Courtesy of ArteFino
Find mindfully created pieces that leave the world a better place when you shop.
With the peak of summer upon us, it’s time to shift our wardrobes to lighter fabrics and breezier layers. For those of you looking to update your wardrobe with new stylish staples and locally crafted pieces, all roads point to the latest ArteFino Resort fair at the North Court of Power Plant Mall from March 23 to 26.
In keeping with the bazaar’s ethos of curating a community of like-minded local artisans, ArteFino is putting together a roster of tropically centered Filipino brands. As the ArteFino team says, tropical resort living is innate in our Filipinoness. In an interview with Vogue Philippines, ArteFino co-founder Marimel Martinez-Francisco says, “Summer is a lifestyle here in Manila…We’ve imbibed that kind of lifestyle here.”
Given the fair’s space and nature, this season features just 32 brands. “It’s such a nice [location]…So we thought, okay, we can just do a capsule collection,” Martinez-Francisco explains. “It’s limited but I think it’s a tight curation. There’s a lot you can find, a lot to choose from.”
From their roster, the team reviewed each collection to make sure the brands were right for the summer. “We definitely asked them to launch something new,” she says. “We really wanted it very casual, laid back, but you can dress it up, it can be a little bit more elegant.”
Brands like Aishe, Art of Gold, Coco & Tres, Good Luck Humans, Lakat x Aire, Sewn Sandals, and more are set to debut their latest releases alongside crowd favorites. Luckily for keen shoppers, purchasing from ArteFino directly benefits the HeArteFino Foundation; a development program that forges long-term and sustainable partnerships with local artisans.
More than sustainability, environmentally conscious fashion brands are now looking towards circularity—a holistic design approach that gives new life to old materials and considers more than just putting out products. Rather, circular approaches also encompass the entire lifespan of the material and the livelihoods of each person involved in a product’s creation.
“It goes back to the community. The whole point is to have a sustainable livelihood for the communities that we support in our events,” Martinez-Francisco elaborates.
For instance, designer Zarah Juan is now on their third run of pieces made with the support of beaders in the Bagobo Tagbanwa community in Mindanao. Likewise, Michael Claparols of Creative Definitions and brands like Lakat and Aire have been closely collaborating with the weaving communities of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental. These weavers now produce most of the fabrics used in their highly popular bags and shoes.
Though processes are never perfect, the root of circular practices lies in mindfulness, and a conscious effort to leave no impact. As the ArteFino team writes, “Circular economy and dynamics within the growing community drive both the fairtrade events and foundation. One cannot exist or live out its mission without the other.”
