Gallery backs original Cebu designs, sustainable processes

Designers Debbie Palao, Marylou Ngo-Ang, Kae Batiquin and Ina Borromeo-Gastor showcase their products. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Furniture and furnishing designers have opened a gallery and store at the CrossRoads in Banilad to showcase their products and expand domestic and global markets.

The Holistic Coalition of the Willing (HoliCOW) features designs from founding members Co-creative Studio, Detalia Aurora, Debbie Palao, Hacienda Crafts, and Vito Selma.

Kae Batiquin, HoliCOW media contact, said all designs have met international standards, posted low carbon footprints and were produced using more sustainable processes.

“It’s not just about us anymore. It’s about the Philippines against the world,” she said. The raw materials used are processed by partner communities, such as the UCLA (Uswag Calahunan Livelihood Association), LALIWA (La Libertidad Weaver’s Association), Tubigon Loomweavers and Rise Above Foundation.

Six more designers are expected to join.

Floreia and Nature’s Legacy have passed international standards for sustainability and traceability, while Avatar Style, D32, Stonesets International and Pacific Traders are awaiting approval.

Designs displayed at the HoliCOW gallery are exported to major global markets and are also used in hotels and food and beverage establishments in the country.

“Instead of just buying something that’s pretty and cost-effective, people are now asking about the product, what it’s made of, how it’s made and the like. People have become more conscientious about what they’re buying,” she said.

This shift in mindset has created a ripple of change among designers.

“Now we make things not only with economic value, but human value as well,” Batiquin said.

HoliCOW was initiated by the AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation and financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through sequa gGmbH.