PH design aimed at ‘positive, hopeful way of living’
‘Maaliwalas,’ the uniquely Filipino term that refers to bright and uncluttered spaces, is the driving concept behind Citem’s FAME+ Market Days virtual show
“Maaliwalas” is a uniquely Filipino term that refers to uncrowded, bright and uncluttered spaces, attributes that are highly sought after during this pandemic. This idea of a light and well-ventilated space is the driving concept behind the FAME+ Market Days Design Commune virtual exhibit “Light the Way.”
FAME+ creative director Vince Uy said that this year’s online exhibition offers a more positive and inspiring presentation of living spaces.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the current situation… which is the global pandemic. There has been a lot of movement toward positivity,” Uy told Lifestyle, noting that product creators behind Design Commune were also moving toward the idea.
“When we were brainstorming for this, we thought the best message to go with is how Filipino design is sort of paving the way for a more positive, hopeful way of living, which I think will be really the course of direction,” he added.
The exhibit will feature eye-catching home goods and decor designed by Rita Nazareno, Gabby Lichauco, Stanley Ruiz and Rachelle Dagñalan. The spaces are curated by architect Aya Maceda of New York-based design firm Alao, Stenie Coyiuto-Tay of Casa Bella and architect Nicole Tan of interior design firm Boon.
The showcase of photos and short walkthroughs will be presented in a more realistic way, Uy said. There will be images of a dining setting, living room and a beach house decorated with products from Design Commune.
“It’s like a taste of what you’ll be experiencing if you had these pieces at home,” he said.
Digital festival
Design Commune is one of the events during FAME+ Market Days. The Center for International Trade and Expositions and Missions (Citem) is holding the digital festival on Oct. 20 to 22, once again opening a venue for creators to showcase their products, as well as providing an online space to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and find opportunities. FAME+ Market Days also marks the first anniversary of fameplus. com, a website that features thousands of lifestyle goods.
“We launched FAME+ to serve as a digital sourcing and storytelling platform for the home, fashion and lifestyle sec
tors. To date, FAME+ has onboarded close to 300 exhibitors and more than 1,200 buyers. Top countries that visit FAME+ are Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong and the United States,” Citem Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan said in a statement.
FAME+ boasts an inventory of more than 3,000 items from homeware, furniture, clothes, footwear, jewelry, lighting and other lifestyle products.
This year, exhibitors, including those from the Department of Trade and Industry Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Davao Region, will showcase their products through digital booths that are available on the expo section of Hopin, the on
line conferencing platform.
Participating entrepreneurs will also get a chance to tune in to roundtable discussions with representatives from Vogue Business and forecasting agency Fashion Snoops. The curators of Design Commune will also speak during the event.
“[The audience] will get a chance to get into the minds of the curators who dreamed up the spaces, as well as the product design or the thought process for working with the designs, so that is something that I would highly encourage everyone to attend,” Uy added.
Sustainability will be tackled on the second day of the event. Social entrepreneurs and advocates of circular economy will offer ideas to make production continuous without harming the environment. There will also be a discussion on the environmental impacts to the future of lifestyle business.
Digital presence will also be discussed. Publicists like Ginggay Joven-dela Merced and graphic design company Canva will talk about storytelling and digital tools to boost that online presence.