The K-Pop girl group posed on the designer’s famous Bloom chair.
Internationally-acclaimed Filipino furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, whose A-list clientele includes Angelina Jolie and Queen Sophia of Spain, among others, took to Instagram to share a photo shoot by K-pop phenomenon Blackpink, in which each of them artfully perched on his famous Bloom chair. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa posed on the red floret wearing their own unique angel wings. The photoshoot was part of their 2021 Season’s Greetings fan gift cards for Christmas.
The four members currently make up the world’s most popular all-girl music group. They have their names in history as the first Korean group to top US and UK charts like Billboard’s 100 and Britain’s Official Albums Chart Top 100.
Blackpink is set to return to the Philippines in March 2023 for a two night show as part of their Born Pink World Tour. With the Philippines having the third highest number of K-pop fans in the world, seeing the stars on a piece by a fellow Filipino has touched many hearts across the globe.
Designed in 2009, the Bloom chair, which looks like a bright flower in full blossom, is handcrafted with materials such as Italian microfiber, fiberglass, and steel. The fabric is finely stitched, running from the center outwards, to give a quilted effect that completes the petal’s texture. The swivel chair, which was previously spotted in the Gucci showroom in Shanghai, is described to “bring the beauty of the garden indoors.”
Cobonpue is known globally for his structural and often metaphorical luxury furniture, which often integrates native materials such as rattan, abaca, and bamboo that he molds into sculptural shapes using handmade techniques. His Dragnet chair for instance would not look out of place in a modern showroom, yet was inspired by fishermans nets and the art of net weaving. The Cebu-born creative noticed his passion early on and studied at Pratt Institute in New York, among other accolades across Europe.
Upon returning home, Cobonpue took over his family’s furniture business called Interior Crafts of the Islands which he rebranded to use his own name. His brand has since received numerous awards, which include the French Coup de Coeur award, Design for Asia Award of Hong Kong, and five Japan Good Design Awards.
