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What makes a design truly unforgettable?
Pia Arcangel takes us inside the fascinating mind of industrial designer, CEO and Creative Director Kenneth Cobonpue whose work has won multiple international and local awards including the Pratt Legends Award by the Pratt Institute, the first Designer of the Year Award by Maison et Objet Asia and the first Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award for Design. Time Magazine called him “rattan’s great virtuoso.” This episode reveals inspiring stories from his formative years and his approach to transforming natural materials into stunning, sculptural pieces that are as much art as they are furniture.
Pia Arcangel takes us inside the fascinating mind of industrial designer, CEO and Creative Director Kenneth Cobonpue whose work has won multiple international and local awards including the Pratt Legends Award by the Pratt Institute, the first Designer of the Year Award by Maison et Objet Asia and the first Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award for Design. Time Magazine called him “rattan’s great virtuoso.” This episode reveals inspiring stories from his formative years and his approach to transforming natural materials into stunning, sculptural pieces that are as much art as they are furniture.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Today we feature the brilliant mind whose unique furniture has put Filipino design on the global map.
00:07His creations are a blend of nature, craft and technology and have become truly iconic.
00:13Tonight on PowerTalks, we sit down with Mr. Kenneth Cobonpue.
00:18When I started, I didn't have the money to advertise and so I had to let the work speak for itself.
00:24You have to force yourself, put a piece of paper and try to come up with something.
00:29Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't, but that's the process.
00:33I failed because I couldn't draw.
00:35And this was the height of its popularity.
00:37Yeah, sleeps on Cobonpue's bed.
00:38So that's how I became known in my own country.
00:47Kenneth, thank you so much for having us here in your beautiful showroom.
00:51It's our first time in here and you just recently opened, right?
00:54Yes, that's right. We opened in February.
00:57It's a beautiful place, so sunny, so bright and of course so colorful.
01:01Is that what you had in mind when you were creating and curating the space?
01:06Yes, color is very much a part of the brand and of my aesthetic.
01:11So were you very hands-on and very involved in choosing the pieces that you display here in the showroom?
01:18Yes, of course. So every space is different and this is a new adventure for us having left our Greenbelt showroom after 10 years.
01:28So yeah, we're happy to be in this more open corner where there's also a lot of more traffic.
01:35And bigger. It's a lot bigger also.
01:37Yes, it's a lot bigger.
01:38And we've seen also some of your trademark pieces on display here like the bloom chair.
01:44Yes, that's right.
01:46The bloom chair and of course the iconic bed. This is the Dolce?
01:51Yes, that's the Dolce.
01:53So on the ground floor, we have all our new collections and on the second floor are our classics.
01:58Oh, okay. So you really designed it that way. So that's when the customers come in, they see the new ones first.
02:03Yes, that's right. That's right.
02:05All right. So I was interested in how there's a similarity but there's also uniqueness to each piece.
02:13Yeah.
02:14What is the process that goes into designing each particular piece?
02:19Yeah. So each design is like giving birth to a child, right? It's different.
02:24There's different birth pains. There's a different inspiration, story.
02:30It's interesting how you describe it as like child birth. I mean, I can't imagine giving birth this many times.
02:37And I know you've described it as both joyous and painful. What do you mean by that?
02:43Yeah, because for every piece that you see here, there's probably one or two along the development that didn't make it to this floor.
02:54So design is a process of experimentation and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
03:01So there are a lot of discarded ideas, so to speak.
03:06Yes. Yes. And sometimes we work on something for like a year, two years, you know, and we just have to have the courage and the humility to say, look, it doesn't work.
03:17Yeah. So, you know, it's no-go.
03:20I was going to ask about that because I was thinking sometimes when you're trying to create something and then let's say you've spent like six months on it.
03:27Yeah.
03:28You don't want to throw it away because it's like there's a surprise, right?
03:32Yeah, that's right.
03:33Do you sometimes feel that?
03:34Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'm used to it, but it's really painful for the design team who worked on it.
03:39But it happens even the great big studios like Disney, you know, they've worked for years in a film and then the final screening, it doesn't make the cut.
03:49And so it happens. I think, you know, you cut your losses and just say, let's think of something else.
03:55So at what point do you decide now? Okay, let's move on from this. It's not working.
04:00Anywhere along the process, you know, because we try to save it. We try to do things to it. But it can be because of the cost or because of the look.
04:10And sometimes it's only a matter of changing than one thing like the leg and then it works.
04:16But really, sometimes it really doesn't. And we just say, look, let's not do this.
04:20Or maybe we find out that somewhere, someone in the world has done it.
04:25Ah, okay. And so, you know. Yeah, then why do the same thing? Yeah, exactly.
04:31All right. Coming in, I mean, you know, speaking from my point of view as a customer, as a client or, you know, someone who's just interested in visiting.
