre Chang explains that these can be innovated upon further.

“Sometimes in fashion, our local tribal fabrics end up looking costume-y; even the wooden accessories, they tend to look very crafts-y,” Chang says. “I was trying to change how the manufacturers create it and how to make it contemporary by opening up their archives allowing them to revisit their old pieces; adding textures, new colors, new materials, [or] a youthful twist.”

Denim jackets with weaves by Andre Chang

Chang revamped the approach to traditional tribal fabrics by adding these as appliques and panels on hip streetwear, such as hoodies and denim shirts for Wear your Culture, and creating sculptural summer hats and totes out of carabao horn for Pao Tiam.

Designer and former editor Nix Alanon also spoke of the importance of revisiting design archives. “I had a lot of fun going thru the archives of these local manufacturers…it’s okay to go back to your archives of a really good design and change the color, or the material,” he says.

Alanon adds that as a designer who also sells furniture, saleability was an important concern. “As a group we were trying to have an inspiration of the colors, the shapes, but inspired by the trends and the marketability of the products. I made sure to create the products that would move.”

Minimalist forms

Another trend that was evident in the previewed pieces was minimalism. With Filipino culture notorious for having a horror vacui aesthetic, it is surprising to see local products—such as woven inabel pillows—void of patterns, and with forms reduced to the bare minimum.

Award-winning industrial designer Stanley Ruiz, who has worked with 25 companies in the home sector, explains the minimalism in FAME: “There is this theme now, going back to the 1930s, and International Style, and the Bauhaus—wherein you reduce the elements of an object. So I started working with primitives: basic shapes; that’s the formal approach. And informed by the materials and capabilities of the manufacturers, I try to mix that concept with what they have.”

Wooden bowls by Stanley Ruiz

The doyenne of Philippine design fairs

With all these design trends and forward-thinking approaches, we are assured that Manila FAME will continue to dominate both the local and international buying market, as it has moved on from being an exporters-only trade show. A designer-guest’s (who refuses to be named) observation sums it up well: “There have been many local fairs sprouting up recently, and FAME has been eclipsed. It’s FAME’s time to shine again.” — LA, GMA News

Manila FAME will run from April 25 to 27 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. For more info and updates, follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Website.