Maison&Objet Asia will make is debut with the “Designer of the Year”, Kenneth Cobonpue. He will present his prestigious and acclaimed design works sharing his experience and inspiration.
Kenneth born in Cebu, Philippines. Son of a Chinese Filipine furniture designer he began his passage to design in 1987 studying Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in New York. In 1994, he studied Furniture Marketing and Production at the Export Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Reutlingen, Germany under a private and state scholarship program, and subsequently worked in Bielefeld and Munich.
He returned home to Cebu, Philippines in 1996, Kenneth. After coming back home he was willing to invent “an alternative to the Western definition of modern design” using natural fibers. And so did he start giving shape to his ideas, pairing locally sourced organic materials with innovative hand-made production techniques. Cobonpue’s creations have earned him recognition at home and abroad that incudes: 12 Mugna and 4 Katha Awards; The Japan Good Design Award; International Design Competition for the Croissant Sofa (1994). Golden Shell Award (2002); Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (2003); Design for Asia Award of Hong Kong, Asia’s highest award (2005) for the Lolah Chair.
Noninated as one of the icons of contemporary design by Wallpaper magazine also nominated him as one of the icons of contemporary design several of his designs were selected for the prestigious International Design Yearbook (2002, 2004, 2005).
The designer achieved fame thanks to his masterful way of mixing nature, traditional crafts and innovative technologies .
Time Magazine considered Kenneth Cobonpue as “rattans first virtuoso”
Asia is considered a manufacturing region and is breaking out of the mold by the work of a few Southeast Asian designers, and Kenneth Cobonpue is a true pioneer.
Tuesday 03.11 — 11:00 – 11:45am
Interior Design & Lifestyle Summit
Photos by Paolo Konst / E. Billy Mondonedo
