The 69th edition of Manila FAME, the country’s premier lifestyle trade show for the global market, opens tomorrow at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. With “Heritage Reimagined” as its theme, the show is another fresh attempt to mine the country’s rich design traditions, especially in the field of furniture and interior design.
Leading the opening of the three-day is exhibit is Pauline Juan, executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the Department of Trade and Industry’s marketing arm. For several decades now, CITEM has been at the forefront of promoting to the rest of the world locally produced products by some of the country’s leading exporters. These products include furniture and accent pieces, clothes and fashion accessories, and food.
Manila FAME is focused mainly on furniture and accent pieces as well as fashion items. This time, Juan and her team are collaborating with leading creatives such as Vince Uy, Stanley Ruiz, Nix Alan, André Chang, PJ Arañador and Maco Custodio. Apart from lending their creative inputs in terms of the show’s overall design direction, they will also act as advisers to some of the this year’s current crop of exhibitors.
Vince, the design commune’s creative director, promises to “bring back an appreciation of color” to reflect the country’s “vivid and bold heritage in terms of design.” André is in charge of fashion, while Nix and Stanley lend their expertise in home, furniture and lighting. PJ and Maco are responsible for the home and fashion sectors of this year’s “artisans’ village.”
Pauline also announced the introduction of Manila FAME’s 
first ever E-Tailer Special Setting in support of the country’s steadily growing e-commerce program. This newest addition to the biannual event is designed to bring the online marketplace to the trade show floor, as it would feature the country’s rising entrepreneurs and designer commercial brands.
The buyers’ exhibit will run from April 25 to 27. Manila FAME’s first two days are usually reserved exclusively for institutional buyers, journalists and professionals such interior designers and architects. But this time, the general public is also welcome to see the show during the next three days. Organizers charge a P500 entrance fee per person.
