Native Souvenirs, Handicrafts, and Homemade Delicacies

[rmn]

Thank you Sugarboy for that very exhaustive and informative reply. Just a clarification, though: it's the gallery that I work for that has 30 yrs. experience in the business, not me. I'm not that quite that old! hehe

Anyway, I believe you are right about the advent of digital art. Have you heard of the Giclee system? It's precisely that. You see, my marching orders from the top is to tap develepors and yes, we do have a whole roster of interior designers on our client list. My take is that for the local market it's only young artists and the masters that sell. Anyone in between, well, it's rather difficult. My solution: international marketing.

With the current economic downturn facing the country, going international makes perfect sense. I mean the Fil-Am market alone offers a huge potential for growth.

Yeah, sales wise, it's been very tough.

[sugarboy]

Originally Posted by rmn

Thank you Sugarboy for that very exhaustive and informative reply. Just a clarification, though: it's the gallery that I work for that has 30 yrs. experience in the business, not me. I'm not that quite that old! hehe

Anyway, I believe you are right about the advent of digital art. Have you heard of the Giclee system? It's precisely that. You see, my marching orders from the top is to tap develepors and yes, we do have a whole roster of interior designers on our client list. My take is that for the local market it's only young artists and the masters that sell. Anyone in between, well, it's rather difficult. My solution: international marketing.

With the current economic downturn facing the country, going international makes perfect sense. I mean the Fil-Am market alone offers a huge potential for growth.

Yeah, sales wise, it's been very tough.

rmn, let's hook up one of these days. am surprised though why the developer market is only being tapped now. i'll send you a private message on this.

[KulasKusgan]

Originally Posted by Lili

CEO na nga ako eh. Boy bailed out na.

di kasi ako nagbabasa eh. hehe.

[Lili]

Originally Posted by rmn

Thank you Sugarboy for that very exhaustive and informative reply. Just a clarification, though: it's the gallery that I work for that has 30 yrs. experience in the business, not me. I'm not that quite that old! hehe

Anyway, I believe you are right about the advent of digital art. Have you heard of the Giclee system? It's precisely that. You see, my marching orders from the top is to tap develepors and yes, we do have a whole roster of interior designers on our client list. My take is that for the local market it's only young artists and the masters that sell. Anyone in between, well, it's rather difficult. My solution: international marketing.

With the current economic downturn facing the country, going international makes perfect sense. I mean the Fil-Am market alone offers a huge potential for growth.

Yeah, sales wise, it's been very tough.

If you are going to be marketing Digital Art to Fil Ams based abroad then that is going to be tough competition since there are a lot of digital art work available here in the US and elsewhere. Fil-Ams clamor for homegrown art should speak to their longing for home and Filipinism. If it is not the subject of the art, it can be name or name recall of the artist. That's why they are still looking for upcoming artists in the traditional styles and of course, the masters. If you are able to infuse that in your digital art, then perhaps, you will have a market for it. I don't want to water down the importance of the intrinsic value and aesthetics of artwork, but marketing indeed works. You have to get your product out there and drum up interest in it through a variety of ways such as traditional gallery exhibitions, art expo, internet, media, tie-ups, portfolio presentation, word-of-mouth, etc.

[sugarboy]

Originally Posted by Lili

If you are going to be marketing Digital Art to Fil Ams based abroad then that is going to be tough competition since there are a lot of digital art work available here in the US and elsewhere. Fil-Ams clamor for homegrown art should speak to their longing for home and Filipinism. If it is not the subject of the art, it can be name or name recall of the artist. That's why they are still looking for upcoming artists in the traditional styles and of course, the masters. If you are able to infuse that in your digital art, then perhaps, you will have a market for it. I don't want to water down the importance of the intrinsic value and aesthetics of artwork, but marketing indeed works. You have to get your product out there and drum up interest in it through a variety of ways such as traditional gallery exhibitions, art expo, internet, media, tie-ups, portfolio presentation, word-of-mouth, etc.

It's gonna be hard to market digital art in the US I agree. I just wanted to point out though that for the Philippine market, this digital art revolution will further cut into the market potentials of galleries like that of rmn's .

For the Fil-Am market abroad though, I think rmn still stands a chance selling works of masters to Fil-Ams who are familiar with the named Filipino artists like Malang etc.

[Lili]

^ Agree.

[sugarboy]

With the consent of rmn, can we start a new topic instead with the heading "The Art of Commerce and the Commerce of Art"?

Para lang properly identified/categorized siya sa Samahan?

[Lili]

I like that topic. Although I'm not very conversant in it, it will surely be enlightening reading your inputs and opinions about it. Perhaps we should ask the moderators to change the topic of this thread, with the consent of rmn, so that we will not lose the nuggets that you have already shared in this thread.

