The Artisans Village comes into Bloom
It took nearly 50 exhibitors across four provinces to bring this signature Manila FAME feature to life this year, and the three international experts overseeing the process give an exciting preview of what audiences can expect
By September Grace Mahino
“Think global, act local.” The Artisans Village (AV), one of Manila FAME’s signature features, best exemplifies this growth-driven message, especially when global trend ambassador Patti Carpenter led its product development sessions in 2025. Her design know-how and analytical eye—plus her extensive experience working with micro enterprises—provided strong guidance to craftsmen from last year’s participating provinces, resulting in exquisitely made products that are distinctly Filipino in design and infused with global appeal.
AV walks the same path this year for Manila FAME: Bloom, which happens on Oct. 15 - 17 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. This time, though, it has a more expansive approach. With Carpenter back at the helm, there is a more holistic approach to business and product development, with two experts joining in to sit down and work with almost 50 Filipino manufacturers from four provinces—Bohol, Kalibo, Tarlac, and Isabela—as they explore exciting new design directions that could benefit their businesses, meet growing consumer demand, and pique the interest of lucrative markets abroad.
Artisans from across the provinces of Bohol, Kalibo, Tarlac, and Isabela have been busy in the past few months developing and fine-tuning new design pieces that might possibly be added to their respective companies’ product selections.
“We wanted to learn from what we had done last year,” Carpenter says. “That meant bringing in the right thinking so we can find and identify the types of products that would really resonate with the people that will be attending Manila FAME this year. That way, local businesses have the most opportunity for success with their products.”
She tapped Guatemalan designer Emma Gutiérrez for product development and international business development consultant Carol Campbell, who has collaborated digitally with Manila FAME before, to provide the participating manufacturers the international context within which they will be operating as exhibitors. “The idea is to bring in more sets of eyes and a different sense of design focus to build off of what Artisans Village achieved last year.”
Designing with intention
Gutiérrez flew to the Philippines for the first time in July for a whirlwind tour of three of the participating provinces with the Manila FAME team. The designer, who has an unabashed love for handmade products, met with local entrepreneurs and listened to the stories behind their businesses and product lines. She also saw up close the artisanal techniques each business applies and how Filipino culture and heritage inform the creation of each design piece.
“I think Filipino design has similar elements to what Guatemalan artisans do,” Gutiérrez shares. “So when Patti told me about possibly traveling here to the Philippines to work on product design, I think she felt that the two design cultures would be a perfect mix.”
“Sedimenta,” the concept she developed for AV, in keeping with Manila FAME’s Bloom theme, reflects the layers of stories that build cultural identity through time. Inspired by the lines and patterns created by each place’s unique topography, as well as the metaphorical lines that bind communities and generations together, “Sedimenta” plays with muted minerals for its color palette to reflect the earth’s natural colors.
Emma Gutiérrez’s concept of “Sedimenta” includes having the products feature patterns that mimic lines, shapes, and motifs naturally found in each AV province’s topography and cultural expressions.
“When designing, the concept is always important; we must design with intention,” Gutiérrez explains. With the variety of products, materials, and techniques to work with, she decided to focus on four common themes that apply to all of the provinces: spirituality and daily life, craftsmanship, natural materials, and community. “The last one is especially important because we were working together for the same collection.”
Each province the designer visited left a strong impression: Tarlac amazed her with its traditional pottery and ingenious use of stones. “There was also a local business that works with aquaponics, and this is my first time working with it, which is very cool.”
She was also very impressed with the piña weaving in Kalibo, which she found reminiscent of Guatemalan techniques. “We use cotton back home, though. Here, the piña silk and the different fibers used by Filipino artisans are incredible.” In Bohol, she marveled at the craftsmanship used to transform raffia and rattan into a variety of colorful products. “The people are also very warm, always smiling,” she adds.
