Filipino designers to highlight natural materials in Dubai
Manila Standard
10 August 2019
Lifestyle products crafted from natural and eco-sustainable materials will be the focus of this year’s Philippine participation at Index Dubai—the biggest design event in the Middle East and North African region, which opens on Sept. 17 to 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates.
Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the Export Marketing Bureau and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Dubai, the participation will feature seven companies from different lifestyle sectors: furniture and furnishings, home décor and fashion accessories.
“This participation will bring to the forefront the resourcefulness and ingenuity of our skilled Filipino craftsmen and designers,” said DTI-Citem executive director Pauline Suaco-Juan. “Through their intricate and innovative pieces, these exhibitors will help elevate Philippine design in both the Middle Eastern and the global markets.”
Frog shell and brass camel by Arden Classics
The seven companies will feature their latest creations that promote world-class craftsmanship made with locally sourced, eco-sustainable or repurposed materials like old fabrics, driftwood pieces, natural seashells from non-endangered species and other reusable objects that are typically considered as “waste,” to emphasize that responsible sourcing is an integral aspect of the Philippine design industry.
Exhibiting under the Philippine participation are companies that include James Doran-Webb and Furniture Doctor. Both use raw and re-engineered driftwood to create original and functional furniture pieces.
Another furniture exhibitor, Coast Pacific, perfectly balances the use of natural and synthetic materials in developing new weaving patterns and enhancing traditional techniques for their product line. Joining these furniture companies in Dubai are two fashion accessory brands: traditional jeweler, Kit Silver; and minaudière maker Mele + Marie. Rounding off the list are home décor and accessory companies Arden Classic with their blend of natural seashells and metalworks that depict the magnificence of nature and Bon-Ace with their home accessories made with all-natural materials designed with Filipino and Italian influences.
After doubling its sales target in last year’s edition with $2.77 million, the Philippines is now eyeing to generate $2.9 million in export sales for this year’s show.
Citem is partnering with the Export Marketing Bureau to achieve optimum results for this year’s participation, with DTI-EMB organizing business-matching activities during the show proper.
If it can fix its bureaucracy, the Philippines might just have a fighting chance of becoming the Paris of Asia.
Why you should care
Because in five years, everyone will be talking about these jackrabbit economies.
This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead.
WHAT TO KNOW
What’s happening? Concerns are mounting that the trade war between Beijing and Washington could hit other Asian economies disproportionately — especially those with large industries that help China manufacture all the exports it may soon have in surplus. But OZY’s research shows that Asia’s new tigers know that diversity is the name of the game. Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are trying to wean themselves off their overwhelming dependence on natural resources, while Bangladesh and the Philippines are looking beyond cheap labor as their chief economic asset. And as Vietnam’s economy races along, some of its workers are upgrading skills to avoid being left behind.
People ride an overflowing train at a railway station on October 15, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Eid Al-Adha, known as the ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’, is one of the most significant festivals on the Muslim calendar.
Why does it matter? The world may be witnessing a global economic shift, with long-established loyalties and dominance in both foreign policy and the markets increasingly in flux. Nimble emerging economies — those that are prepared and endowed with a dose of luck — may be able to seize the moment. Many of them are based in Asia, the world’s largest economic region. OZY has picked out those that are making the boldest bets at transforming themselves.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT
Center of everything. Ranked as one of the world’s least developed countries until recently, Bangladesh is now one of Asia’s steadiest engines of growth, having tripled its GDP in a decade. That means diversifying from its erstwhile dependence on the ready-made garment industry to sectors such as ceramics, leather goods and footwear. Meanwhile, the country’s making good use of its favorable geographic position: India, China, Japan and other nations are investing in Bangladesh as a regional transit hub to get their goods around the continent.
Don’t be crude. Even with the seventh-largest oil reserves in the world, the UAE knows fossil fuels won’t always be king. That’s why it’s investing in renewable energy projects, selling solar panels and developing wind farms in Caribbean nations like Aruba and Barbados. That’ll grant UAE engineers experience in such projects — key training the country needs in order to hit its goal of generating 27 percent of its domestic energy needs from clean energy by 2021, and 75 percent by 2050.
A technician in a server room at Glass Egg Digital Media, a game developer and art production facility with clients such as EA and Microsoft, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Feb. 3, 2015. Tech businesses are a bright spot in Vietnam’s economy, but some worry a growing list of government regulations may smother innovation and investment in the burgeoning sector.
