Photographed by Kara Chung, courtesy of J Mäkitalo
From vintage hunting in Manila’s rock scene to collaborating with Bulacan plateros, Joyce Makitalo launches a new men’s jewelry collection at her Greenbelt 5 pop-up.
Since 2008, Joyce Makitalo has been carving her own Rosetta Stone in jewelry design that feels otherworldly, collaborating with third-generation goldsmiths in Bulacan to create her talismanic pieces worn by the likes of Rajo Laurel and Joseph Bagasao under her label J Makitalo. Her latest collection, debuting at a new Greenbelt 5 pop-up, focuses on the intersection of jewelry and contemporary sculpture, highlighting a cultural shift toward fluid, androgynous style. The release features one-of-a-kind “Head in the Clouds” brooches, which reimagines adornment as ritualistic objects to be worn.
In an interview with Vogue Philippines, Makitalo discusses her creative roots, her instinctual process, and the evolving landscape of men’s adornment.
Vogue Philippines: Can you tell me about your journey to becoming a jewelry designer?
Joyce Makitalo: I was exposed to art as a teen when my mom worked at the Ayala Museum as assistant editor to then-museum director Sonia P. Ner. I did summer jobs at the museum, met artists like Ramon Orlina and Henri Cainglet, and got to know their work. Those years were very influential and inspired me to take up an art path. I took up fine arts at the University of Santo Tomas but quit halfway to take on a graphic design job, while actively exhibiting with an art group and performing with a band at Club Dredd. My obsession with jewelry was sparked by being in the rock scene. I did a lot of vintage hunting for chunky rings and started making my own necklaces.
I paused art and music altogether after I married Petteri, and made jewelry as a hobby while raising our children. In the 2000s, I created Galleon, a jewelry line for the Ayala Museum shop. In 2008, I joined the Guild of Philippine Jewellers’ design competition and won the non-traditional category award. This opened the door to working with Bulacan plateros.
With your background in painting and sculpture, what first drew you to designing objects intended to be worn on the body?
Traditional jewelry revolves too much around stone value, setting, and wearability. I knew I could make pieces that were not solely dependent on those considerations. There is so much one can say through making jewelry if one frees oneself from traditional constraints. I treat it as part of my body of work and let everything flow from there.
Are there any designers, artists, or historical references that inspire your work?
I guess my work is shaped largely by visual influences from childhood: church on Sundays, the works of Jim Henson, brutalist architecture on Roxas Boulevard, and my Papa’s Beatles albums (Magical Mystery Tour in particular), as well as universal themes from old cultures. They keep manifesting in the things I make.
How would you describe the visual identity and world of J MÄKITALO?
My rings have been described as ancient spaceships, my favorite description so far. I use archaic elements that our plateros are familiar with and combine those with playful, often bold silhouettes and dynamic palettes. I also tend to cycle through the same recurring themes (universal symbolism, sacred geometry, etc.), I just explore them in different forms.
When creating a piece, do you begin with the design itself, or with the man who might eventually wear it?
I always begin with how I feel, what stones I’m craving, and what subjects I’m currently obsessed with.
Could you describe the process behind one of your designs, from initial concept to finished piece? What kinds of stones are you drawn to using, and what attracts you to them?
Recent travel inspired my current collection, Hermitage, a contemplation on ancient places of worship and how powerfully serene they are, and also how, in their external beauty, they compel one to look within the self. In our hyper-digital world, dwelling on this feels refreshing.
The growing presence of men’s jewelry in Manila seems connected to wider conversations around masculinity and identity. How do you see adornment reshaping the way men express themselves today? What do you hope men feel, communicate, or discover about themselves when wearing one of your designs?
Our pre-colonial culture is very ornamental. Looking back at our roots, men wore the same, and at times heavier, amount of body decorations and regalia as women. Modern culture champions practicality and minimalism in men, but adornment will always be natural to the soul.
J. MÄKITALO’s first boutique pop-up is open now till July 15th 2026 at Greenbelt 5, Level 2.
Models: Shota & Nana, Make-up and Grooming: Marin Kodawaki, Photographer: Kara Chung, Creative Production and Direction: A BLANK CD
Frequently Asked Questions
Joyce Makitalo is a Filipino painter, graphic designer, and jewelry designer known for her sculptural approach to jewelry through her label, J Mäkitalo. Her work draws from symbolism, architecture, music, and ancient cultures.
J Mäkitalo is known for jewelry that treats adornment as sculpture, combining bold silhouettes, raw stones, and archaic references with contemporary design. The brand has described its aesthetic as “mod archaic” and “retrofuture.”
J Mäkitalo’s work has appeared in publications including Vogue US, WWD, and Marie Claire, and has been worn by personalities such as Katy Perry and Kelly Rowland.
Joyce Makitalo collaborates closely with third-generation Filipino goldsmiths and traditional plateros based in Bulacan to handcraft her structural, talismanic, and unique jewelry designs.
Joyce Makitalo won the non-traditional category award at the Guild of Philippine Jewellers’ design competition in 2008, which initiated her partnerships with Bulacan plateros.
