Neil Felipp and Natalya Lagdameo Turn the Act of Collecting Into a Creative Experience

Cabinets of Curiosities is a retail experience that brings together sketches, photographs, and objects that reflect the designers’ creative processes.

Bursts of inspiration sometimes come out of nowhere. If you ask Neil Felipp San Pedro and Natalya Lagdameo how they came up with their upcoming retail experience, they’ll tell you two things: they’re both hoarders, and they want to present their creative process by making it seem like The Chronicles of Narnia: What’s inside a single cabinet is full of possibilities.

Being friends for 13 years means that something has just clicked. In this case in particular, both Neil and Natalya’s love for collecting has led them to create “Cabinets of Curiosities,” a conceptual retail experience that showcases a myriad of jewelryJewelryDecorative adornments worn on the body, from fine pieces in gold, diamonds, and pearls to fashion jewelry made of accessible materials. Jewelry completes an outfit and often holds sentimental orGo to Jewelry Glossary, minaudières, and objects from their studios, each representing their creative process as artists.

“I love to collect literature, books, paintings, artworks, and objects. Natalya has an amazing collection of various memorabilia. So when we were trying to conceptualize, [we asked ourselves], ‘How do we present the latest collection in a way that we want the audience to get to know our creative process?’ And it was [how] we created the Cabinets of Curiosities,” Neil tells Vogue.

For the pop-up at Power Plant Mall opening on October 4, they are building three huge cabinets that house their artworks, such as sketches, photographs, and even random notes. These are the works that Neil hopes will evoke a feeling of curiosity for those who see them for the first time.

“One of the main highlights that we’re going to be showcasing is called the armor. This [came] after my participation in Révélations 2025 (Révélations International Biennial of Fine Crafts and Creation) at the Grand Palais in Paris. So we wanted to find a way [to] integrate 3D technology further into the local craft. So what I presented in 2025 was a three-piece sculpture. Now, I’ll be presenting a wearable piece which is going to conform to the body. And it was fully inlaid with power,” Neil says on what he brings to the table for this experience.

Natalya, on the other hand, has put a pile of stones on a six-seater table and thought of a way to create a form and sense of order out of it.

In the age of AI, Neil explains that somehow, this is their way to share the struggles of being a creative, and they wanted to challenge the assumption that it is quick and easy to create.

“It’s just really the beginning because right now, for the Cabinets of Curiosities, we’re going beyond the craft that people know me for. We’re going further into it—into basketry,” he says. “We’re working with a local community of basketry, and then we’re also working with ceramics. So it’s an exciting point where we’re going further into our craft as well as integrating 3D technology.”

Cabinets of Curiosities will run from October 4 to 29, 2026, at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell Center, Makati City.