People
Have you met Miranda?
Her collections are celebrated in Europe. In Cebu, though, where her pieces have been manufactured since 2000, only a small group of insiders are privy to this designer’s creations—until now. With a fashion show at the Emerald Ball, Zee Lifestyle introduces the rest of the city to Miranda Konstantinidou.
Designer Miranda Konstantinidou’s collections are celebrated in Europe, having graced the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin and most recently a stunning summer fashion show on a glass boat sailing the River Seine in Paris. In Cebu, though, where her pieces have been manufactured since 2000, only a small and tight-knit group of insiders are privy to the designer’s creations—until now. With a fashion show at the Emerald Ball, Zee Lifestyle introduces the rest of the city to Miranda Konstantinidou, showing off her cheerfully beautiful pieces and why we should be proud she chose to make a home in Cebu.
Miranda Konstantinidou (Photography by Steffen Billhardt/Originally published in Zee Lifestyle, December-January 2017)
ON HOW SHE GOT STARTED IN FASHION
Backstage at Jessica Minh Anh’s Summer Fashion Show 2016 featuring Miranda Konstantinidou
“I was always a little into fashion. We had Barbie dolls at the time, and I was always doing something with my dolls, but I never knew that you could study this and in my house, it would not be possible to do anything you could not study officially. I never thought about it,” Miranda Konstantinidou shares. “And then I met the girlfriend of a friend of mine, and she said she was studying fashion design. I had to ask her what that meant and while she was explaining it to me, my heart was pumping so much. I had always wanted to be a doctor, but in a second, it was clear that I wanted to do that. I knew that I wanted to do that.”
From there, Miranda went on to study fashion illustration and fashion design in Italy and Germany, sometimes selling earrings to make some money. “I really earned a lot at the time, but I wasn’t really thinking about making that a profession,” she admits. Upon returning to Germany from Italy, she’d convinced her then boyfriend to start a company with her and started designing clothes.
“I actually started by accident with doing a burlesque show, like a striptease!” she laughs. “One day, I had my school things with me, and there was a fabric that I was working on—like I was pleating it or whatever. A lady saw it and said, ‘I’m an artist and I need a costume.’ I didn’t know it was for burlesque!”
ON WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN CEBU
Jessica Minh Anh in Miranda Konstantinidou
“People here have so much love in doing things,” she shares. “I think Cebu is the perfect place for creating high-end products, whatever it is. Everything that has to be done with love and knowledge, and with some sense of beauty, I think they can be done here.” Miranda had first arrived on the island on the invitation of another jewelry designer she met at a trade show in Europe, who had invited her over when she had inquired about where the pieces were made. That was in 2000, and within a year, the Greek-German designer had moved the entire operations of her eoponymous clothing line and jewelry brand Konplott to Cebu.
Even now, Miranda maintains a close relationship with her people, something that she feels has been very beneficial in building her business. “They are not annoyed when I do difficult things,” she laughs. “Somehow they are happy to create nice things, and it’s exactly fitting to my nature and the nature of the designs.”
ON FINALLY DOING A FASHION SHOW IN CEBU
Jessica Minh Anh’s Summer Fashion Show featuring Miranda Konstantinidou
“All of Cebu was very nice and very sweet to me, and it was always a little embarrassing that I never had anything here,” Miranda admits. She finally decided to introduce her collections to Cebu with Zee Lifestyle at the magazine’s Emerald Ball. “I wanted to do it, because when I came here, Eva [Gullas] and the magazine were always appreciative of my thing. I thought it was a very good idea, and I do it really with all my love.”
We’re pretty sure the rest of the island, and perhaps the country, is just as excited. Rustan’s Department Store, particularly, has already expressed interest in having a capsule collection of Miranda’s pieces in their stores sometime soon—and if they’re already raving about it, we can be sure everyone else won’t be far behind. After all, with Miranda calling Cebu home for more than 15 years now, it’s about time it returned the love.
