One-stop shop for PH products gets designer-led update

Filipino craftsmanship and creativity was on full display at the launch on Thursday of Kultura Atelier at SM Makati. The one-stop shop of the country’s largest department store chain is known for its wide range of Philippine-made products ranging from comestibles to clothes.  It is also a favorite shopping destination of returning Filipinos who want to take a piece of home back to their country of work. Many tourists also make a beeline to Kultura for souvenirs of their time in the tropics.  With the opening of Kultura Atelier, shoppers now have more options when an event calls for elevated Filipiniana. At the mini fashion show to mark the launch last week, the designers who were tapped to join Kultura’s roster presented pieces from their collection now available in store.  Daryl Maat showed updates to his playful redesign of the short-sleeved barong. Instead of traditional scrollwork or geometric designs, Maat’s features kid-style line drawings stitched in colored embroidery thread. Former professional model Alvin Degamo of Wear Your Culture was wearing one of his own pieces that afternoon, a denim jacket with fabric insets featuring embroidery inspired by the Manobos of Mindanao. He said his pieces are limited because it takes time for the weavers...