04:40So when we come in, the first thing that strikes us is the beauty, right? The beauty of each and every piece.
04:45But I'm thinking also that what we're seeing is the finished product already. That's right.
04:50So I'm trying to imagine where the magic begins for you. I mean, is it like, you know, sometimes in some corner of a restaurant or in your car or, you know, while driving?
05:02Where does it all begin for you? Yeah. So I wish it were more romantic.
05:07You know, that it's always that flash of inspiration or you're sitting in a nice cafe or in a car or in your dreams, right?
05:16But most of the time, it really comes out when you really sit down and force it out.
05:22Okay. You have to sit at the desk and try and come up with something.
05:25Yeah. I think Einstein put it really well. It's really, you know, 99% perspiration.
05:30And that's design. It's not waiting for inspiration. It's like you have to force yourself.
05:35You put the piece of paper and try to come up with something.
05:38Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. But that's the process.
05:42And how long does it usually take you? I mean, does it vary?
05:46Like sometimes it's just like a minute and then other times it takes forever.
05:50Yes. It varies. It varies. Yeah. But the whole process, I can say it's about one year from sketch to actual object and the testing and all that.
06:03Yeah. At least a year. At least a year.
06:06What's the longest that you've ever had to work on something?
06:08Oh, we work like the bloom chair. I think we've worked on the flower chair.
06:12We've worked on that for, I think, three years.
06:14Oh, okay. Yeah. To perfect that.
06:16Wow. Because that's not a product. The bloom chair is a revolutionary.
06:20Not only for me but also for the Philippines because we don't really make upholstered products.
06:27Everything that comes out of the Philippines is either woven or carved or, you know, yeah, it's something.
06:33But an upholstered product is something that we are not really, that's not our strength. Let's put it that way.
06:39Yeah. So when you came out with the bloom chair, there was always that risk that will somebody buy this from the Philippines, right?
06:46So it had to be so different and so the work that you put into it had to be of a very high level for even Europeans to consider buying it.
06:55When I was doing the bloom chair, like, how would a child draw a flower?
06:59Would be how, you know, and that it should be like that, you know?
07:03Anything more than that would be too complicated, be too frivolous. It'd be too much design. Let's put it that way.
07:08So it would have to be very simple, very, and I think that's where, that's the magic.
07:15But do you still remember what your first ever design was? Maybe like even from childhood before you even became the Kenneth Coban Cue that we know now?
07:23Well, yeah. When I was a child, I designed, you know, things that I just, I built my own planes and even I built a bridge over a fish pond.
07:31I built so many things.
07:33Okay, how old were you when you built a bridge over a fish pond?
07:36Yeah, and I fell, and I fell many, many times trying it, yeah.
07:40Trying out your bridge.
07:41Trying out my bridge that I built, yeah.
07:43Okay.
07:44Because my mother had a furniture, like a work, you know, backyard kind of operation at the back of our house.
07:50So I used to just take materials there and then, yeah.
07:54So that was your playground?
07:56Yeah, that was my playground.
07:57Okay.
07:58Exactly, yeah.
07:59Then I would show them to my mother and it would really make her happy, you know, and so that was, I had a very happy childhood.
08:05So when it was time to choose a profession, I said, you know, I want to be a child forever.
08:10Yeah, to make other, to make not just my mom happy but other people happy, yeah.
08:16And so I suppose your mom was very happy when you chose to be a designer and chose this career path for yourself.
08:23Yes, yes.
08:24That wasn't an easy one.
08:25I took up a business first because my dad was a businessman and he said, there's really no money in design.
08:30So he told me, you know, you take up business and if you still want to take up design, you can do it after.
08:36Yeah.
08:37I'm curious though about the bridge that you're talking about that you built over the fish pond.
08:42Was it made of ratan because that was the primary material that your mom used, right, for her furniture?
08:49Yes, yes.
08:50Yeah, it was built from like pieces of plywood and whatever I could find.
08:55How old were you then?
08:56I was like, I think about eight or nine.
08:59Oh, but so you had help, you know, putting it together.
09:02No, that's the thing.
09:03I didn't, you know, it was just, I just put it together.
09:07Okay, on your own.
09:08Yeah.
09:09All right.
09:10And then you said you also built airplanes.
09:12So you didn't do paper planes, you did some…
09:14Well, I did those too, of course.
09:15Okay.
09:16But yeah, so I built like, you know, things that crawled and rolled and yeah, all those things.
09:22Those were your toys?
09:23Those were my toys, yeah.
09:24Those were my toys.
09:25Because my mom always encouraged me to make my own things, you know.
09:30So when it was time to…
09:32I remember in school, I was very unhappy because people bought their projects from store shelves.
09:40You know, if I made like a little house, they would buy.
09:43And I had to make my own thing and it was very cruddy with glue and everything.
09:47And I was always so unhappy.
09:48Like, this is so ugly and theirs looks so nice.
