Design Week Philippines expands creative vortex to Quezon City, Makati, Ortigas

MANILA, Philippines — From October 13 to 21, the Design Center of the Philippines celebrates the 10th edition of Design Week Philippines (DWP) in four creative hubs across Metro Manila. 

Workshops, talks, and other activities will be held in key incubators of creativity – Intramuros, Malingap Central in Quezon City, The Alley at Karrivin in Makati, and Robins Design Center in Ortigas.

Design Week Philippines is a biannual multi-faceted platform that brings together creative visionaries from diverse background and disciplines in a series of programs and events that foster creativity and spur innovations.

For its October 2018 edition, DWP takes on the theme of a creative vortex. 

“Design Week Philippines acts as force that gathers trailblazers, tinkerers, creatives and designers in a central interactive platform that complements the continuously expanding pool of ideas, best practices, breakthrough thinking, and collaborative networks that usher in trade opportunities in the Philippine design industry,” explained Rhea Matute, Executive Director of Design Center.

Matute expounded that the multi-city celebration of this edition’s Design Week Philippines is in support of the Philippines’ creative economy agenda. 

“Design Week Philippines wants to grow together with the increased presence of creative hubs in the country. Creative hubs, after all, are catalysts of innovation, driving inclusive growth in the creative economy and positive changes in cities. Design Week Philippines puts a focus on these hubs to support their initiatives and gain further traction as a building block of the creative ecosystem and training ground of future design leaders.”

“Design Center also plays the role of a central and mother hub or platform that nurtures creative and design communities, and matchestheir talents with appropriate business tools,” she added.

From Intramuros to Extramuros

Past celebrations of Design Week Philippines focused on Intramuros as its first ever Creative Environment, which successfully infused the creative spirit inside Manila’s historical district through collaborative projects between Design Center, Intramuros Administration and other government and cultural partners inside Intramuros. 

Now more than a cultural tourist destination, Intramuros is attracting various art and creative communities that highlight the district as a launching pad for their ideas and ventures.

With DWP highlighting three additional creative hubs, Matute emphasizes that the move is part of Design Week Philippines’ commitment to establish a viable intersection in the creative and business realm. The three creative and design landmarks aptly illustrate how business can be married with creativity and design.

The Alley at Karrivin

Once dubbed as simply “Building C” in a BDO-managed complex, the now The Alley at Karrivin is tagged as a chic lifestyle hub in the bustling city of Makati.

Mara Coson, who runs The Alley and is an art lover, had a simple vision for the unleased warehouse—turn it into a congregate of galleries, retail lifestyle stores and diners. Rather than going elsewhere and hopping from one destination to the next, Coson wanted a central place that houses all things that matter to her and she believes in. Hence, the Alley at Karrivin.

Coson’s vision acted as the vortex that gave birth to The Alley, which is now occupied by six art galleries, two diners, a flower shop, a bakery, a retail store, a design studio, and a coffee and doughnut place. 

The Alley at Karrivin will host the opening of this DWP edition slated on 13 October, with a line-up of creative collaborations from Kick Fire Kitchen and an architecture + interior design masterclass from SoFA Design Institute. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Marikina-based enterprise Zapateria will also offer art and shoe design workshops, respectively.

Complementing the celebration at The Alley, the Communication Design Association of the Philippines will feature an exhibit entitled “LOOK HERE: Featuring Work by Women Graphic Designers” at ASpace, Greenbelt, Makati from 13-31 October 2018. The exhibit calls attention to the presence of women in the field of graphic design by demanding its audience to look at their works. The exhibit also aims to bring the graphic design community together.

Robins Design Center

A one-stop shop for the most exclusive home furnishing products, Robins Design Center (RDC) envisions to be the primary destination for design professionals and homeowners in search of high end home products and services. Conveniently located in the business district of Ortigas, RDC gathered under one roof several purveyors of design products and services to make the sourcing experience convenient for their target market. Some of the brands and showrooms that are featured in RDC are La Europa Ceramica, Schema, De Adorno Gallery, and Designery.

In celebration of DWP October 2018, RDC hosts a jam-packed day of learning and discussion on 20 October 2018 through a furniture design masterclass by SoFA Design Institute, a design talks on sustainable design leadership with MUNI Community, NCCA art workshops and an animationmasterclass by Toon City.

Malingap Central Food Hall

Located in Teachers’ Village in Quezon City, Malingap Central Food Hall aimed to stand out from the bandwagon of food parks in the country, and they did by taking on the airconditioned, closed hall route instead of the usual open-air ambiance of food parks. 

Living up to its description of a food, arts and music community, Malingap Central Food Hall is one of the go-to places to unwind to live music, share conversations with friends, and go on a gastronomic adventure. 
It houses a number of food establishments such as Manila Creamery Filipino Gelato, El Sombrero Mexican Cantina, Comisario Quixote Spanish Comida, BRGR: The Burger Project, and Bar Fight Beverages.

Malingap Central recently opened its doors to a makers space with Common Room, Craft Carrot, and Life After Breakfast, which will host a Creative Roundtable on pricing and selling creative work and the future of creative businesses during DWP October 2018.

For the full schedule of DWP October 2018, please follow DTI-Design Center of the Philippines on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DTI.DesignCenterPH/.