Color is business, and so is texture
The final prototypes from these product development sessions will be unveiled when Manila FAME: Bloom opens, but Carpenter is excited by the samples she has seen so far. She particularly mentions the featured colors on the pieces, which initially proved challenging given the natural materials and natural dyes that the artisans typically use. “We’re doing a much softer, mid-range tone this year compared to last year’s, and that’s easier with saturated earth tones. But they are still colorful—not pastel by any means, but with a bit more nuance.”
AV exhibitors have been experimenting with hues that are based on a palette dominated by the colors of muted minerals.
Campbell agrees that the emphasis on color is extremely important for this year’s AV product collections. “Anyone approaching the manufacturers for production is going to expect them to match a desired color palette.” She adds that a product must be able to “sit” next to those from other markets on a shelf for a brand to expand internationally, and that includes playing into the dominant color palette of the season. “For example, if green is the color of the year, the piece must be in the right shade of green. Otherwise, it won’t sit well with other products and won’t be purchased.”
“Color is business,” Carpenter stresses.
Textures will also be a big attraction, what with the different types of materials used: rattan, raffia, abaca, and coconut shells, just to name a few. “We really played with the textures within the materials,” Carpenter shares. “That way, each business has a collection that’s unique to them and that they can continue to build on even after Manila FAME.”
With natural fibers currently a major draw in international design markets, Carpenter sees a major opportunity for local exporters to make the Philippines an even more competitive source for design pieces made with these materials.
The trend analyst also notes the current appetite for natural fibers in the design world. “Looking at wall art, lighting, handbags and accessories, and home accessories, there is a lot of fiber being shown this season globally.” That means there is a great opportunity for the AV exhibitors to play with and broaden the scope of what they can do with natural fibers. “And because the Filipino artisans’ skill set has a high level of quality that has been honed over generations in many cases, the Philippines sits at a lovely intersection of where to bring those things together. I definitely think that the pieces we’re going to see will be very exciting.”
The visual business of selling
Of course, the work doesn’t end with producing a well-designed piece. For Campbell’s first visit to Manila FAME, she looks forward to meeting more local businesses and guiding them through the world of export, as well as possibly catching up with those she consulted previously. “I would love to be able to do a follow-up at some point to find out what they’re interested in learning more about, what the next step would be in terms of training and understanding.” The business expert hopes to provide Filipino manufacturers with a clear picture of who a global buyer is and how to engage with them. “What are they looking for? How will they speak with you? How should a business respond? A vendor needs to present themselves as someone qualified, intelligent, and ready to take the next steps into exporting—or even as just a local business.”
Last year’s The Artisans Village exhibit featured displays that combined products from various exhibitors into eye-catching vignettes and also highlighted each region’s signature craft and materials.
With visual merchandising a crucial part of presentation, Campbell already envisions how she can guide the exhibitors to display their collections in the best light. “Colors tie everything together, and I think the color palette Patti put together this year can give each vendor’s booth a distinct personality that wouldn’t distract visitors from the beauty of the products,” she says.
Carpenter also notes a successful idea they implemented last year, which was to style a “lifestyle table” for each AV province that combined pieces from across all the participating local manufacturers in one cohesive display. “I love a nice vignette, and that helps buyers see how they can get something from booth A and something from booth B to put together nicely.
“Part of what we guide these businesses through is making a collection that makes a buyer understand their company DNA the moment they walk into the booth,” she continues. “Typically, small producers take the ‘spaghetti’ approach, which is to put anything and everything out there, and that makes them look like a local marketplace rather than a local market.” Given the limited space available for each company to sell their designs, Carpenter hopes to help Filipino entrepreneurs cultivate a smarter approach to selling. “If you bring everything, people won’t see anything, so your visual merchandising will drive home the message of who you are and what you’re selling.”
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Catch the collections on display at this year’s Artisans Village when Manila FAME: Bloom happens on Oct. 15 - 17, 2026, at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, Manila. Register as a visitor here.
