Manila FAME 2024
Trends to expect at the Philippines’ premier home, fashion, and lifestyle trade show
October 15, 2024
The projected growth of the global markets for home, fashion, and lifestyle (HFL) products presents a promising landscape for Philippine exporters. According to market intelligence firm Mordor Intelligence, the home design market is projected to reach US$ 177.13 billion by 2029, with a steady Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.13%.
Similarly, the fashion industry is expected to grow by US$ 0.3 trillion (16.76%) from 2024 to 2028. Meanwhile, the lifestyle sector is projected to grow at a rate of 6.62% each year, reaching US$ 10.80 billion by 2029.
The global data suggests a huge space for new and current players, including the Philippines, to leverage their diverse and vibrant product offerings. Manila FAME, the country’s premier home, fashion, and lifestyle trade show, is designed to strengthen the Philippine brand in the world of design.
The 2024 edition of the trade show is set to offer a larger portfolio—30%—compared to the previous year, featuring 338 Philippine enterprises to be housed under various sections and across product categories at the show. The active participation of local government units (LGUs) and business support organizations (BSOs), inclusion of new exhibitors, and returning exhibitors contributed to the increase in this year’s set.
With nearly 1,500 pre-registered buyers—both local and foreign, and still growing, the event presents a diverse range of options. The largest foreign buyer demographic is expected to come from the Americas, followed by East Asia and Europe, highlighting strong international interest, particularly from developed markets.
Meanwhile, the buyer-per-category projections show a diverse landscape, with retailers, specifiers, wholesalers, buying agents, and distributors forming the largest segments. This set indicates a strong focus on retail opportunities, project-based purchasing, and long-term contracting. The foreign buyers from various regions expected to visit the show are also classified as mid- to top-tier stores, suppliers, and platforms.
Design Directions and Settings
The Manila FAME edition this year carries the theme “Reimagination,” where the best of the Philippines’ local enterprises, craftsmen, and artisans translate the country’s abundant raw materials into functional and aesthetic pieces while espousing sustainability and circularity. The key features of the show will latch on reusing, upcycling, recycling, and re-constructing existing materials, production techniques, and designs.
The trends expected to be seen at Manila FAME stem from two of its special features: Design Commune and Artisans Village. Design Commune, which is is the culmination of the product development program by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), organizer of Manila FAME, where renowned designers are paired with select local exhibitors to develop new products in tune with the global market.
This year, designers Rita Nazareno and Gabby Lichauco were tapped as product design specialists for Design Commune Home. The new collection carrying the theme “Beyond Reality” focuses on common objects, ubiquitous materials, and extinct animals and plants. A total of 150 prototypes by 25 Philippine companies will be launched at the show.
For Design Commune Fashion, designer Maco Custodio collaborates with 15 local companies to create new accessories, apparel, and footwear. The 90-piece collection takes inspiration from Parametrics, where design is based on forms, textures, and patterns found in nature.
Meanwhile, the Artisans Village, a showcase that highlights the unique arts, skills, and materials from the different provinces and regions of the country, will be participated by Bohol, Tarlac, Bicol, and Quirino; and representing Western Visayas are Aklan, Antique, Bacolod, and Iloilo. Furniture, home decor, and fashion pieces made from materials indigent or abundant to these places, such as abaca, piña fiber, buri, raffia, bamboo, rattan, as well as wood, stone, and clay, among others are expected to be showcased at the Artisans Village.
Interestingly, the provinces of Quirino and Antique have participated in Ambiente in the first quarter of 2024 as part of the Philippine delegation. The best sellers from Quirino province were fossilized flowers and driftwood decorative items. Meanwhile, Antique province enjoyed top sales for its cotton fabrics and handwoven baskets.
The show will also debut a new setting named Philippine Components: Coverings, Parts, and Fittings. Intended for sourcing parts and elements of home, fashion, and lifestyle products, this new setting emphasizes the utility of the various parts and components the Philippines has to offer. It encompasses architectural, interior, and industrial applications–giving buyers the power to mix-and-match these building blocks to redefine their customization experience. The setting will focus on wall coverings, cabinet handles, door handles, cabrioles, and banisters.
Another new setting that will be introduced this year is Nostalgia: The Manila FAME Design Retrospective. The setting aims to retrace Manila FAME, the second-longest running trade show in Asia for home, furnishings, and lifestyle, to its early days and pay homage to the 1980s and 1990s, a defining period for the trade show. It highlights the creativity of companies and designers and their impact on contemporary design. This showcase honors their legacy and demonstrates the lasting appeal of their work in the global design scene.
Both new settings are under the creative direction of esteemed designer and longtime Manila FAME exhibitor Tony Gonzales with the assistance of another top designer, Al Caronan, for Nostalgia.
The Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), the country’s leading agency committed to cultivating a culture that thrives on creativity, value creation, and innovation, will participate in Manila FAME through its showcase on the Pinyapel, a sustainably sourced paper material developed by DCP made of discarded pineapple leaves. Eco-friendly pieces made of Pinyapel, a term coined combining pinya (Filipino for “pineapple”) and papel (paper), will be on display.
Customarily, Manila FAME serves as the design barometer for the product offerings of the Philippines to the succeeding overseas trade fair participations of the country after the show.
Manila FAME is set to take place on 17-19 October 2024, World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. The trade show will run from 9:00AM to 7:00PM. For more information, visit https://fameplus.com/manila_fame.
Sources:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/interior-design-services-market
https://www.statista.com/forecasts/821415/value-of-the-global-apparel-market
https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/app/lifestyle/worldwide