09:50When you're a kid…
09:51Yeah.
09:52You tend to compare.
09:53You tend to compare.
09:54Oh, but I'm sure your teachers could tell that you did your own.
09:56Yeah, of course.
09:57Yes, yes, yes.
09:58A for effort.
09:59Yes, yes, yes.
10:00And they appreciated it.
10:01And that's how I had confidence also in the things that I built and made.
10:05And when I was a child, my mom would read me stories, bedtime stories, every night.
10:11And I had to imagine what castles looked like, what monsters and what people wore and all that.
10:18And I guess that's why I had a very active imagination.
10:20And the next day would find me always making or drawing these things, you know, these stories.
10:27Oh, so you really just let your imagination run wild.
10:30Yes.
10:31So I'm imagining…
10:32You grew up in Cebu.
10:33You were born and raised in Cebu.
10:34Yeah.
10:35And so I'm imagining that you'd spend your afternoons instead of playing outside,
10:39you'd be in your mom's workshop.
10:42Yes.
10:43Were you the only one among your siblings who was interested in design and building?
10:47Yeah, yes.
10:48It was just me and my sister then.
10:50Okay.
10:51No, I always acknowledged that without her, I would never be where I am.
10:55Does she complement certain pieces that you've made?
10:59Yeah, yes.
11:00More than others?
11:01Yes, but a mother will always love your work.
11:04And then, it was after business school that you went on…
11:06No, actually, no, I didn't finish business school.
11:08Ah, okay.
11:09So in the middle of my accounting class, you know, crunching numbers.
11:13I said, this is not for me, you know.
11:16So I went and I applied to the Fine Arts program.
11:20I went to UP.
11:21Okay.
11:22Because I wanted to study industrial design.
11:26That's the profession that this is called.
11:29And so I went over there and there was a talent exam and I failed because I couldn't draw.
11:35I couldn't draw.
11:36Oh, okay.
11:37I went to a Jesuit school kid.
11:38So back then, there was no emphasis on art at all.
11:41It was like science and math.
11:42Mostly philosophy.
11:43Yeah.
11:44Okay.
11:45So I couldn't draw and so I failed.
11:48And then, so I spent a whole year.
11:49I took off a year just to learn how to draw and paint.
11:53Yeah.
11:54And I remember my classmates were like kids, you know, just learning to draw.
11:58So it was very humbling.
11:59Oh, because you took art classes.
12:01I took art classes again.
12:02Okay.
12:03Okay.
12:04Because that was a prerequisite for any design school then.
12:06Mm-hmm.
12:07So you were like 18, 19?
12:09Yeah.
12:10Yes.
12:11And then with children.
12:12And then with children.
12:13And small children.
12:14Yeah.
12:15Like learning how to paint and draw.
12:16Oh, okay.
12:17Yeah.
12:18So were the teachers wondering what you were doing there?
12:20Yeah.
12:21I mean, no, I told them that I had to learn to draw.
12:25Okay.
12:26Refine my skills.
12:27And it was very different.
12:28It's not like now that you can, you know, sketch on an iPad with help.
12:31I mean, of course, it's still sketching.
12:33Yes.
12:34And now you can go on YouTube and you can learn.
12:35Mm-hmm.
12:36Of course, back then there were no videos.
12:38You had to learn painting and drawing from somebody else.
12:41Mm-hmm.
12:42And so once you had done that one year of studying how to draw, is that when you ended up going to New York to the Pratt Institute?
12:49Yes, I went to.
12:50Yes, I went to the Pratt Institute, my mother's alma mater.
12:53And that was my first time in the United States.
12:57Mm-hmm.
12:58And so my mom went and taught me how to use a subway and said, here, you're on your own.
13:03And that was, I was then, yeah, 18.
13:06I was 18 then.
13:08New York then was really scary.
13:10It was not the, it was not as civilized as New York today.
13:13Yeah, it's now.
13:14You know, it was really, yeah, it was really a jungle.
13:16Mm-hmm.
13:17And so she left me there.
13:18And yeah, it was very, it was a harrowing experience.
13:23I was living in Brooklyn.
13:25And, you know, there was a lot of muggings.
13:28It was a very crime-infested neighborhood then.
13:31And so you would be walking home.
13:32And so I learned everything.
13:33Because I was so scared to God.
13:34I spent most of my time in the library.
13:35Yeah.
13:36Yeah.
13:37And so all my, all my evenings were spent with those art and design books.
13:42Aha.
13:43And it was a...
13:44So I went through all of them and you know, and that's probably good.
13:47I have a, yeah, I have a very, I think a very acute knowledge of designers and everything that's been designed.
13:56Oh, and it was a four-year course?
13:58It was a four-year course, yes.
13:59Okay.
14:00I think design education prepares you to think out of the box, which is actually applicable to anything that you do.
