Reinventing Fame

Manila Fame Has Been The Barometer Of The Philippine Design Scene For Over Three Decades. Now, With Pauline Suaco-Juan At The Helm, It Revisits Its Storied Past And Surges Towards An Inspired Future, Writes Marga Manlapig

A story that we need to keep telling” is how Pauline SuacoJuan, current executive director of the Centre for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), describes the biannual Manila FAME. Given Suaco-Juan’s background as a seasoned lifestyle journalist, the analogy seems amusingly apt on the surface—but it is also an analogy built upon the well-founded truth that Manila FAME is a way of telling the story of the ingenuity, creativity, and tenacity of Filipino small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) making their way into the global market.

Held twice a year, in April and October, since 1983, Manila FAME has served a number of purposes for the Philippine design community: a springboard for launching new talents; an active gauge for up and coming trends; a prime showcase for the best local artisans; and a way of promoting small and medium businesses centred on expert craftsmanship. Small wonder, then, that it is considered one of the longest running trade events within the Asia Pacific region and is the only Filipino event of its kind recognised by the Unione des Foires Internationale (UFI), the global association for the events industry.

However, with the growing number of similar trade expositions throughout the region over the past decade, coupled with the way other countries have been copying the designs of Filipino designers and selling subpar knock-offs on the global market, Manila FAME’s lustre has waned somewhat. This was not helped by the controversy that happened during its 66th run in October 2017 when netizens called out the organisers for what was perceived as cultural appropriation and the exploitation of a living national treasure: celebrated Butbut tribal tattoo artist Apo Whang Od Oggay.