Kenneth Cobonpue, a world-renowned and award-winning furniture designer, is not immune to the fear of creative burnout.
How does he keep his ideas flowing?
"That’s a good question," he tells PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portakl) in an interview.
"It’s always difficult," admits the Cebu City native, who started his eponymous brand in 1998 and remains on top of its operations today.
His clientele ranges from Hollywood star Brad Pitt to tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg to Spanish royalty Queen Sofia.
His creations have been used in the hit productions Ocean's Thirteen and CSI, as well as in the album covers of Blackpink and Seventeen.
"You have to always be inspired," he adds, and goes on sharing how he finds inspiration.
"Well, I travel, I try to take a break, I spend a lot of time with friends, my designers also. We discuss things like what you like to see. Sometimes, I encourage the designers to make materials.
"They come to me and sometimes I get excited. It's very important to have a good team."
By the same token, Cobonpue keeps his creative juices flowing by constantly expanding his brand.
It now has the "Kcurated" line, consisting of smaller furnishings at affordable prices, and the Fable Cafe + Lounge, located at its Bonifacio Global City showroom.
He also makes it a point to join Manila FAME, which is touted as the Philippines’ premier trade show for quality home, fashion, and lifestyle products.
It started in 1983 through the pioneering efforts of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)’s export promotion arm known as the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).
"I've seen Manila FAME, the first edition, as a young boy with my mom," Cobonpue recalls, explaining that his mother Betty Cobonpue, from whom he apparently got the creative genes and entrepreneurial spirit, used to join the trade fair as an exhibitor.
He notes that the Philippines was a "powerhouse in design" while "our neighbors were sleeping then," that’s why "everybody came to Manila FAME" as "it's the most important show in the world."
Times have changed, he points out, "with competition and everything," so Manila FAME is "constantly trying to find its voice."
He adds, "It used to be twice a year; now it's only one. But with that, you have now the best of everything. And I always support Manila FAME because it's very important. It's the only show we have left."
ECOLOGICAL THEME
"For more than four decades, Manila FAME has become a powerful platform to celebrate the creativity and the very soul of the Filipino identity," says DTI Secretary Cristina Aldeguer-Roque at the media preview of the trade fair’s 73rd edition, held recently at the Centro de Turismo Intramuros in Manila.
She elucidates, "Through strategic programs by the DTI-CITEM, we are empowering our representatives, artisans, and creative entrepreneurs, equipping them with essential methods of design innovation and access to international art."
In line with this year’s "Objects of Nature" theme, Cobonpue and fellow top furniture designers Tony Gonzales and Milo Naval gave a sneak peek into their collections that champion sustainability.
Select pieces were also presented from Manila FAME’s Design Commune, a curated showcase of the show’s product development program aimed to support local brands and manufacturers to design for the global landscape.
Other items were sourced from Artisans Village, Manila FAME’s regional spotlight, featuring the provinces of Bohol, Ilocos Sur, Quirino, and Tarlac, as well as from Philippine Components, which highlights local manufacturers’ expertise in crafting bespoke elements for architectural and interior applications.
All of these and many more showpieces enthralled buyers who trooped to the Manila FAME 2025, which ran from October 16 to 18 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
Platform for young designers
Manila FAME can be a gateway to the global market, says Cobonpue, especially for rising talents in the design industry who don’t have the means to put up their own shows abroad. Thus, his primary advice for newbies is to go to the trade fair and see how it works.
"Maybe approach some of the companies and ask if you can work with them in manufacturing," he says during the media preview.
"Because it's very expensive to have your own factory. And from there on, once it does well, they know and understand the market, maybe they can make their own business."
Gonzales, who’s been joining Manila FAME for the last 30 years, agrees that the trade fair offers optimum exposure to designers and it also provides a venue for manufacturers.
That’s why, he tells us at the event, he looks forward to this year’s edition.
"I think that's part of my advocacy in my late years," he says, then goes on speaking on behalf of his team.
"That we help emerging companies. We share our talent in design. We share our ideas to young designers. That's always been our advocacy all these years."
Naval, on the other hand, has a practical reminder for up-and-coming designers: “It’s always the need that you design for.”
He also reiterates the trade fair’s theme.
“Why are we depicting nature? Because we want to save the world. We want to be sustainable, we want to protect the environment, [create] awareness.”
That urgent need to address problems relating to nature became the starting point for designers who participated in Manila FAME 2025.
READ MORE: