ArteFino: Artisanal fair always looks for the new

ARTEFINO, the artisanal trade fair founded by Maritess Pineda, Mita Rufino, Susie Quiros, Cedie Lopez-Vargas, and Marimel Francisco, is cooking up new things this year (possibly more than before).

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The fair will take place from July 31 to Aug. 3 at The Fifth at Rockwell, while the ArteFino Lounge opens at the Balmori Chef's Table earlier on July 26. ArteFino Lounge will feature recipes by Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano, while displaying items in furniture, homeware, and jewelry.

At the fair's launch on July 9 at the SoFA Design Institute at Rockwell, Makati, we saw new creations by Jor-El Espina in a collection inspired by Patis Tesoro, called Heirloom. Camille Villanueva lends her signature dresses, jackets, and tops as a canvas to muralist Tara Soriano; while other ArteFino stalwarts showed completely new designs, and expanded lines for children, men, and home.

A collaboration that Ms. Francisco is personally excited about is Earthbound by Steffi Cua, Geraldine Javier, and Marionne Contreras, which explores the use of eco-printed local textiles and new forms of zero waste designs.

Ms. Francisco, in an interview with Business World, said, "The brief to them has always been, 'Nothing new? Sorry.'

"There really has to be something new," she said.