14:08And even until today, because I used to teach at the College of St. Benilde and UP Cebu, many, more than half, probably don't end up in design.
14:18Oh, okay.
14:19So you're one of the lucky few who actually ended up pursuing a career in design.
14:22Yes.
14:23Yes.
14:24Right.
14:25So you mentioned that it's also your mom's alma mater, that Pratt Institute was also your mom's alma mater.
14:30Yes.
14:31And was she the one, was she the reason you wanted to go there to Pratt Institute?
14:36Yeah.
14:37Yeah.
14:38Industrial design.
14:39There were very few schools that offered, first of all, industrial design and Pratt was one of them.
14:45Yeah.
14:46And my sisters lived on the East Coast, so we chose the East Coast.
14:51At Pratt, I learned how to see things, you know, to that form.
14:58I always thought that, of course, the difference between, you know, art and design is very subjective, right?
15:04It's not objective.
15:05It's not like math.
15:06And where you go in the world, two plus two always equals four.
15:09In art and design, you know, it's very subjective.
15:12What may be beautiful to me may not be pretty to you.
15:16So it's important that you learn from a master, you know, good people because they teach you how to see things.
15:24Yeah.
15:25And at Pratt, I was lucky my professors were very good at that time.
15:29So they taught me how to see form, you know, that form can elicit emotions in all of us.
15:38Was it intimidating in any way?
15:41I mean, you know, not like now when so many, so many Filipinos go abroad to study.
15:48Yeah.
15:49Back then, maybe it wasn't as common as it is now.
15:51Yes.
15:52No, it was intimidating.
15:53I was the only, I think there were only two of us, two Filipinos.
15:58I mean, there were Filipino Americans, but there were only two of us really Filipino Filipinos who were up here, right?
16:05And we were not really trained to talk.
16:10And so sometimes you have to defend your work, you know, and Americans are very good at that, right?
16:15They can make something out of nothing, you know?
16:17Yeah.
16:18And so I wasn't, I was always soft-spoken.
16:21I wasn't very, I was always shy.
16:23And so I had to let the work speak for itself, which was really good because when I started, I didn't have the money to advertise.
16:32There was no social media then.
16:34So you were at the mercy of magazine editors.
16:37And it was really on the strength of the pieces themselves that, you know, that I became known.
16:44Not because of my name, which is difficult to pronounce anyway, even for Filipinos.
16:50So it was really the strength of the design.
16:53So after graduation from the Pratt Institute, did you stay in New York to continue working there?
16:59I wanted to stay in New York, but there was a recession then.
17:02You know, I mean, Harvard graduates were driving taxi cabs.
17:06Remember that time?
17:07Yeah.
17:08So I had to come back to the Philippines.
17:11There was one of the deepest recessions.
17:14There was no jobs then.
17:16So I came back and I took over my mom's factory.
17:20Okay.
17:21But that worked out fine just for you.
17:22Actually, that worked out fine.
17:23Yes.
17:24Yeah.
17:25And so that's how it all began for you when you came back home.
17:29Yes.
17:30Yes.
17:31Yeah.
17:32Yeah.
17:33And I decided to stay in the Philippines.
17:35What spurred you to make that decision?
17:37I love what I do and I love everything.
17:40I love the people.
17:41I love the...
17:42I felt I didn't have a brand then.
17:44Of course, I made these designs and it came upon me that this is what I wanted to do on my life.
17:52It's so nice to see how you're so proud also of the fact that you're Filipino.
17:57Here we find someone so successful with so many achievements saying that, no, stay here.
18:02There's no reason to leave the country.
18:05Yes.
18:06Yes.
18:07It was a gamble then.
18:08Like we said, it worked out for you staying here.
18:10Yeah.
18:11And you mentioned that you like that your pieces speak for themselves.
18:15And I think maybe one of the early works that really caught the international, put you on the international stage was the Phoenix.
18:25Yeah.
18:26Is that really considered your first international piece that caught the attention of people abroad?
18:31No, I think it's the, it's the voyage, the bed.
18:34Ah, okay.
18:35Even before the Phoenix.
18:36Yeah.
18:37Because of the celebrity.
18:38Yeah.
18:39The Hollywood angle.
18:40Yeah.
18:41So the voyage bed was bought by Brad Pitt and there was a news.
18:45Can you tell us a story about how Brad Pitt bought the voyage bed?
18:50How did that even happen?
18:51Yes.
18:52We were selling to a store in Los Angeles and Brad Pitt was one of their, I think, you know,
19:01clients.
19:02And he saw the, he saw the bed and he bought the bed and then he went back and he's, you
19:08know, they saw other, my designs and he would choose that without knowing who designed it.
19:13And finally the store owner said, you know, there's, there's just one guy who designed
19:18all those pieces.
19:19So I said, Oh, you know, and so, yeah.
19:21So we made that, that connection.
