IN THE NAME OF DESIGN

Meet the seven designers who are taking on the challenge to create products that are simply world-class

- Ryanne Stephanie Cheng Co, Angela Nicole Guiral and Jove Moya

ZACARIAS 1925
RITA NAZARENO AND GABBY LICHAUCO

The fruitful creative partnership of designers Rita Nazareno and Gabriel Lichauco has already withstood the test of time. Working together since 2016, Nazareno and Lichauco pride themselves in delivering clever and innovative product designs and concepts for numerous brands in the Philippines and abroad.

The duo met in 2012 at a dinner and immediately "hit it off". From then on, the creatives would engage in discussions where they could share their exciting ideas. They would meet in Nazareno's workshop to bring their works to life. "Our approach to conceptualising is the same for all except when we start dealing with the material and production process," Lichauco says. "How we communicate plays a big role in our design language." Nazareno discloses that exchanging ideas with Lichauco is among her favourite parts of their partnership. "I truly enjoy our discussions and the back-and-forth in the beginning stages of a project.

The process can be quite random, which makes it fascinating, and we also appreciate each other's distinct sense of humour." In 2019, Nazareno and Lichauco joined forces in one of their biggest curations yet-the 2019 Philippine participation at Maison et Objet Paris under the Kindred Design Collective for Citem's Design. The following year, they also installed Itim: Material Manipulation in Black, initially slated for Milan Design Week's Fuorisalon.

As of this writing, Nazareno and Lichauco are looking forward to joining and creating more pieces for international exhibitions. "More international shows are opening up this year, and we would like to participate in as many and show our pieces," says the duo.