A GROUP of Cebuano manufacturers and designers have come together to establish a new venture to reintroduce Filipino craftsmanship with full transparency to the foreign and domestic markets.
Called HoliCOW (Holistic Coalition of the Willing), the firm produces sustainable furniture and housewares that adopt traceability, sustainability and community relations standards in their supply chain and manufacturing.
The group opened the HoliCOW Gallery at the Crossroads in Banilad over the weekend.
It is founded by Co-Creative Studio, Detalis Aurora, Debbie Palao, Hacienda Crafts and Vito Selma with association partners such as Uswag Calahunan Livelihood Association (UCLA), La Libertad Weavers’ Association (Laliwa), Tubigon Loomweavers and Rise Above Foundation.
HoliCOW was formed from the collaboration of German-based Afos Foundation, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation to ensure that good design is balanced by good practices in sourcing, processing and packaging.
Each member company was graded by a third-party consultancy group, using the Traceability Five-Step.
The gallery-store carries pieces of HoliCOW’s founding members and are also joined by Avatar Style, D32, Floreia, Nature’s Legacy, Stonesets International, and Pacific Traders.
“HoliCOW was established with the intention of proving that Cebu not only produces designs that are beautiful but also designs that uplift local communities and designs that are sustainable, traceable and observes fair trade,” said Kae Batiquin, communications officer of HoliCOW.
Batiquin, also of Hacienda Crafts, noted majority of the HoliCOW product range is not manufactured industrially, but created by hand, a distinction that gives the product its individual character and special aesthetic.
“We aren’t China-made. All items we produce are well thought of from beginning to end,” she said.
Bearing the HoliCOW brand, according to Batiquin, is an advantage in the global space, especially in green economies whose consumers are mindful of what they are buying. She noted that before they place huge orders, buyers request factory visits first to check manufacturing processes and labor standards.
“This is something that is interesting because this means that buyers are now carbon-footprint-conscious, which in return push manufacturers to review the materials used and how environment-friendly the processes involved,” she said.
She added this is an advantage for Cebuanos, especially that local manufacturers and exporters here use indigenous materials and still practice weaving traditions, among others.
With the support of Afos Foundation and Heimatdesigns in Germany, the group launched the Craft Act pop-up roadshow that travelled through Germany’s design cities like Cologne, and Düsseldorf, to name a few. According to Batiquin, the roadshow translated to huge purchase orders from foreign buyers around the world.
When the group brought the roadshow to the Philippines during the Philippine International Furniture Fair last March, HoliCOW earned the most awards given by two celebrity judges Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner, designers from the show Million Dollar Decorator.
“We really can make beautiful designs that uplift culture, communities, and the hand-crafted industry ,which we hope every Cebuano should realize,” said Batiquin.
Asked about their positioning in Asean, she said the group is more than ready to showcase the Cebuano design. Although the Asean counterparts may offer cheaper furniture and houseware pieces, the market, she said, is not limited to the region.
“Now, it’s the Philippines against the world,” she said, citing the huge demand of these kinds of products in the global and domestic markets.
The group, she added, is also inviting other homegrown designers to join their movement so that crafts from the Visayas will be known for its “authentic aesthetic and holistic approach to production.”