Creativity with conscience
By Luis Espiritu, The Daily Tribune
The fundraiser founded by Maritess Pineda, Mita Rufino, Susie Quiros, Cedie Lopez-Vargas and Marimel Francisco has evolved to become an incubator of local talent, a community of conscious retailers and cultural movement.
“This year, we wanted to put HeArteFino at the forefront,” the team shares. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the many things happening around the fair. Yes, it is a retail experience — one that you have to immerse in to fully appreciate. But it is important that we return to what anchors everything we do: HeArteFino.”
EXCLUSIVE: Zarah Juan Refuses to Gatekeep the Creative Process
By Sean Castelo III, MEGA
"This natural dye process—sun, moon, and all—won’t be a seasonal flirtation. “It will be part of the Zarah Juan ecosystem,” she says, referring not only to her brand but to the broader circles she hopes to reach: communities, fellow designers, curious minds.
Because for Juan, the point was never to build a brand for admiration, but a practice that invites participation. A design philosophy that carries a question: What can we make together, if no one is left out of the process?"
ArteFino: Artisanal fair always looks for the new
"ArteFino has been one of the forces that has put forward the Filipino aesthetic as finally cool. The key to this, according to Ms. Francisco, has been to target the young. “We always want to reach or appeal to the younger generation. Because then… they’ll be the ones to patronize all these products eventually,” she said."
Heart matters
By Luis Espiritu, The Daily Tribune
Artisans, talents, brands, passionate supporters and followers all gathered at SOFA, filling the meaningful afternoon with a lot of fun and heart. A sample of retail fashion, accessories, decor and food to be showcased on the fair dates were all displayed with impressive style-settings.
More importantly though is what the heart brings to the table that matters — that act of service to the craft, artisans, community, the country and its people.
The ladies of Artefino end, “Advocacy is the core. We exist because we believe that craft is not just about beauty, but about equity, access and impact.”
Here’s what to expect at ArteFino Fair 2025: Champions of Change
By
“We were very mindful about staying true to our purpose and our essence. Thoughtful, rooted and evolving. It’s not just about how we live, but way,” the founders comment. This year, the group has endeavoured to put nonprofit organisation HeArteFino at the event’s forefront. "
ArteFino Fair 2025 champions change in artisanal trade
“We believe in creativity with a conscience. Every object made, story shared, community empowered, is a reminder that design can be a vessel for dignity, livelihood and hope. We represent a collective of dreamers, doers, trailblazers and gamechangers, crafting a more meaningful future,” the founders concluded.
ArteFino Fair 2025 Spotlights Champions of Change
By L’Officiel
"Founders Maritess Pineda, Mita Rufino, Susie Quiros, Cedie Lopez-Vargas, and Marimel Francisco built ArteFino around its very purpose—HeArteFino, a non-profit organization with the mission of helping and empowering Filipino artisans. Over the years, its long-term developmental programs have helped chosen communities around the country. And its most recent grantee, Project Nova from Bohol, with an initiative of transforming discarded kayaks into bags, received an initial seed of P500,000. “Advocacy is the core. We exist because we believe that craft is not just about beauty, but about equity, access, and impact,” the founders share."
ArteFino Fair 2025 Spotlights Champions of Change
By Alexandra Navalta, Metro Magazine
"As it prepares for its 10th year in 2026, ArteFino continues to honor its champions of change: artisans, designers, and trailblazers united in craft, conscience, and culture. This is Filipino fashion at its most thoughtful: rooted in heritage, driven by purpose, and shaped for the future."
Work of heart
By Luis Espiritu, The Daily Tribune
"Life is like a wheel and in the path of growth, you pass through the highs and lows to make it and come full circle. And so is the journey of Zarah Juan, a shoe and bag designer and one of the major highlights of Artefino 2025 who anchors herself in HeArtefino. Driven by purpose, her career has soared through great heights over the years and made a household name for her in artisanal fashion. New. Now. Next goes one-on-one with this amazing and inspiring talent who is full of heart."
