It’s that time of the year when the metro’s most discerning shoppers veer away from the usual shopping malls to this charity bazaar that guarantees a well-curated selection of exquisite jewelry, fashion, and art objects to covet.
But it’s more than just enjoying the opulent finds at this fair that matters. The event’s tireless women from the Zonta Club of Makati have been committing its past three years of holding the event to other women from underprivileged communities.
Erlinda Panlilio, Zonta Club of Makati member, explains in an interview with InterAksyon that the activity is very much aligned with the yearly shopping event, “Zonta is an international organization of women in the business and profession working together to advance the status of women, to empower them.”
Melissa Romualdez, another dedicated Zonta Club member, adds, “What we want to do is to give our buyers a good shopping experience. They are also helping because it’s not just for money; it has a purpose, and that is to support Zonta Club of Makati and Environs and its projects focused on uplifting the lives of women. It’s really shopping for a cause.”
This year consistently brings in the best artisanal items. Now celebrating its fourth FilipinaZ, first-timers and loyal patrons alike are again promised a nice and tasteful collection of fine fashion accessories, clothes, paintings, even gourmet items.
And veterans of bazaars very well know that this is one of the best shopping events to get unique and thoughtful gifts for the Christmas gift-giving season!
Romualdez shares, “We have around 65 curated exhibitors this year. The focus is on jewelry, arts, and fashion. For the arts, it’s not only local pieces. We also have exhibitors from international galleries from Japan, Singapore, and Korea.”
Zonta Club of Makati and Environs President Armita Rufino shares in a press statement, “All our programs, from women’s health services to livelihood generation and more are centered on uplifting women’s lives—and the proceeds from FilipinaZ will go directly to those programs.”
Make your shopping list, choose well, but most of all enjoy the relaxing but fun shopping experience delivered by the Zonta ladies at 8 Rockwell in Rockwell Center this weekend, July 28 to 30. Don’t think much about whether you’ve bought too much, it’s all for a good cause, remember.
Meanwhile, here’s a preview—description courtesy of the Zonta ladies—of 15 of the 65 exhibitors at the shopping fair. Discover the others by visiting FilipinaZ, of course.
Fine Jewelry
1. Alchemista
Set to grace the fundraising exhibit with fine jewelry is stylish modular day-to-night jewelry brand Alchemista. Frederick and Georgina Ong, the couple behind the brand, believes in creating pieces that help women look great as they transcend stereotypes, redefine what works for them, and be all they want to be. For FilipinaZ, Alchemista will unveil the much-awaited result of their collaboration with Kyooreo’s Charming Baldemor—hand-carved minaudières embellished with metals and semi-precious stones.
2. All that Glitters
The jewelry label by designer Amanda Luym and her partner Cacay Moras-Server, All that Glitters will be selling handcrafted jewelry that can transform with the wearer and small fine leather goods proudly made in the Philippines. All that Glitters is known for using gems are authentically sourced from legendary mines all over Asia, Africa, South America, even the USA or unexpected European enclaves.
3. Definitive Handcrafted Opulence by Ann Ong
Among the roster of exhibitors is award winning jewelry designer Ann Ong, best known for handcrafted metal bracelets, neck pieces, and evening clutch bags that got her to win 3 Katha awards consecutively.
4. Eccentrics Limited
Juliana Santos-Garrett, through her label Eccentrics Limited, specializes in one-of-a-kind carabao horn jewelry. She collects, collates and combines disparate indigenous materials from all over the globe to create pieces that exude an eccentric style of elegance. Assembled by hand, her pieces cater to the bold and the fashion forward.
5. Kathy & Kathy Bespoke
Run by Ilonggas Kathy Sarabia-Babst and Kathy Gregorio-Anover, the Kathy & Kathy label is defined by its deeply-rooted expertise in handcrafted keepsakes and heritage jewellery, unique pieces made to carry the owner’s sentiments, making it the start of a lasting legacy that holds personal meaning.
