Conquering Design Trends at Manila FAME

Playing between the lines of marketability and aesthetics, Manila FAME, the country’s premier lifestyle and design event, continues its exploration on design trends, the Philippine design identity, and product salability on April 19-21 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, Pasay City.

Multi-awarded and internationally acclaimed designer Tony Gonzales will take the helm for the show as its creative director and product development program lead.

“The show’s 67th edition will put emphasis in the infusion of mainstream design trends in Philippine products and aesthetics as a means of raising the marketability of local products to international buyers,” said DTI Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado.

At the frontline is Design Commune: Patterns and Palettes, the highly successful show scenography launched in the Manila FAME October 2017 show that paired designers with local micro, small, and medium enterprises to develop new products that fit identified material requirements, techniques, and price points.

“Trends influence the overall product selection and demand in the market and we want to utilize that in our products. But we will not simply follow trends, we will establish that when it comes to fulfilling market demand, the Philippines is at the forefront of it,” said Gonzales.

“This will then cause a cascading effect. As we help our artisans and manufacturers to embrace new trends and apply them to their products, we support their sustainability and standing in the international scene.”

Philippine aesthetics meet design trends

The second installation of Design Commune will be an extensive exploration of the design trends that were introduced during its maiden edition and their subsequent evolution.

Ethnic Nomad takes inspiration from a variety of ethnic cultures, patterns, and colors ranging from South America to Philippine tribes. For this edition, Ethnic Nomad will include Spring and Autumn variations, showcasing light and pastel colors for the former and warm and homey tones for the latter.

2017 saw the rise of warm metals and this continued on to the first quarter of 2018 without any signs of dying down anytime soon. Continuing on the neutral trends of last year, Neutral Metals incorporates gold, bronze, and silver as elegant accents to home décor and furniture to give a blend of earthy sophistication.

A classic, Neutral Blues explores the versatility of the color blue having been a constant in ceramics and crafts in Asia and Europe. The theme will include a wide variety of products crafted after the theme’s palette that includes warm and cool-toned blues alike.

Lastly, Tints of Green gives a more subdued look into the green trend that has swept 2017 and the better half of 2018. The theme takes on a cooler tone, shifting away from bright greens to deliver a more relaxing natural feel.

“We are excited to showcase the adaptiveness of our artisans as we showcase a contemporary collection that merges the distinct Philippine aesthetics with mainstream design trends and we are looking forward to see the buyer’s reception when they see Design Commune,” said Gonzales.

A total of 75 MSMEs will be working with Gonzales and his team of designers Tes Pasola, Detleft Klatt, and Reine Shih for the project. The maiden edition included 60 companies from across the Philippines and was a major factor in the launch of more than 1,300 new products during the show.

Platform for New Products

As a collective show, the themes of Design Commune will cascade to other special settings of the upcoming Manila FAME show, including the GREAT Women Project 2. Gonzales will also lead the product development sessions with 30 MSMEs under GREAT Women in partnership with the Design Center of the Philippines.

More than 200 product development workshops were conducted in 56 locations across the country last edition, which resulted in nearly 1300 new products developed and launched exclusively in Manila FAME October 2017.

The 67th edition of Manila FAME looks to exceed the number of products launched in the October 2017 show with more partner MSMEs.