19:23Oh, okay.
19:24But I never knew that you could use that for publicity.
19:27It was only three years after the fact where, um, I think it was, uh, Thelma San Juan,
19:34Thelma was the one who asked, you know, do you have any celebrity clients?
19:39I said, yeah, Brad Pitt, you know, bought this bed, you know, and so it was the screaming
19:44headlines.
19:45Brad Pitt, yeah, sleeps on Cabo on his bed.
19:47So that's how I became known in my own country.
19:51So did you ever get to meet, um, Brad Pitt?
19:54No, but we've, we've, we've, uh, corresponded many times.
19:59We've worked on several projects, um, charity charitable projects that he was doing.
20:05He was developing an electric car also, and he sent some, uh, his people to us.
20:10So he had some pieces commissioned?
20:12Yes.
20:13He had some pieces commissioned too.
20:14Okay.
20:15All right.
20:16And some of your work was also on Oceans 13, right?
20:18Yes, that's right.
20:19Is it because of Brad Pitt?
20:20Actually, no, that was a different, different thing.
20:22So it was a surprise that, uh, yeah, that when you went to the set that he saw those pieces
20:27actually, um, yeah, there was Warner Brothers, they, um, they bought, you know, they ended up,
20:34well, they, they, they chose a few pieces.
20:36We sent them our catalog and then they ended up furnishing the entire set with our pieces,
20:41which they've never done before.
20:42They said they never normally don't pick it from one manufacturer.
20:45Oh, okay.
20:46Yeah.
20:47So, um, when you realized that you had all these, um, big celebrity clients, uh, did that put any pressure on you?
20:54Or was it really just a sense of pride?
20:57No.
20:58Yeah.
20:59Yeah.
21:00I, I think, um, no, to me, we're just clients like, they're just clients like, like, like anybody else.
21:06So even, because you also have, you, you count royalty among your clients, right?
21:10Um, Queen Sophia of Spain.
21:12Yes.
21:13Yes.
21:14Um, Queen Renee of Jordan.
21:15Yes.
21:16Yes.
21:17Yes.
21:18And we have a lot of a celebrity clients, a lot of also movies and films, which I don't
21:21know about.
21:22I know it when a friend tells me, oh, I saw your furniture in this film and this, you
21:26know.
21:27Oh, okay.
21:28Yeah.
21:29I mean, we don't pay for those.
21:30So because you, because you really just, um, sell your pieces to the international store
21:35or brand?
21:36Yes.
21:37Right.
21:38Right.
21:39And then whoever.
21:40And then they just happened to pick the pieces that you made.
21:41Yes.
21:42I think because they're photogenic and they're, you know, they have so much character.
21:45Yeah.
21:46Very, very pretty.
21:47They're actually quite comfortable.
21:48Oh, yeah.
21:49So, too.
21:50Yeah.
21:51I mean, we can sit here the whole day.
21:52Even, um, even the, the, the, the chairs on the back, I tried sitting on all.
21:56Yeah.
21:57I actually asked when I came in, is it okay to sit on the pieces?
21:59Yeah.
22:00Because I'm not sure if it's just for display or if we can sit on them.
22:03It is very comfortable.
22:06Is it possible to pick among everything that you've done a favorite piece?
22:10I mean, it's probably like picking a favorite child because you said these are your children.
22:14Yeah.
22:15Yes.
22:16I love the, the Dragnet chair is one, still one of my, my favorites because it goes into
22:22any, any space.
22:24I think the, you know, the challenge of a Filipino designer is to design something that's Filipino
22:33and still global.
22:34It can go with anything in any apartment in Milan or in New York or, you know, anywhere around
22:40the world.
22:41Oh, that's true because I was looking through your collections and, um, you know, you have
22:45pieces in all continents.
22:48Yeah.
22:49You have in Africa.
22:50Yes.
22:51You have Asia, Europe, North America.
22:52Yeah.
22:53Um, and it, it still has that same feeling.
22:57Parang, you'll be surprised that, oh, bagay rin pala ito like in a, in a cold climate
23:01country or, uh, what, what we thought was a tropical design suits, uh, is perfectly suited
23:06also for North America.
23:08Yeah.
23:09Yeah.
23:10And any style of interior, be traditional or, you know, because I think that's who a Filipino
23:15is.
23:16A Filipino is global.
23:17You've also been, been hailed, um, speaking of the Filipino being global, time hailed you
23:22as, uh, Rattan's first great, uh, virtual.
23:25Um, how would you describe that, the, the, the feeling when you, when you first found
23:30out about that?
23:31Oh, I think, well, of course I was, uh, elated.
23:35Yeah.
23:36Um, I, I think there's a lot of, uh, cause my early work had a lot to do with, with Rattan.
23:44Uh-huh.
23:45And so I was trying to push always the, you know, craft, the structure, um, new ways of,
23:51uh, doing things with, uh, Rattan.