6. Kuwintas
A homegrown jewelry label, Kuwintas offers intricately-designed jewelry that showcase the best of breathtaking craftsmanship and exquisite refinement. Their pieces range from the elaborate and opulent, to the fashion-forward and elegantly-designed.
7. Otsirav’e by Carlo Evaristo
Drop by the booth of fashion accessory designer Carlo Evaristo’s label to check out his collection of one-of-a-kind handcrafted metal bracelets, neck pieces, and more. A stunning showcase of Filipino raw materials, Otsirav’e will bring you lavish artisanal statement jewelry that doubles as wearable art.
8. Yerovi Jewelry
Gorgeous accessories made of pearls, semi-precious gems, gold, and sterling silver, Catherine Trillana’s brand of high-end jewelry puts together a fine collection of bold fashion statements to punctuate every woman’s stunning ensemble.
Fashion
9. D’Oro Barandino
Doro Barandino’s eponymous clutches and jewelry label is set to exhibit the designer’s signature geometric and architectural-shaped minaudières, as well as soft-leather clutches and gold-plated brass jewelry. A D’Oro Barandino design features an aesthetic that’s never overwrought, and has a certain graphic symmetry and linear clarity to its style.
10. Kababaihan Bags
A product of the Kababaihan project by the Zonta Club of Makati and Environs, these colorful bags were crafted in the spirit of advancing the status of women thru their empowerment, and reflect the Filipina’s potential for greatness.
11. Art to love
11. Mario Panis
Established by pedagogy and enriched by time, the works of multi-awarded realist painter Mario Panis is set to be on display for people to see his originality and talent up-close. The breadth of his expertise extends to portraits, landscapes, still life and nudes in oil, watercolor and pastel. In addition, his penchant for realism led him to win prestigious awards. A well-known Filipino critic even described his work as “unnervingly real, locked as it is in the stupendous superiority of his work.”
12. Ronna Manansala
FilipinaZ will also unravel the artistry of painter Ronna Manansala. Her stunning artworks not only show bold colors and sure brushstrokes, her take on female themes evoke a unique depiction of grace that is distinctly rural and honest. Ronna’s ability to bring women to life delivers truthful humility and raw strength in equal measure. A painter and a sculptor, Ronna is the granddaughter of Philippine National Artist in Visual Arts Vicente Manansala.
13. Boysie Villavicencio
Painter and writer Boysie Villavicencio, on the other hand, will be showcasing a body of work that illustrates scenes of spirited underwater ecosystems bursting to colorful life – a collection of paintings that are both eye-catching and curiously serene.
14. Kyooreo
Zonta’s very own Charming Baldemor is set to have her booth exhibit custom-made wooden minaudières as well as fashion accessories, collectible figurines, lamps, and furniture pieces from her shop Kyooreo: Baldemor Carvings & Sculptures. A carving and sculpting company from From Paete, the carving capital of the Philippines, Kyooreo specializes in capturing the essence of Filipino artistry thru decorative and functional handicrafts and high-end sculpture art pieces. Charming will also be unveiling the much-awaited result of her collaboration with Alchemista’s Georgina Ong – hand-carved minaudières embellished with metals and semi-precious stones.
15. Bruno Art
FilipinaZ will also display artworks from the Bruno Gallery of The Bruno Art Group, a global art house with galleries and offices in Israel, Singapore, Turks & Caicos Islands and USA. For the fundraiser, Bruno Art will exhibit multi-dimensional works by Slava Ilyayev, David Gerstein, and local artists like Katrina Pallon, Jay Ragma, Jeff Dahilan, Michael Pastorizo, and more.
It takes a village to help others, so the Zonta Club ladies are also thanking their sponsors Security Bank, Rockwell Land, Rockwell Club and AB Leisure.
• FilipinaZ, July 28 to 30 at 8 Rockwell. Doors open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information follow the event on on Facebook via facebook.com/ShopFilipinaZ, on Instagram via instagram.com/filipinaz_fair/, call (+63) 905-5244353, or e-mail jules.veloso@gmail.com.