Philippine design sector gaining strength

The government, private organizations, designers and manufacturers are working together to strengthen and grow the industry.

The Philippines has great potential in terms of design capability. While the design industry is still at its infancy, the country has already produced several designers who have attained world renown in home furniture and decor, gifts and premiums, and fashion accessories.

Innately artistic, creative and resourceful, Filipinos build on their multicultural heritage in designing pieces that are relevant to the modern consumer and lifestyle. Within the Philippines' rich history lies a variety of indigenous materials, and Filipino designers often combine these with newer inputs to achieve a unique look. Many designers also marry modern techniques with age-old craftsmanship, creating pieces with intricate weaves, woodwork and metalwork.

"In terms of creative talent, I mean natural talent, it's there," said Maria Rita Matute, deputy executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM). Filipinos are very observant and open, and they like to learn and understand, she noted, adding that designing for an international market could become second nature just because of their observation skills.

Nurturing creative talent so that it becomes competitive in the global arena is an area the sector is working to enhance.

"We have a sprinkling of success stories, but it's really just a sprinkling. It's not yet at that level where you say that we have a thriving design sector," said Matute. "We hope to achieve that somehow in the near future."

Designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan, co-founder of the specialized design college SoFA Design Institute, remarked that Filipinos have the design capability and "if we are able to nurture it, we can really be the strongest in Asia for design."

The government, private organizations and designers who have already made a name in the international market are collaborating to help the sector grow and position the Philippines at the forefront of design.

Design education

In terms of formal design education, there are several colleges and universities offering art and design courses under an umbrella program. Formal design education is still considered a nascent sector, however, and there are still relatively few specialized design schools.

"SoFA is only 10 years old. Before SoFA came about, there were other design schools but very new also," Aranaz-Alunan said.

She noted, however, that design education in the Philippines has recently become more competitive. Besides SoFA, design-centric institutions in the country include the FashionInstitute of the Philippines, Slim's Fashion and Arts School and the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde School of Design and Arts (DLS-CSB SDA). These institutions offer specialized courses that are meant to hone the skills of potential designers and give them the training and confidence to start their own line.

Entrepreneurial mindset

Effort to educate Filipino designers also include building up and enhancing their entrepreneurial mindset in addition to their creative and technical skills. According to Matute, there are not enough designers with a "commercial appreciation."

CITEM's Red Box talents, she noted, are taught to develop that eye and are mentored by designers who have already developed this skill. Matute also pointed out that designers have to have a certain professional standard and they need to level up in terms of commercial appreciation.

"At the end of the day, manufacturers want you to design and these designs have to sell. How you gain that skill, that's a whole different thing altogether," Matute said.

Filipino designers, particularly those targeting overseas markets, need to be exposed to these markets. Designers need to become market experts and know who the consumers are, how these consumers behave and what their lifestyle is so that they can "anticipate the products of tomorrow," Matute added.

To help Filipino designers translate their creativity into successful business ventures, design schools such as SoFA and Slim's are integrating business lessons into their curricula.

One example is SoFA's course on fashion design and marketing, which looks into the creative, technical and business aspects of fashion design. At the end of the course, students get to showcase their work at a fashion show attended by industry personalities and the media.

At the Design Center of the Philippines, there is an incubation program which encourages new industrial design graduates to start their own businesses.

Branding

Over the years, several Filipinos have proven they are capable of creating designs that appeal to international clients. Still, there is a struggle in promoting the Filipino brand globally and domestically, according to Aranaz-Alunan. She noted it is better to compete as a brand, "because as a brand you can tell a story."

To address this challenge about branding, designers and the government are investing resources in promoting Filipino brands abroad. A number of designers regularly join international fairs and competitions. A few such as Kenneth Cobonpue and Aranaz-Alunan have put up showrooms in their target countries.

"During trade shows, the Philippines is only known as a supplier country because there are not a lot of Filipino brands that are popular in the furniture, fashion and gifts sector. But we are working towards promoting our own brand by joining international fairs to bring our products to where the buyers are with the goal to sellour brand," Aranaz-Alunan said.

The Philippine government is helping Filipino brands showcase their pieces in international shows such as Ambiente in Germany, Maison&Objet in Paris, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York and Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. Such efforts have helped Kenneth Cobonpue, Schema, Ann Ong, Aranaz and other brands gain more exposure in the international arena.

Sustainable & innovative designs

To deal with rising production costs, Filipino designers must create products that are aligned with their design philosophy but also remain cost-sensitive and sustainable. Consequently, sustainability and innovation are expected to remain hallmarks of Filipino design.

Designers are constantly looking for environment-friendly materials to incorporate in their pieces. Materials such as agsam ferns, "bangkuang" and recycled plastic and tin cans have been introduced or become more visible in recent designer collections.

The adoption of neo-ethnic textiles in Filipino designs is expected to increase. Introduced by the Philippine Textile Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) at the 2013 Neo-Ethnic Philippine Textiles Conference, neo-ethnic textiles are made of natural or indigenous materials, sourced or produced in the Philippines using "updated, relevant and green scientific and technological approaches and innovations by spinners, dyers, weavers and artisans," according to Julius Leaño Jr., project leader of the neo-ethnic project funded by the DOST Technology Innovation for Commercialization (TECHNICOM).

Among the textiles presented during the conference were pineapple fabrics from Kalibo in Aklan province in the central part of the country and the "t'nalak" from South Cotabato in Mindanao.

Another thing to look forward to in the Philippines' design industry is the application of new techniques to existing materials to reduce the vulnerability of these materials to changes in weather, which can affect production and delivery schedules. Many manufacturers of fiber-based products, for instance, intend to hasten the drying process without sacrificing the quality of the material by using machines. Others are looking into using digital fabric manufacturing and 3D jewelry.

This article and its contents are provided by the Hinrich Foundation, a partner of Global Sources in promoting trade across Asia. The products and the suppliers featured in this article are export assistance program beneficiaries of the Hinrich Foundation.