Backstage at Jessica Minh Anh’s Summer Fashion Show 2016 featuring Miranda Konstantinidou
Read the full story on Zee Lifestyle‘s Anniversary Issue, coming this December. Zee Lifestyle‘s Emerald Ball, featuring Miranda Konstantinidou’s Autumn/Winter 2018 collection, is happening on December 4, 2016.
portrait Steffen Billhardt
Events
The First NUSTAR BALL
The NUSTAR Ballroom, a magnificent venue at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, sets the stage for last night’s first-ever NUSTAR Ball.
Black was the color of night at the Zee table.
Glamorous guests from Manila and Cebu converged at the NUSTAR Ballroom, an exquisite venue within the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. The evening unfolded with a seated 5-course dinner. The opulent feast started with Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, adorned with caper berries, caviar, set with delicate edible flowers; and a main course of Compressed Pork Belly with Crackling Skin and Baby Scallops. Another highlight was the auction of coveted items like Dior and YSL handbags, a limited-edition Bulgari watch, and an exclusive 2-night stay in Nustar’s opulent 3-bedroom villa—complete with a private pool and a dedicated butler. The charity evening benefited the Cameleon Association, an NGO based in Iloilo City created in 1997 that developed a global approach to act on the causes and effects of sexual violence against children.
Nora Sol, Beth Go, Frances Siao and Marylou Ong
Ina Ronquillo, Maryanne Aboitiz and Jackie Lotzof
Designers Jun Escario and Philip Rodriguez
Philip Rodriguez with NUSTAR Malls two power ladies: May Adolfo and Joanna Salazar
Lana Osmeña with Mariquita Yeung
PJ Castillo and Kaye Abad with Cary Santiago
Drew Sarmiento with LV Manager Adrian Decuigan
Cary Santiago with Eva Gullas
Manila socialites Julie Boschi and Ching Cruz with June Alegrado
It was a night of elegance, luxury, and unforgettable memories as ladies in long gowns and gentlemen in black ties danced the night away.
Design
Filipino graphic designer makes history, joins Switzerland’s Museum of Avant-garde among genre’s greats
PJ Ong of Inodoro, an internationally renowned graphic designer, is the first Filipino whose work will be part of the permanent collection of Switzerland’s Museum of Avant-garde
CEBU CITY — In a groundbreaking achievement, Cebu-based graphic designer and art director PJ Ong of Inodoro Design Studio, is set to become the first Filipino artist permanently exhibited at Museum of Avant-garde (MA-g) in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
Cebu-based graphic designer and art director of Inodoro Design Studio, PJ Ong
Ong’s recognition at MA-g places him among over 250 avant-garde artists, including iconic figures like Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, signifying a profound milestone in museum history.
“Avant-garde,” is a term that refers to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
“I am extremely honored and humbled. It is a remarkable milestone in my creative journey, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a prominent platform. The acknowledgment, especially considering Switzerland’s exacting standards in art and design, is truly fulfilling,” said Ong.
Part of a stellar contemporary collection
Under the museum’s Contemporary Collection, Ong will join global contemporary agencies such as M/M Paris (collaborator of Icelandic singer-songwriter and composer, Björk), WORK Pte Ltd (brainchild of the “Godfather of Singapore Graphic Design,” Theseus Chan), Bedow (Stockholm), BVD Stockholm AB (Stockholm), Socio Design (London) and Milkxhake (Hong Kong), among others.
Ong’s music packaging design for the Filipino harsh noise duo, White Widow, will be featured in the museum. The band’s album “The God Uterus Dissolves” — released under Melt Records — features an unconventional cassette tape packaging incorporating a hand-crafted wire mesh, elevating it into a unique and bespoke collector’s item.
The museum’s selection process for its Contemporary Collection involved three categories: Graphic Design, Photography, and Illustration. Swiss-Canadian Fritz Gottschalk, a prominent figure in contemporary graphic design, led the Graphic Design category.
