Furniture. Among the companies
participating in the design fair,
Resurrection was unusual because they
were there not aiming to close big deals
with foreign buyers. The organizers of
Manila Fame invited them “to introduce
a new indie vibe” to the design fair,
according to Leah Sanchez, architect
and one-third of the triumvirate that
makes up Resurrection.
Established just three years ago,
the company quickly became a hit
with Metro Manila homeowners, who
quickly snapped up the pieces that
came out of their workshop in Quezon
City. Resurrection makes furniture
and home accessories fashioned
from things like abandoned buffets,
beat-up shelves, random pieces of
wood — even empty beer bottles. They
take objects found in flea markets and
junk shops, and fashion from them
something new, often one of a kind.
Currently on display in their showroom
is a bar made out of the shell of an old
116
{
}
5
crafty
individuals
Kenneth
Cobonpue
An industry leader, he took
natural materials like rattan
and abaca, and made from
them beds, tables and chairs
that even Hollywood A-listers
covet. Who hasn’t yet heard
that Brad Pitt buys from
Cobonpue? Observes interior
decorator Nina Santamaria:
“
His innovation and excellent
quality of work — those are
[
the reasons] why he got
ahead and made it big.”
ItoKish
Kish puts a spin on traditional
Filipino design techniques
to create his line of furniture
and home accessories. He
says, “It is important for the
world to notice again that the
Philippines has something
to offer when it comes to
design.”
Vito Selma
A designer from Cebu who
has made a reputation for his
way with wood, fashioning
graceful, elegant pieces from
the material. “I really like for
things to stay natural,” he
says. “What I do is play with
shapes.”
Inigo Elizalde
In his New York studio,
Elizalde designs rugs which
are then handmade in Nepal.
His design has taken off from
such unexpected objects
as aerial maps of Roxas
Boulevard and doilies bought
from Tesoro’s.
Daniel Latorre
Cruz
A London-trained designer
who founded Epoch
Collaboration, a group of
artists who have lived and
worked abroad, combining
what they have learned in
other countries with Filipino
materials and themes.
Clockwise: Kenneth
Cobonpue’s Phoenix
concept car made of
rattan and bamboo; fiber
glass, microfiber and
steel were used to make
the Zaza side chair; a
skilled craftsman works
on Cobonpue’s furniture;
the Trame easy armchair
made of polyethylene
and steel
black piano; this is not something you’d
find in any other home store.
Given their success, you figure that
Resurrection must have some kind of
business plan where they had, among
other things, drawn up a profile of their
ideal client. Not really, Leah says. “We
make these for ourselves.” And it’s that
shift away from the commercial and
towards the personal that resonates
most strikingly at Manila Fame.
Cebu Pacific Air flies to Manila from
across the network.
