TES Pasola, globally renowned paper artist and product designer, headlines the Philippine participation in Maison & Objet, a major sourcing event for interior design and related industries the world over, as creative director. The country’s participation is organized by the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem).
Pasola integrates the wide array of home and design products offered by eight Filipino exporters into one cohesive design statement, Philippine design as we live it. Capsule displays echoing various lifestyle settings preview the adaptiveness of local design across a variety of geographic locations, climate seasons, cultures and lifestyles. Her choice of products on display also manifest the uniqueness of the Philippine design sensitivity—one that marries form and function in practically an unlimited number of ways.
Pasola has been curating a wide array of creative exhibitions in the Philippines and abroad, both for paper and nonpaper products. She also serves as a creative consultant to many companies. Multiawarded as she is multifaceted, Pasola often shares her artistic visions through her exquisite paper collages. She is also a veteran of many Manila FAME editions, Citem’s premier international buying show, flexing and honing her design artistry by working with local exporters across a wide array of products.
As busy as she is with commissioned endeavors (special design exhibitions and space styling for residential and commercial spaces) and business enterprises (TesP Draft Hub, a design studio and manufacturing company, and One of T, a home and lifestyle showroom), Pasola actively spreads the gifts of artisanal craftmanship through her involvement in the Great Women Program, which focuses on growth opportunities for small producers in remote communities. Currently, she is in the midst of the establishment of the Artist Village and Art Hotels, both in Palawan.
For Maison & Objet, Pasola worked with Basket & Weaves (planters and other furnishings), Cagayan de Oro Handmade Paper (lamps and novelty items in handmade paper), Chanalli (table top items), Finali (furniture), L’auras Y Levi Inc. (home accessories), Tadeco (home accessories), Tali Handmade (fashionable bags) and WeaveManila Inc. (abaca rugs and carpets).
Citem’s mandate is to promote Philippine exports to the world market. Through the years, Citem has been solidifying the country’s reputation as a preferred sourcing destination for finely crafted products for the world market. In fact, Design Philippines, the industry brand for the creatives sector, is a current marketing avenue that nurtures and celebrates the creativity and originality of globally competitiveness of designs by Filipino designers and craftsmen. Design Philippines is now considered an authority in the world of design, particularly when it concerns Filipino creative geniuses and the Philippine design sector.