Let’s get creative. While it’s difficult to measure the size of the Philippines’ creative industries — many of its workers are independent or unregistered — the country sees its talented populace as the key to world economic domination. It launched a concerted effort to rebrand creatives, who’ve long been considered underachievers culturally, as the country’s new superstars. If it can fix its bureaucracy, the Philippines might just have a fighting chance of becoming the Paris of Asia.
Private lives. While Vietnam has the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia, there is also a 17 percent unemployment rate among university graduates … compared to the national rate of 2 percent. That’s causing many young people to turn away from public universities and opt for studying abroad or private training programs that better prepare them for the workforce by encouraging English-language fluency and creative thinking.
“Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is taking advantage of trade tensions to boost the nation’s profile as a manufacturing and export powerhouse, selling everything from shoes to smartphones.”
“Most countries languishing on the lower rungs of the development ladder place their hopes in replicating China’s experience.”
WHAT TO WATCH
Hacked: The Bangladesh Bank Heist
“It’s a country on the up, but one that could ill afford to lose more than $80 million of taxpayers’ money.”
Watch on Al Jazeera on YouTube:
Kazakhstan’s Economy Is Not Yet Diversified
“Let’s face it: It’s an economy that still relies on investment … and despite repeated efforts to diversify into non-oil sectors, tradable sectors, that hasn’t yet happened.”
Watch on CNBC on YouTube:
WHAT TO SAY AT THE WATERCOOLER
Mine all mine. Countries like Kazakhstan and Russia have a distinct natural advantage when it comes to setting up cryptocurrency mining operations: They’re freezing. While most mining setups need to use a lot of power to cool overheated computers, says fintech mogul Alexey Sidorov, winters that reach minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit mean “You just open a window and get free cooling.”
12 Filipino brands win at 2018 World Branding Awards
Associated Press
Business Mirror
02 November 2018
LONDON—The prestigious World Branding Awards, the ultimate global brand-recognition accolade, saw 270 brands from 33 countries named “Brand of the Year” in a glittering ceremony held at the State Apartments of Kensington Palace on October 31.
Beijing Tong Ren Tang, BMW, Cartier, Club Med, JinkoSolar, Johnnie Walker, Lego, L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Nescafé, Rolex, Samsung, Schwarzkopf and Yakult were announced as global winners of this edition of the awards.
Regional winners included Ajinomoto, Uniqlo (Japan); Giordano, Optical 88, Sasa, Shangri–La (Hong Kong); Indomie (Indonesia); LuLu; RAK Ceramics (United Arab Emirates); MTN (South Africa); and Zara (Spain).
National tier winners from the Philippines were Ayala Land (Property Developer), BENCH (Fashion Brand), Condura (Electrical Appliances–Refrigerators), Globe (Telecommunications–Mobile), Jollibee (Quick Service Restaurants), Lucky Me! (Noodles), Meralco (Power/Energy), National Book Store (Retailer–Bookstores), Petron (Petrol/Gas Stations), San Miguel (Beer), SM Cinemas (Entertainment– Cinemas), and Tanduay (Alcoholic Beverages–Spirits).
Winners are uniquely judged through three streams: brand valuation, consumer market research, and public online voting. Seventy percent of the scoring process comes from consumer votes. There can only be one winner in each category per country.
“The awards celebrates the achievements of some of the greatest brands around the globe. With an average of just six winners per country, it is truly a great achievement to be a winner of these awards,” said Richard Rowles, chairman of the World Branding Forum.
This year the awards were split into two award ceremonies, with brands from the Americas and the Caribbean awarded in a separate New York event earlier in July. Over 230,000 consumers from around the world participated in the voting process.
“More than 4,500 brands from 57 countries were nominated this year, with 351 brands from 49 countries declared as winners—81 brands from 16 countries were awarded in New York; and 270 winners from 33 countries awarded in London. Not every country was awarded, as a few did not receive enough votes to qualify,” said Peter Pek, chief executive of the Forum.
Now in its fifth year, the awards is organized by the World Branding Forum, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing branding standards. It organizes and sponsors a range of educational programs. The Forum also publishes branding news on its web site that reaches a global audience of over 23.69 million.
The event was hosted by David Croft from Sky Sports.
