'My mission is to create products that will ignite the sense of who we are. ' It was a handbag inspired by mangroves that enabled Ivan Fabia to become victorious at the Design-A-Bag Competition 2024 in Hong Kong last March. Aptly titled “Rooted,” the bag, with its wrinkled texture and curved lines, was definitely an eye-catching piece.
But for the 25-year-old emerging designer, for an accessory to become a true statement piece, it must also tell a story. That has been Ivan’s mission from the very beginning, to design pieces with intention, purpose, and narrative. This is not the first time did it.
In the past, he produced a shoe design in homage to a kalesa horse. Recently, his “Juana” boots, an ode to the beauty and bravery of Filipinas, were hailed as the Lady’s Boot Individual category winner at the 13th International Footwear Design Competition in China. For the June 7, 2024 cover of Style Weekend, Ivan gives us a glimpse of his life as a designer, from designing his winning piece and meeting other creatives from different countries to what drives him to create accessories that capture the Philippines’ culture and heritage.
My design aesthetic is always Filipino. Anything that would speak, narrate, and identify parts of us, as Filipinos fuels me to design. For the technique, I always start with the inspiration or story I want to convey and ask myself the question: What would differentiate this from the products that have already been produced? Then, I follow.
