The Creative Directors

layug

BUDJI LAYUG

Budji Layug is an international furniture and interior designer and the first Filipino to open a showroom in the U.S. He studied architecture at the Sto. Tomas University in Manila and Interior Design at the New York School of Interior Design.

His designs incorporate traditional methods and indigenous raw materials like bamboo and other Philippine hard woods. His holistic approach to design, from exterior to interior, has earned him the reputation as an extraordinary interior designer. His fame as a furniture designer stems from his ability to transform organic materials into modern yet timeless designs.

cobonpue

KENNETH COBONPUE

Kenneth Cobonpue is an industrial designer internationally known for his signature pieces constructed from natural fibers and materials, such as abaca, bamboo, buri, and rattan. He completed his degree in Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute, New York and he was also a scholar in Furniture Marketing at the Export Academie Baden- Württemberg, Germany. He also managed Interior Crafts of the Islands, Inc., a company founded by his mother, Betty Cobonpue.

His designs have earned him numerous awards and accolades, including 12 Mugna and 4 Katha awards for design excellence and Asia’s highest award, the Design for Asia award of Hong Kong.

natori

JOSIE NATORI

Josie Natori is a renowned international designer and CEO of the Natori Company. Born in the Philippines, she left Manila for New York and studied economics at Manhattanville College. Following graduation, she worked at Merrill Lynch as the first female Vice President of investment banking and became a rising Wall Street star.

From Wall Street, Natori ventured into fashion and founded Natori Co. After more than three decades, the company has grown into a lifestyle brand that includes lingerie, ready-to-wear apparel, home accents, fragrance, and eyewear, selling to upscale department stores in the US, and to at least 15 countries internationally.