Craft, Creativity, and Cultural Exchange with Kenneth Cobonpue at Vogue Threads Manila

At his keynote speech for Vogue Talks at the first day of Vogue Threads Manila Kenneth Cobonpue traced his roots from Cebu and revealed his inspirations behind his work.

For interior designers, architects, and furniture designers all around the world, the name Kenneth Cobonpue has become instantly recognizable, but it wasn’t always so. “For a couple of years, no one wanted to buy anything from me,” Cobonpue admits. He recalls how Asian designers are often nameless and faceless in the global scene, as their designs are often locally manufactured, but carried under foreign brands. This propelled him to pursue a recognizable and respected Filipino brand, and to attach his name to his creations. With over two decades of persistence, Cobonpue amassed a clientele that included various Hollywood personalities, global celebrities, and even royalty. “I began to get a set of clientele who never bought through the Philippines before,” Cobonpue says. “They respect the brand, because they were used to European designer furniture.” Once he realized this, Cobonpue began intentionally integrating local inspirations within his designs.

Cobonpue’s mother Betty was also a designer, and her influence was the foundation for his belief in the power of design. Growing up in Cebu, Cobonpue was inspired by the organic and the everyday, including elements like fishing baskets, forests, and even fish traps, and his craft centered on imbuing these natural inspirations with modern sensibilities. After starting his namesake brand in 1998, his breakthroughs in design gained widespread attention for his innovative use of local materials like rattan and abaca, with TIME magazine dubbing him “rattan’s first virtuoso.”

Cobonpue narrates his journey of bringing Filipino design to the global scene. “I began to get a set of clientele who never bought through the Philippines before.” Photographed by Kim Santos

Throughout his speech, he indulges the audience with a presentation featuring his innovative designs, including the Voyage bed, notably owned by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and the Bloom swivel chair, where each member of the Korean girl group Blackpink were photographed on for fan gift cards. His Philippine-exclusive line of home accessories, KCurated, features more accessible, whimsical designs, such as a tray set inspired by lily pads, and lanterns inspired by fish bowls and bird cages.

The designer shared insights into his creative process, describing how he pushes his team to master difficult techniques to ensure authenticity. Due to the proliferation of mass production and knock offs, designers struggle to keep their work bona fide. “I try to make my designs as complicated as possible so that no one can copy them,” Cobonpue says jokingly, but with a thread of truthfulness. He reiterates the importance of patenting his designs and gathering inspiration from romanticizing personal and cultural features.

Vogue Threads Manila 2024 attendees tune into Kenneth Cobonpue’s Vogue Talks. Photographed by Kim Santos

Kenneth Cobonpue’s keynote kicked off the first day of festivities during Vogue Threads Manila 2024. Photographed by Kim Santos

Kenneth Cobonpue with Vogue Philippines fashion director Pam Quiñones. Photographed by Kim Santos

Beyond furniture, Cobonpue’s craft extends to other realms. He shared stories about designing a car made of rattan and carbon fiber for Milan Design Week, which eventually led to collaborations with global brands like Audi and Disney. “A few years ago, Disney asked me if I would make furniture for Star Wars, and I knew that Disney never puts your name on it, so, this was my condition: that it had to have my name on it. It took them a while.” The screen then flashes Kenneth Cobonpue’s limited collection with Disney for Star Wars, bearing his name.

Right now, Cobonpue continues to mentor young designers to hone their talents. Through the Industrial Design Program of the University of the Philippines which he founded, and a number of departments and organizations where he holds key positions, his journey is profound evidence of the impact of Filipino talent in the global scene as well as a challenge to Filipino designers all over the world to solidify their names and voices through craft.

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