PH joins top Tokyo interior trade show, hires design director
In a bid to highlight the country’s participation in the International Furniture Fair Tokyo (IFFT) Interior Lifestyle Living to be held in Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan from Nov. 14 to 16, 13 Philippine companies underwent product development geared towards the Japanese market with Japanese industrial designer Kohei Takata.
IFFT/Interior Lifestyle Living showcases the finest international design, with designs ranging from regions within Japan to almost every part of the world.
Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the Design Center of the Philippines and the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP), the participating companies underwent a series of product development sessions with Takata for the country’s participation in this year’s IFFT, which focused on tailoring the Philippine products to the Japanese high end interior market. He also provided a brief lecture on Japanese culture and lifestyle to give the exhibitors an idea of what is in demand in the Japanese market.
Takata’s take for this year’s exhibition of Lifestyle Philippines will focus on functional furniture, home decoration, and gardening items. “It would help highlight the handicrafts sector to showcase local craftsmanship because Filipino products have good techniques, which is important for the Japanese people who like handicrafts,” he notes. While he commends the ingenuity of Filipino handicrafts, Takata admits that marketing these to the Japanese can be a challenge because Filipinos and Japanese have different cultures and tastes.
“Filipinos like making products that may be too decorative for the taste of the Japanese who like functional and modern designs. Despite these differences, I hope I can combine them and make more new sets of products,” he continues.
This is a sister trade fair for the Interior Lifestyle Tokyo, which is based on Messe Frankfurt’s largest international consumer goods fair, Ambiente, and the international textile fair, Heimtextil.