Start your Christmas shopping at the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar 2019
by Brenda Gimotea Dipasupil / December 15, 2019
Shop at the bazaar and support local products, artists and youth.
Christmas has always been and will always be a time for giving gifts to those you hold dear. If you’re like most people, and you enjoy seeing the smile on someone’s face when you give them gifts, then you probably also love looking for good quality products that are unique, beautiful, and meaningful. Luckily, you don’t have to search far and wide to shop for said gifts, because it’s almost time for this year’s Designers’ Holiday Bazaar!
The Designers’ Holiday Bazaar is an annual fair curated by Bea Zobel Jr. and Sofia Zobel-Elizalde, where some of the most exceptional Filipino artists and designers and other notable local brands gather in time for our holiday shopping. What better time than the Christmas season to become acquainted with the finest homegrown talent?
But wait, there’s more! Shopping at the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar not only supports our local products and artists. Proceeds from the bazaar will go to the Steps Scholarship Foundation and the Scholars of APEC. Indeed, being more conscious about our purchases this season can make Christmas merry not just for us and our loved ones, but also for a number of deserving young people.
So what does the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar have in store for us this year?
Fashion
Elegant apparel and accessories will always be good gift ideas, and we need not look beyond our very own group of tropical islands for exceptional fashion finds. The Designers’ Holiday Bazaar showcases several of the best Filipino fashion designers and brands whose handiwork you will want to adorn yourself with.
There’s lovely, hand-embroidered resort wear by Amarie. Piopio has vibrant, youthful casual wear made using indigenous weaving methods. Feanne has lovely kimonos, with intricate prints she designed by hand, that you can wear for dinners at fancy places or more formal events.
Lovely mother-of-pearl or shell jewelries from Matthew & Melka give your look an island goddess feel. If semi-precious stones are more your preference, DSV Studios offers a lovely selection of exquisite gems on gold. Retro and vintage jewelry from Riqueza Jewellery will bring to life the memories of romantic Old Manila.
DSV Studio (@dsvstudio)
Complete your ensemble with mules from DSNY–stylish enough to make you stand out from the crowd, and comfortable enough for everyday wear. Kara de Juan’s handcrafted artisan carabao horn handbags go well with any look, whether it be for a lunch out, a coffee date, or dinner with friends.
Kara de Juan (@karadejuan)
Fine craftsmanship from organizations that do good
One of the great things about the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar is that it supports the livelihood of marginalized communities in the Philippines. At the same time the bazaar provides smart and conscious shoppers more options to choose from in clothing, accessories, and ornaments to add beauty to your the interior of your home.
Available at the bazaar are accessories, bags, and home décor crafted by the Iraya Mangyan; accessories created by indigenous groups and women from the urban poor made available by the Gifts and Graces Fair Trade Foundation; and clothing made of woven piña fiber from the Palawan-based Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation. Buying from these three organizations at the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar lets you share your blessings three times this Christmas.
Iraya Mangyan Art (@irayamangyanart)
Beauty, bath, and home fragrances
Now that you’ve got stuff to make you and your loved ones look good, it’s time to shop for gifts that smell good! Esscentials Manila will be at the bazaar, so you and your home can smell heavenly! Their products range from personal scents to room fragrances to liquid soaps to hand sanitizers. If it’s something that can be vastly enhanced with a good aroma, they probably have it. The only sure way to know is to stop by their booth and to take a look at what they have available.
Esscentials Manila (@esscentials_manila)
A nice service from Esscentials Manila has is that they can create customized labels for their products! What could be better as holiday gifts or event giveaways? Getting someone a basket of personalized goodies from Esscentials Manila is also a surefire way of letting them know that you were thinking of them.
Food
It may be a designers’ bazaar according to its name, but any holiday event always has room for good food! When you’re done shopping gifts for friends, family, and yourself, it’s time to shop for treats that can be added to your Noche Buena and Media Noche table! There are savory treats from Steak.ph and Majordomo, vegan and vegetarian goodies from The Good Seed, desserts from Cukay’s, and Tsaa Laya teas to help digest your meals.
Cukay’s (@cukayscakes)
This isn’t even an exhaustive catalog of what will be available at the Designers’ Holiday Bazaar. Come say hi at The Gallery at Greenbelt 5 from November 15 through December 15, and check the bazaar out for yourself!