23:54Yeah.
23:55And so, yeah, that's how I got that.
23:58And it's really, um, uh, it's really, uh, an intentional decision on your part to use materials
24:05that are, um, you know, found locally.
24:08Yes, because Rattan is one of the most, um, I, I think, uh, relatively easy to work with.
24:13You don't need a lot of, uh, tools.
24:15Uh-huh.
24:16It's a very basic, uh, hand tools you can, and up to today, we still do all our mock-ups
24:21and we build it all in Rattan.
24:23Uh-huh.
24:24It's a great material.
24:25Uh-huh.
24:26Well, you know, it's not just Time Magazine that, you know, that braces you.
24:29You have a lot of different accolades, different awards.
24:32Um, you just recently received the Gawad CCP Parasa Scening Award.
24:37Yes.
24:38And that was the first, I think, for, um, design, for industrial design that they handed out.
24:42Yes, the first, yes, yes.
24:43It was the first, yeah, uh, that they just added that category to for, for design.
24:48So, I mean, how does it feel to be, of course, you've been, um, recognized globally, but also
24:53to be, um, appreciated, uh, and recognized on, uh, on the local scene.
24:58How does that feel?
24:59Is it extra special when it's, you know, it's, it's, it's your home country recognizing you?
25:03Ah, yes, of course.
25:04Yeah.
25:05Yeah.
25:06Especially because there was no category before that.
25:08For her.
25:09They call it even, in fact, they still call it applied arts.
25:12That's, that's what they call it.
25:13Like, it's a, it's art with a function, I suppose, you know, because there is no, there
25:18is no category for that.
25:20Yeah.
25:21So, so it's flattering, of course, to be recognized by your own countrymen.
25:25I think it's especially, um, meaningful when it comes from a place where you come from.
25:30Yeah, where you come from.
25:31Yes.
25:32Like, you also receive the, the Pratt Institute Legends Award.
25:34I think that's something when it's your school that gives you the award.
25:37Yes, I think that's, uh, yeah, that's one of the, I think the biggest awards probably
25:41in, in my life, the Pratt Legend Award, because that's, uh, that's not an, I only learned
25:46when I was there that that's not an award they only give to alumni.
25:49That's an award they give to any design or art, uh, luminary.
25:54Mm-hmm.
25:55You know, and so there are about 70 of us so far since the beginning.
25:59Wow.
26:00So among them is Calvin Klein and, uh, oh, yeah.
26:03Oh, you're in such a good company.
26:05Yeah, I must say, um, I think I'm the only Southeast Asian.
26:11Mm-hmm.
26:12I've never been there on that, on that list, yeah.
26:15Wow.
26:16And that was just, um, two years ago?
26:18Yes, it was two years ago.
26:19Mm-hmm.
26:20Yeah.
26:21That came as a, um, quite a pleasant surprise.
26:23I must say.
26:24I was gonna ask, I mean, do you still get surprised or, I mean, are you still, is there
26:28still, like, you know, that feeling of awe whenever you receive an award?
26:31Oh, yes, of course.
26:32Yeah.
26:33Especially from, you know, from your peers.
26:36Mm-hmm.
26:37They're the toughest.
26:38To please.
26:39To please, yeah.
26:40Yeah, I think more than celebrity clients, I think it's really, uh, recognition among
26:45your peers.
26:46Mm-hmm.
26:47Yeah.
26:48That's a very interesting way to put it.
26:49And it makes sense.
26:50I mean, because they are, after all, the ones who understand the craft, they have a deeper
26:54appreciation for the craft.
26:55Yes.
26:56Yes.
26:57Yeah.
26:58And they're also the harshest critics.
26:59Yeah.
27:00I was, I was about to ask you, because you said, um, you, you talked about how you have
27:03to defend your work sometimes.
27:04Yeah.
27:05Like, when you were in school, you had to defend your work.
27:06Yeah.
27:07How do you take criticism?
27:08I mean, it's very difficult because, um, I mean, especially when you say that, like,
27:12each piece is like a child to you, you know?
27:14Yeah.
27:15It's like giving birth to a child.
27:16And then somebody says, eh, I don't like that.
27:18Or there's something about that that I'm not particularly pleased with.
27:21Yeah.
27:22How do you handle the criticism?
27:23Well, that's okay because I think that, uh, there's so many pieces to choose from that
27:29if they don't like one, they're probably like one of the, probably 40, 40 different
27:34designs that, that I've done.
27:36You know?
27:37Everyone has his own favorite.
27:38Mm-hmm.
27:39When you put it that way, it seems like a very mature, um, perspective that, you know,
27:43you can just let the criticism roll off your back.
27:45Yeah.
27:46But was it always like that?
27:47I mean, when you were a young, fresh designer, was it harder to take criticism?
27:51You know, I think I was very fortunate.
