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Department store offers multisensory experience

THE OPUS MALL along C5 has added something unique to its offerings, in the form of the refreshed Robinsons Retail concept, Spatio.

During its opening on July 3, guests got to glimpse the store’s collaboration with the Fashion Accessory Makers of the Philippines (FAMph) and filmmaker/artist Connie Macatuno, for its campaign #KwentoNatinGalingPilipino.

Spatio now houses a mix of Filipino fashion, accessories, home, and lifestyle goods across its 7,800-square-meter, three-level space. The goal behind the revamp is “to highlight a compelling new wave of local artisans shaping the next chapter of Philippine design.”

Martin de Leon, deputy general manager for Spatio, said that the partnership with FAMph and the Department of Trade and Industry has shaped the lineup. “Our shared vision to make Spatio the home for over 100 local makers and designers is coming true. You can only find this diverse selection here at Opus Mall,” he said at the launch.

He added that each item is “a story passed from artisan to wearer, connecting personal narratives with collective pride.”

Among the featured brands under FAMph are Alchemista, Abel PH, Lokal, Charming Baldemor, Agsam Fashion Fern, Crystal Seas, Leather Studio Manila, Oel Designs, Nifty Shoes, Strozzi, Style Isle, Lakat, Roweliza, Beatriz, Mara Piñon, and J Makitalo.

The multisensory experience at the store includes an exclusively developed aroma of ube (purple yam), to enhance the feeling of nostalgia, and the music playlist called “Sa Habi ng Alaala: A Tapestry of Filipino Sound,” a three-hour mix curated by Jorge Juan B. Wieneke V. It ranges from nostalgic kundimans to experimental rhythms, folk, funk, and ancestral sounds.

“Fashion and accessories are a form of visual storytelling. My advocacy is to keep telling the story of our Filipino identity,” said filmmaker/artist Connie Macatuno, on the importance of Spatio. “I want each person to feel that this is a home, whether it’s in the context of bahay or house, or the context of bayan or homeland.”

Aside from coming up with the multisensory experience, her own fashion brand, Lokal, was also showcased at the launch’s opening runway. The models showed off pieces that were an amalgam of various fabrics, weaves, and colors, painted with playful designs.

A mix and match of bags, shoes, and accessories by the other FAMph-featured brands were also featured on the runway, all now available at Spatio. One of them is Roweliza, a Marikina shoe brand.

“You can see that these are all made with quality. You get your money’s worth with these products,” Roweliza Landicho, the brand owner and designer, also a third-generation shoemaker, told BusinessWorld.

“We need more spaces that showcase local artisans. It supports our businesses, so that more people can appreciate our craftsmanship.”

Other items that drew attention were handwoven blankets and towels from Ilocano brand Abel PH, handcrafted Philippine culture-inspired jewelry by Strozzi from Liloan, Cebu, and carved wood bags and decor by Paete, Laguna-based Charming Baldemor.

For Ms. Baldemor, it’s important to note that many of the brands at Spatio make use of locally sourced and even upcycled materials, be it old fabrics or seashells. Her studio, in particular, uses salvaged wood.

“My advocacy is to promote wood-crafting without having to use newly cut trees. We stand against illegal logging. For the bags, we upcycle salvaged materials, from demolished houses and trimmings of furniture,” she explained.

She added that local brands pay a lot of attention to detail, and thus devote painstaking time to craftsmanship “compared to fast-fashion or mass-produced items from abroad.”

“Our products are carefully made by hand, and as humans, we can only do so much. There’s very little appreciation of the artisans and artists alike. Being here in a commercial space, we’re hoping to raise awareness that Filipino products are world-class.”

Spatio is located on the second, third, and fourth floors of the Opus Mall in Bridgetowne, Quezon City. For more details, follow @spatio.ph on Instagram and Facebook. — Brontë H. Lacsamana