P.S. puede niyo na rin tanggalin yung mga kalokohan, kung ok lang sa mga luko-luko dito.

[sugarboy]

Originally Posted by rmn

Thank you Sugarboy for that very exhaustive and informative reply. Just a clarification, though: it's the gallery that I work for that has 30 yrs. experience in the business, not me. I'm not that quite that old! hehe

Anyway, I believe you are right about the advent of digital art. Have you heard of the Giclee system? It's precisely that. You see, my marching orders from the top is to tap develepors and yes, we do have a whole roster of interior designers on our client list. My take is that for the local market it's only young artists and the masters that sell. Anyone in between, well, it's rather difficult. My solution: international marketing.

With the current economic downturn facing the country, going international makes perfect sense. I mean the Fil-Am market alone offers a huge potential for growth.

Yeah, sales wise, it's been very tough.

@rmn, sales-wise it is going to be very tough if as discussed on the phone that the galleries do not open up to the free-agent/referral method of selling. as mentioned, 100% effort of 1 person is less productive than 1% effort of 100 people. if your gallery would open up to accrediting "loosely connected" dealers like yours truly, 10 guys like me who circulate closely within your desired target market could get your stuff moving on a more regular basis. otherwise, in a situation wherein we get a whiff of someone looking for an ang kiukok, guys like us would go far and wide to look for that piece because we can make money over it. this would be so ironic given that your gallery would have a listing of consigned ang kiukoks. if indeed upper management opened up to this method, then i wouldn't have to go great lengths to look for that one sought after piece but just call you/your gallery. and even if i made less money over that sale if this is repeated more frequently due to the efficiency of the system, then the gallery's cash register would be ringing more often. diba?

as stated, almost all businesses have adapted a form of re-engineering these past decade in order to be in step with the times. sad to say, the art trade has not kept up with the changes.

[Lili]

@rmn: please edit the topic of this thread so readers will know that the subject matter has something to do with Art and its intrinsic value and the commercialization of art. Perhaps the topic as suggested by @Sugarboy.

[kiretoce]

Iberian Invasion
By Alex Y. Vergara Inquirer News Service Oct 21, 2005

RETAILERS of local and foreign fashion brands are probably quaking in their designer boots as Spanish "fast-fashion" giant Zara invades Manila.

Stores Specialists Inc., Zara's exclusive distributor in the Philippines, recently opened its first store at the Rockwell's Power Plant Mall with a fashion show even as guests were shopping.

The sprawling 1,007-sqm space (the one formerly occupied by Fully Booked) is divided into men's, ladies' and children's wings. Established in 1975, Zara now has 750 outlets in 58 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But why open only now in supposedly fashion-forward Philippines?

"It took us a while to open a store in Manila," says Anthony Huang, executive vice president of SSI, "because we had to wait until the brand has gained a bigger presence in Asia."

He assures Filipino fashionistas that Zara's Manila store will be on par with other Zara stores elsewhere in Asia. In fact, Huang says their prices are almost the same as Hong Kong's and lower than Singapore's.


Reasonable prices

The Power Plant store carries mostly Fall items such as smart-looking jackets, trench coats, suits, traveling bags and leather boots at reasonable and sometimes unbelievably low prices. Shirts, for instance, cost from P499-P1,999, while canvas, tweed and corduroy jackets (not the usual suiting materials other stores carry for a decidedly more mature clientele) range from P4,000-P15,000.

The store is also a rich source of evening dresses, skirts, blouses and fashionable outerwear that have the look and feel of more expensive designer brands for less. It must have been the lighting, but Zara's items have the uncanny ability to call on you even while perched on hangers. What's more, unlike in some stores, the place is far from cramped.

These attributes and the Filipino mentality to go gaga for anything imported are bound to make Zara the latest phenomenon to hit Philippine retailing. And since Zara carries a wide range of sizes, even certain local designers, who charge an arm and a leg for made-to-measure but pricey no-brainers, are likely to take a beating.


Latest stuff

In keeping with the speed with which Zara comes up with new items-twice a week from its creative team composed of nearly 200 professionals-Huang plans to stock up his store with the latest stuff at the same rate. But since Zara is into fast fashion, he can't guarantee that the same items will be there the next day.

Thus, fashionistas eyeing the same finds and trying to beat each other to them was a common sight on opening night. Leading fashion designer Inno Sotto, for instance, bought several pieces of the same long-sleeved black shirt just to make sure he won't run out of his preferred uniform these days.

"It's not that we're limiting the supply," says Huang. "It's just the way Zara conducts business. Being a fast-fashion brand, it tries to keep shoppers happy and excited by constantly introducing new styles and materials."

This early, Huang plans to open a second branch at the more accessible Glorietta 3, also in Makati. Thus, the Spanish re-colonization of the Philippines-this time through something as benign as fashion-proceeds at full speed.