27:53I did get a lot of criticism, actually.
27:55Mm-hmm.
27:56What I had was, I think, something very, very new, very fresh on the design scene.
28:02Not only locally, but also globally.
28:04Mm-hmm.
28:05So, um, a lot of people, even well-known, uh, European brands, um, copied me.
28:13Actually followed, you know, my, and that's a great thing.
28:16I think in the world of design that, you know, here we are.
28:20And also, a lot of the, a lot of my design, um, so, you know, people I look up to in the
28:26design world, when I was still in school, they actually came to visit me after.
28:31You know, these, you know, um, they came to visit me in Cebu and they, they learned
28:35from me.
28:36And so, yeah.
28:37I, I think those moments were, I think, are the happiest moments.
28:42Yeah.
28:43And the, the most interesting, all the, the most interesting and interesting people
28:44from your peers are people you look up to in the world of art and design.
28:47But I realized also, what I'm doing is actually like adding to the design vocabulary.
28:52Probably, it's a nice way of putting it in all the, the Philippines, right?
28:55There's a lot of designs that are influenced by this aesthetic, but, what, what I do.
29:00And so people, when they see this kind of open, transparent design, they said, oh, that's
29:06a kabon, but even if it's not, right.
29:08So I realized that's probably my contribution to the history of contemporary Filipino design.
29:16Yeah, that really puts your name right there, right?
29:19Yeah.
29:19So when you look back at all the work that you've done,
29:25I mean, let's say for somebody like me,
29:27and I see the body of work that you have created
29:29and the amount of time you've spent in the industry,
29:33at this point, what are the things that continue to inspire you
29:36to come up with new designs?
29:38A lot of my designs are inspired by nature, by my travels, by things.
29:45I think that now in the world of social media,
29:49we tend to be bombarded with so many things,
29:52and we've seen almost everything.
29:54We see so many new ideas, so many new designs,
29:57and every day it's very hard now to impress.
30:01And in the last few years I've been to all these shows around the world,
30:04I haven't really, very, very few things that are really unique.
30:09And so it's that constant search for something that's novel,
30:14something that's never been done,
30:17or that pushes me.
30:20And it always has to do with our craft,
30:23the craftsmanship that we have.
30:24Everything I do has to have that element of craftsmanship
30:30that we're known for.
30:31You mentioned earlier that you were teaching a class.
30:37Do you still teach at the college?
30:38No, I don't. I don't teach anymore.
30:40I used to be chair of the industrial design department
30:44in the College of St. Benil,
30:46and then I taught for several years.
30:50But I read that it's one of your long-term goals or dreams
30:55to put up a school dedicated to design.
30:58Yes, yeah.
30:59And that's probably what I'm going to do when I retire,
31:02if I ever retire.
31:03If you ever retire.
31:05And yeah, but every year we have a lot of young,
31:08very young interns fresh from school
31:10that we train, we mold, you know.
31:13And some of them are doing a lot of good work
31:16in the field of design.
31:18And it's important to you that you mentor the next generation.
31:22Yes, I think so.
31:23Yes, more than anything,
31:24I think the next generation
31:26is the future, of course, of design.
31:29But also, they enable our craftsmen
31:32to make a means of living, you know.
31:37The biggest problem with the design industry
31:39or the manufacturing industry
31:40is that we're losing our craftsmen.
31:42It's like our farmers, right?
31:43The average age is about 50, 60.
31:46Their kids don't want to do this kind of work anymore.
31:48And we're losing this craft, right?
31:52It's just part of our heritage, our tradition.
31:55And so, their goal is always
31:58that they send their kids to college
31:59and they work in offices
32:01and not work with their hands anymore.
32:03And so, it's up to the next generation of designers
32:05to make sure that they earn well,
32:08that this is a noble, respectful,
32:12and a well-paying job.
32:13Yeah.
32:14And so that, you know, the line continues.
32:16Yes.
32:17But it's also so nice to see
32:20that, you know, someone of your stature
32:22is really concerned and caring
32:25for the next generation.
32:27Is this something maybe that you also got from your mom
32:29because she was, you know,
32:31trying to make sure that you also had that passion,
32:33that love for design?
32:34Yes.
32:35And it's also, I think,
32:37not many have the privilege of studying abroad.
32:40I think it's my obligation to share
32:43also what I've learned
32:45to the next generation.
32:48And so, we always,
32:49it's very important for me,
32:50I talk, I lecture a lot to, you know,
32:53and there's a lot of tours also
32:55of students inside the showroom.
32:58You know, I always make time for them.
33:00You know, looking back at all the work
33:01that you've done through the years,
33:03everything that you've contributed,
33:05not just to the Philippine design industry,
33:07but the international design industry,
33:10what is it that you still want to do?
33:13What is it that you still want to achieve at this point?
33:16I really want to leave a legacy.
