Upcycling at Manila FAME
IT’S “in” to be clean these days. Upcycling is one trend Business
World noticed at this season’s edition of Manila FAME fair, which was held from April 21 to 23 at the World Trade Center. Several designers used materials that would have been fit to throw away, but instead managed to find not just another ounce of usage from them, but loads of luxe.
For example, artist Charming Baldemor (a relative of the artist Manuel Baldemor) collaborated with Georgina Teng of Alchemista, resulting in a collection of wooden clutches made from a variety of sources, from stairs to fallen trees and felled posts. They’re all made of excellent woods though, such as acacia, and the quality shows through in wonderful woodgrain and finish. The bags have a quiet, zen- like quality to them, despite the addition of luxe jewels to the wooden clutches.
Jewelry designer Timtam Ong, meanwhile, ventures into clutches as well, with upcycled wood clutches decorated, with of all things, scraps of colored straws, which she uses to great effect with gold wire and filigree. “I guess it’s part of who I am at this stage,” said Ms. Ong, talking about her living a lighter life.
Her most recent collection, Wonderland, was placed among these clutches, weaving a story of a little girl who is taken by a butterfly from emotional loss to a safe place. The collection is characterized by butterflies, abstractions of flowers, and many bright colors. As the collection revolves around emotional healing, ancient beliefs about healing crystals are employed here, with the use of stones like jade ( for health and prosperity), carnelian (for stability), and amethyst (for courage).
Meanwhile, the brand Django presented handmade moccasins made of leather as soft as butter, but with soles that are tough and stable for they’re made with upcycled airplane tires.
Shoe designer Maco Custodio, meanwhile showed a collection of bags made from woven discarded foil and tetra packs, resulting in bags with strict shapes that have a bit of the Jettisons in them, with a touch of the rustic from its handwoven nature. These bags are made in collaboration with social enterprise GKonomics. In another part of his booth, Mr. Custodio showed his collection of Furnelas, slippers made with fake fur, which had a little touch of Gucci (though he says he did them just a little bit earlier than the luxury giant did). The soles of these slippers are also made with upcycle tires. The idea came to him from a surplus of fake fur lying around his studio, which he didn’t have the heart to throw away.
“My studio is all mess. I can’t throw things. I don’t know. Maybe because I see that even scrap has value.” —