“This is profoundly validating for me as a graphic designer. Being part of a museum’s permanent contemporary collection is a lasting testament to my capabilities as an artist,” said Ong.
‘Poetry you can touch’
The graphic designer from Cebu City further defined the album as a “deliberate departure from the ordinary,” stating that it was a testament to the artist’s and band’s dedication to pushing boundaries and offering the audience a unique and immersive experience.
“Careful consideration was given to every detail, including choosing a premium supplier for the cassette tape. Opting for a screen-printed cassette, where design elements were applied directly to the surface, gave it a contemporary and visually striking result, helping us reinforce the design narrative,” said Ong.
“From the cohesive placement of elements to using symbols instead of track titles on the spine and customizing fonts, every aspect was carefully thought out. Rather than opting for the conventional wire mesh treatment on print, I took a bold step by incorporating a hand-crafted wire mesh, adding a unique and sensory dimension to the album — almost like poetry you can touch.”
Profound honor
Established in 2003, Inodoro Design Studio under Ong’s leadership has garnered global acclaim for its bold design philosophy, spanning music, fashion, architecture, culture and technology. In becoming the first Filipino whose work will be on display at the MA-g, Ong stated that it is “particularly humbling.”
“Traditionally, these privileges are given to individuals who have amassed decades of experience, attained mastery in their craft, or even as a posthumous acknowledgment. To be among those selected is a profound and unexpected honor,” he said.
“Museums typically focus on visual artists, and for a graphic designer, especially within the realm of commercial work, recognition can be more elusive. I appreciate the challenges of this less conventional route and I am committed to proving the significance of graphic design in the broader artistic landscape.”
Art enthusiasts can anticipate viewing Ong’s work with “The God Uterus Dissolves” at MA-g, scheduled to open to the general public in 2025.
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About The Museum of Avant-garde (MA-g)
The Museum of Avant-garde compiles an original body of work from private collections, providing a unique perspective on the cultural and artistic significance of avant-garde movements. These movements, synonymous with transformative ideologies and daring experimentations, played a pivotal role in challenging political and societal conventions. For more information, visit www.ma-g.org.
About Inodoro
Inodoro is the creative moniker of graphic designer and art director PJ Ong, a prominent figure in the Philippine design scene. Established in 2003, Inodoro Design Studio, based in Cebu, Philippines, has garnered international recognition for its bold and distinctive design, with a focus on thought-driven imagery and iconic visual language. The studio specializes in identities, custom typography, graphic design and art direction. For more information, visit www.inodoro-design.com.
People
Ladies Who Support Ladies
Women’s Circle is an organization composed of Cebuano ladies who are successful entrepreneurs and top executives. They recently held a fellowship event at the Sheraton Mactan Resort, with special guests from the Women’s Business Council Philippines. Chairperson, Rosemarie Rafael and Council Secretary Cynthia Mamon both flew in from Manila to discuss alliances between the Cebu and Manila groups.
The half day event was organized by Perl Jacalan, Gina Atienza and Eva Gullas. Sheraton Resort through its GM Dottie Wugler Cronin supported the event as it is aligned with the hotel’s women initiatives. The successful event was made more fun with generous give-aways, notably Jo Malone perfumes, Sheraton bags, R&M Chocomanga and sarongs from Ferimar.
bai Hotel Cebu named 2024 PH’s Leading Business Hotel at World Travel Awards
A Feast for the Senses
The First NUSTAR BALL
Flying Tiger Copenhagen Lands in Cebu
Golden Prince Hotel’s Sinulog Royalty Experience
SM Fashion Forum reveals Cebu’s style influencers
BTS: Beetle and Bimmer Clubs for Men’s Issue
Noise and Sounds: An Artform
Christmas in Colonial Cebu: A Themed Exhibit by Teresin Mendezona and Eva Gullas for Stylescapes 2019
Artisanal Cebu: Aspiring calligraphy artist Abigail Condrado
Experience authentic Korean Barbeque at Da-In Restaurant
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