[kiretoce]

Iberian Invasion
By Alex Y. Vergara Inquirer News Service Oct 21, 2005

RETAILERS of local and foreign fashion brands are probably quaking in their designer boots as Spanish "fast-fashion" giant Zara invades Manila.

Stores Specialists Inc., Zara's exclusive distributor in the Philippines, recently opened its first store at the Rockwell's Power Plant Mall with a fashion show even as guests were shopping.

The sprawling 1,007-sqm space (the one formerly occupied by Fully Booked) is divided into men's, ladies' and children's wings. Established in 1975, Zara now has 750 outlets in 58 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But why open only now in supposedly fashion-forward Philippines?

"It took us a while to open a store in Manila," says Anthony Huang, executive vice president of SSI, "because we had to wait until the brand has gained a bigger presence in Asia."

He assures Filipino fashionistas that Zara's Manila store will be on par with other Zara stores elsewhere in Asia. In fact, Huang says their prices are almost the same as Hong Kong's and lower than Singapore's.


Reasonable prices

The Power Plant store carries mostly Fall items such as smart-looking jackets, trench coats, suits, traveling bags and leather boots at reasonable and sometimes unbelievably low prices. Shirts, for instance, cost from P499-P1,999, while canvas, tweed and corduroy jackets (not the usual suiting materials other stores carry for a decidedly more mature clientele) range from P4,000-P15,000.

The store is also a rich source of evening dresses, skirts, blouses and fashionable outerwear that have the look and feel of more expensive designer brands for less. It must have been the lighting, but Zara's items have the uncanny ability to call on you even while perched on hangers. What's more, unlike in some stores, the place is far from cramped.

These attributes and the Filipino mentality to go gaga for anything imported are bound to make Zara the latest phenomenon to hit Philippine retailing. And since Zara carries a wide range of sizes, even certain local designers, who charge an arm and a leg for made-to-measure but pricey no-brainers, are likely to take a beating.


Latest stuff

In keeping with the speed with which Zara comes up with new items-twice a week from its creative team composed of nearly 200 professionals-Huang plans to stock up his store with the latest stuff at the same rate. But since Zara is into fast fashion, he can't guarantee that the same items will be there the next day.

Thus, fashionistas eyeing the same finds and trying to beat each other to them was a common sight on opening night. Leading fashion designer Inno Sotto, for instance, bought several pieces of the same long-sleeved black shirt just to make sure he won't run out of his preferred uniform these days.

"It's not that we're limiting the supply," says Huang. "It's just the way Zara conducts business. Being a fast-fashion brand, it tries to keep shoppers happy and excited by constantly introducing new styles and materials."

This early, Huang plans to open a second branch at the more accessible Glorietta 3, also in Makati. Thus, the Spanish re-colonization of the Philippines-this time through something as benign as fashion-proceeds at full speed.

[paulkrps]

hey lili, my mom had a maria clara design for her gown way back 1961. kaya lang nasa pinas pics nya.

Originally Posted by Lili

When I get married, I'd like to wear the traditional Maria Clara dress made of traditional jusi or pinya and the groom wearing an understated barong. But I can only do that if I marry in Pinas.

[paulkrps]

hey lili, my mom had a maria clara design for her gown way back 1961. kaya lang nasa pinas pics nya.

Originally Posted by Lili

When I get married, I'd like to wear the traditional Maria Clara dress made of traditional jusi or pinya and the groom wearing an understated barong. But I can only do that if I marry in Pinas.

[Lili]

^ My mom wore a boxy mini silk dress with pillbox hat so typical of the late 60s.

[Lili]

^ My mom wore a boxy mini silk dress with pillbox hat so typical of the late 60s.

[bagel]

My mom wore an Aureo Alonzo original (he was a big deal in the 70s). Her dress was really beautiful and modern. I guess he would be the Ino Sotto of his generation. My dad's get up was funny. White tuxedo. White pants. Hahahaha!

And all the guys in the picture had long hair, like that Crispa basketball team picture I posted in another thread. My dad had glasses similar to what I wear today.

[bagel]

My mom wore an Aureo Alonzo original (he was a big deal in the 70s). Her dress was really beautiful and modern. I guess he would be the Ino Sotto of his generation. My dad's get up was funny. White tuxedo. White pants. Hahahaha!

And all the guys in the picture had long hair, like that Crispa basketball team picture I posted in another thread. My dad had glasses similar to what I wear today.

[paulkrps]

and speaking of tux, i see a lot of old pics with men wearing suits. hindi ba sila naiinitan? and to think these are starched.

[paulkrps]

and speaking of tux, i see a lot of old pics with men wearing suits. hindi ba sila naiinitan? and to think these are starched.