A growing coalition of heritage conservationists and cultural advocates is calling for the urgent call to declare the Pasig River a National Cultural Treasure (NCT). They cite the river’s irreplaceable historical, cultural, and ecological significance. The move comes amid renewed concerns over the Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), a controversial 19.37 kilometer, 6-lane expressway that critics […]
ArteFino Resort Provides Fashion Aficionados with a Summer Pop-Up
For their second iteration, ArteFino Resort took over the North and South Court of Power Plant Mall in Rockwell from March 6 to 9, offering Filipinos a glimmering vision of local Filipino fashions directly inspired by the tropical nature of the country.
The summer-themed pop-up featured thirty different brands from across the Philippines, allowing city-dwellers the opportunity to shop and plan for their future getaways. Many of the brands displayed a variety of products from dresses and bathing suits to jewelry and accessories. It certainly gave buyers a fully-formed perspective of the breadth of production in the country.
“[ArteFino Resort] focuses on our eternal summers and tropical climate and how that has influenced Filipino style and design,” ArteFino co-founder Marimel Francisco said. “And how that, because of our climate and our eternal summers, how that has inspired the way we dress and the way we live.”
The Fashion of an Eternal Summer
ArteFino’s summer pop-up really reflects just how diverse and vibrant the local fashion scene can be. The retailers were told to create “exclusive, capsule collections that embody the resort state of being,” which allowed for some creative expressions of tropical bliss.
For example, ARAO Jewellery showcased their Coral collection, which uses pearls harvested from the Philippine South Sea in intricate, coral reef-inspired necklace and earring designs that echoed that sustainability in the country. Others like Pamela Alicia and Arnel Papa presented accessories inspired by environmental practices or by indigenous culture, using traditional beadwork and craftsmanship or recycled materials for some of their products.
Clothing brands like Jor-El Espina, Maison Métisse, Pinas Sadya and others offered a mix of flowing but figure-flattering dresses for buyers. These met many buyers’ summer needs whilst harkening back to local and indigenous design patterns for an added flair of color.
For many of the stores here, their definition of summer is the festivity of color. Even shoe brands like Jhaz or Aishe Fashion came into the mix with some colorful footwear, some filled with tiny trinkets which add a chic pizzazz to their presence.
“They’re inspired by [our culture],” Francisco said. “They use the materials: breathable materials, lightweight fabrics, fabrics with a lot of pattern and all that. They’ve been inspired by that and that is reflected in their creations, again, which you can kind of trace back to our identity.
“Another thing that we wanted to highlight here was we wanted people to be inspired by the different regions that are in the country that are represented here, right? It’s distinctly Filipino, and we hope that [this] will inspire people to also travel to different destinations this summer.”
Supporting Small Businesses and Local Culture
Beyond the brands, the summer popup also featured their non-profit organization HeArteFino. This organization seeks to develop local design, sustainable practices, and cultural heritage through community work and livelihood development programs. It aims to create an empowered class of new artisans ready to preserve our traditions and push the limits of local design.
Francisco said that, beyond highlighting the local designers from around the country, ArteFino aims to create communities that revolve around the development of local culture. It goes beyond the local norms of style and design; ArteFino targets the proliferation of sustainable industries in the Philippines.
“The importance of it at the end of the day is that we support the communities,” she said. “All your purchases support the communities and the small businesses that make these products.”
“At the end of the day,” she continued, “that is what we are promoting. It’s our way of helping. And also, aside from the sustainable livelihoods, it’s also fostering that pride in our culture [and] in our heritage. Because all this points to our being very Filipino. It’s unique to us as a people.”
Photos by Ed Simon.
Related reading: KaPAMANA: ARTEFINO 2024 Shares Philippine Heritage Through Craft and Artistry
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