The power of steel
After over 20 years of exporting metal furniture to Europe, Australia and the US, the Pampanga-based furniture brand Industria Edition can finally present its unique steel creations to more Filipino clients at its new showroom at The Residences Greenbelt in Makati City.
Industria Edition merges organic structure with the rawness of steel while discovering new textures, finishes and patinas. Steel is molded, hammered, torched and smoothened by the hands of the skilled craftsmen whose personal touch cannot be replicated by machines.
Creative director and chief designer Jude Tiotuico said, “The thing that attracted me to metal is its unpredictability. Metal is unlike wood, which you probably can just carve into shape; with metal, instead of shaving it, we bend it, we forge it, we hammer it, and sometimes by hammering it, it goes the other way from what you expect it to be. It gives us that sense of excitement and surprise when we see what we are able to shape it into.”
The brand marries modern design with traditional, handmade production, blurring the distinction between art and furniture. Tiotuico added, “We are a company that makes steel furniture feel warm, and we do it in a sophisticated way to convey a certain feeling. Our products can be boheme with a touch of artisan craftsmanship yet playful and still grounded as a furniture made for everyday lifestyle.”
Industria Edition has participated in many design shows and exhibitions both in the Philippines and abroad. Its products are distributed in Portugal, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and the US. In the ‘90s, Tiotuico and his partner Arthur Viray (under the company Vico Manufacturing Corp.) began years of subcontracting wrought iron accessories and furniture for a French company, which lasted until the early 2000s.
In 2007, he met and began collaborating with interior designer Eric Paras whom Tiotuico calls “my conscience every time I design; I always ask him for advice when I start creating pieces.”
In 2013, he worked and collaborated with internationally renowned designer Kenneth Cobonpue and Budji Layug in the newly formed Design Philippines by CITEM.
The brand continues to collaborate with designers and artists. Its Manila showroom will feature the works of the first four designers the brand collaborated with: Budji Layug, Eric Paras, Lilianna Manahan and Leeroy New. It also plans more collaborations with local designers in the future.
Industria Edition also does sculptural design projects for buildings like the giant sculpture featured at the lobby of 8 Rockwell, commissioned by designer Butch Valdez.