Designing new paths to creative success

MANILA, Philippines -With the progressive growth of the local fashion and design industry, the SoFA Design Institute continuously improves and updates its program roster, paving the way for more successful career opportunities for creative individuals.

Now the country’s premier specialized design college and one of the pioneers in legitimizing and professionalizing fashion and design as an educational path, SoFA, under its new dean, architect Toby Guggenheimer, has expanded its course lineup by recently adding new design programs to its curriculum.

Today, along with its Bachelor’s Degree programs in Fashion Design and Marketing, SoFA now also offers a Bachelor’s Degree program in Interior Design, all under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). “The recent improvements and changes we’ve done to our school are all due to the Filipinos’ very pronounced interest in design, especially the younger individuals,” observes Guggenheimer.

He adds, “Their passion to learn and further master their skills and talents poses so much potential for the design industry. Educating them to become masters in their craft will be a means also for our country to ‘connect’ to the outside world and carve out our own space in the global design landscape.”

Also an architect by profession, Guggenheimer reveals that he has always been interested in culture, and how everything else  — literature, music, food, art, and everything in between  — comes together to shape and reflect it. Complementing this is his interest in technology, as he has always been curious about how things were built, leading him to study how to design buildings and other structures.

It was partly a specific curiosity in the Filipino culture and way of life, he says, that led him to move and make his stay in the Philippines permanent, and eventually, join SoFA as dean.

Seeing potential in the local market, Guggenheimer was quick to recognize the turnaround in the Philippine economy, and how it is quickly growing to accommodate more creative careers. “Filipinos are integrating the design and fashion concepts they see globally into the culture they’re familiar with,” he says. “And I can envision just how great it would be if these talented and passionate individuals were given the opportunity to be equipped with the technical, practical, and business know-how they need, to fully bring their creative visions to life. That is what SoFA is for.”

Guggenheimer singles out SoFA’s unique methodology and learning environment, as it reflects the Filipino sense of community as well. “At SoFA, students are encouraged to develop independently and are supported as individuals. Departing from the traditional classroom setting, we expose them to many other ways of education, and they can select and decide which speaks to their learning style the most,” he explains.

Aiming to elevate each design project by seeing it as an important contribution to culture, SoFA trains its students to grow as competitive craftsmen of Filipino-made concepts and products. “SoFA not only teaches our students the technical and business side of designing. We remind them of the goal of continually raising the bar in Filipino designs — because this gives new meaning to the craft,” he points out.

Guggenheimer concludes, “It’s high time we started to take fashion and design seriously as promising career paths for Filipinos, and SoFA is poised to champion each of these individuals and be their platform for success by offering world-class design education to start them off on the right track.”

Indeed, new and exciting paths for design success are opening up at the SoFA Design Institute, promising a much brighter future for this country’s new breed of creatives.

The SoFA Design Institute is the Philippines’ first specialized design college committed to promoting design as a positive force in society, the economy, and in the lives of its students. For more information, course inquiries, and class schedules, visit www.sofa.edu.ph or call 478-4611 local 115.