33:18It's really, it's really,
33:19to the younger generation,
33:20it's very important that I feel that
33:23this tradition of making things by hand continues.
33:27And to that end,
33:31I hope that there'll be a whole new generation of designers
33:34that come after me
33:36and expand and, you know,
33:40push this craft to even greater heights
33:41for all the world to see.
33:43Kenneth Cabong Pueh is also known
33:49as the material whisperer,
33:51meaning you're a master
33:52at transforming natural materials.
33:54So what's one material
33:56that truly speaks to you as a designer?
33:59Oh, it has to be rattan.
34:00It's easy.
34:01The first answer that comes to mind.
34:04Yes.
34:04And it's always been rattan.
34:05Because it's a material that I work with
34:06and I still work.
34:07It's the foundation of our design.
34:09Mm-hmm.
34:10Yeah.
34:11It's just in the Philippines.
34:12Is rattan really just in the Philippines?
34:13No, it's in Southeast Asia.
34:15Okay.
34:15Yeah.
34:16Because rattan needs a forest to grow.
34:18Mm-hmm.
34:18So if we,
34:20when our forests die,
34:21there's no more rattan.
34:21It's a vine.
34:23Rattan has a ability
34:25because it comes from a plant, right?
34:27It comes,
34:28so there's inherent strength in it.
34:30So when we build our curves,
34:32we use rattan
34:33because when you bend it,
34:36it forms a natural curve,
34:38which will be different from a plastic
34:40or anything else
34:41because there's a tensile,
34:43let's call it tensile strength.
34:44Yeah.
34:45Yeah.
34:45So it's a beautiful curve.
34:46Let's talk about an undiscovered obsession.
34:49So beyond the design world,
34:50what's a totally random,
34:52if slightly bizarre,
34:54hobby or obsession that you have?
34:57I've always loved vintage,
35:00you know,
35:00older cars.
35:01Vintage cars.
35:01Yeah.
35:02Vintage cars.
35:02That's part of my love.
35:03So at the back of our factory,
35:05we have a small workshop
35:07where we restore cars.
35:10And I realize it's the same skills,
35:12the same skills to restore cars
35:14are the ones used for furniture,
35:15from metalworking to paint
35:17to leather.
35:18Yeah.
35:18So how many vintage cars
35:21have you restored?
35:21Oh,
35:22we've restored a lot.
35:22Maybe there are 40 to 50 cars.
35:25And yeah,
35:26and it's just the design
35:28in those times
35:29were really,
35:29were really beautiful.
35:30Very,
35:31very simple.
35:32How about,
35:33okay,
35:34you have designed pieces
35:37that are now owned by,
35:38you know,
35:38royalties,
35:39celebrities.
35:39But if you were to design
35:41a piece particularly
35:42or specifically
35:43for your mom,
35:45what would you make?
35:46Hmm.
35:47You know,
35:48I have a,
35:49I have this sculpture
35:50called Linea.
35:52It's a one-off.
35:53That's really inspired
35:54by my mom.
35:56It's that,
35:56you know,
35:56like that piece over there.
35:58That's a one-off,
36:00you know.
36:00And so my mom used to do,
36:02make this furniture
36:03that's very curvaceous.
36:05And so this is my homage
36:06to her.
36:07I told her,
36:08I said,
36:08Mom,
36:08this is you,
36:09right?
36:09And she made furniture.
36:11And so I pushed it further
36:14by making this,
36:15these sculptures
36:17in large scale.
36:18You see some of them hanging,
36:20some of them on walls.
36:21And no two are ever alike.
36:23Wow.
36:24And that's,
36:25that's the beauty of it,
36:26that no two are ever alike.
36:27Yes, yes.
36:27Each one is designed
36:28for that particular space.
36:30Thank you so much again,
36:32Kenneth.
36:33We really do look forward
36:34to the next generation
36:36of designers
36:37that you continue to inspire.
36:39Thank you too,
36:40Pia.
36:40Thanks for watching.
36:41Don't forget to like,
36:42subscribe,
36:43and download
36:43PowerTalks
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36:51Till the next episode.
36:51And we'll see you next time,
36:53and we'll see you next time,
36:53and we'll see you next time,
36:54and we'll see you next time,
36:54and we'll see you next time,
36:55and we'll see you next time,
36:56and we'll see you next time,
36:56and we'll see you next time,
36:57and we'll see you next time,
36:58and we'll see you next time,
36:58and we'll see you next time,
36:58and we'll see you next time,
36:59and we'll see you next time,
37:00and we'll see you next time,
37:01and we'll see you next time,
37:02and we'll see you next time,
37:02and we'll see you next time,
37:03and we'll see you next time,
37:04and we'll see you next time,
37:05and we'll see you next time,
37:06and we'll see you next time,
37:07and we'll see you next time,
37:08Transcription by CastingWords
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