Playful, chic and ethical Filipino brands we love at ArteFino Fair 2025
By Justine Punzalan, The POST
“We celebrate individuals and groups who are paving new paths, preserving heritage, and pushing Filipino creativity forward,” the founders added. “We put the spotlight on stories that inspire action and ignite pride in being Filipino."
One ArteFino success story began with Cedie Vargas kayaking through Abatan River
By Marge C. Enriquez, The Diarist
"As ArteFino’s co-founder and head of its developmental arm, Vargas says the fair has seen steady and robust sales over the years. While its original audience remains loyal, the demographic has noticeably broadened, with a younger generation—many in their 20s and early 30s—now emerging as serious buyers. Some, she notes, initially came only to accompany their mothers, and are now returning with a deeper appreciation of the products and the stories behind them.
This shift has prompted the team to curate a more balanced mix of offerings—some pieces less labor-intensive and more accessibly priced, often crafted from upcycled materials, while others continue to showcase time-intensive techniques such as hand-weaving and embroidery. "
ArteFino Fair 2025 Shines A Spotlight On Champions Of Change
"This year’s edition of ArteFino places its HeArteFino program front and center, honoring a growing community dedicated to preserving Philippine craft, pushing for innovation, and creating social impact."
Wearable Filipino art is heart and soul of latest Artefino
By Anne Stephanie Nilo, People Asia
"With over 100 local brands, this year’s ArteFino Fair at The Fifth at Rockwell, Power Plant Mall trains the spotlight on HeArteFino, the grant program that provides not only seed funding to community-based artisans, but also invaluable mentorship that enables them to learn product innovation and marketing."
Fashion designers, brands, and makers come together to celebrate style and heritage at ArteFino Fair 2025
"Over the years, the ArteFino Fair has become more than just a platform for a truly Filipino retail experience. It has evolved into an incubator of local talent, a community of conscious retailers, and a cultural movement."
Joy is a design principle at the new ArteFino Lounge
By
"ArteFino has long been more than a marketplace. With its annual fair, it has become a venue for cultural dialogue, supporting local makers while exploring how heritage can move forward. This year, that conversation expanded into the ArteFino Lounge, a brand new space located at the Balmori Chef’s Table in Power Plant Mall. It is an equal parts showroom, dining area and quiet retreat designed to encourage stillness amid the fair’s bustle."
Weekend Hangs: Engage in fan meetings, sports activities, and trade fairs this July 25-27
By Yoniel Acebuche, Philstar Life
"ArteFino, regarded as the "biggest and most anticipated artisanal trade fair" in the metro each year, will launch ArteFino Lounge. This space features exquisite heritage recipes crafted by renowned chefs Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano. According to the chefs, the menu for the launch will feature their bestsellers and new dishes that loyal guests can look forward to. Likewise, the lounge will also feature fine jewelry and accessories brands like: ARAO, Caro Wilson, Golden Monstera, Katha Pilipinas, and Peewee Benitez."
LIST: New collections to discover at this year's ArteFino Fair
By Melanie Uson, Philstar Life
"From unconventional silhouettes, vibrant accessories, to sustainable home items, check out the brands offering new collections at the ArteFino Fair 2025."
ArteFino is back — Here’s what to expect this year
"Now in its ninth year, ArteFino continues to bring together a thoughtfully curated mix of makers, designers, and creatives who are shaping the future of local craft.
With the theme “Champions of Change,” this edition highlights individuals and communities who are turning traditional techniques into tools for innovation and empowerment. From weaving and dyeing to contemporary fashion and sustainable homeware, every piece tells a story — and every brand has a purpose."
How Cedie Vargas, Marimel Francisco, Maritess Pineda, Suzie Quiros, and Mita Rufino found their ikigai
By Millet M. Mananquil, Philstar Life
"ArteFino champions Filipino craftsmanship and heritage by providing a platform for local designers, artisans, social enterprises, and sustainable brands and stores,” explains Cedie. “Yes, ArteFino has evolved into a cultural movement that aims to promote a Filipino lifestyle and uplift Filipino craftsmanship,” adds Cedie."
Sinantolang Liempo, Bibingka With Shrimp Salad: What to Try at Offbeat's ArteFino Pop-Up in Rockwell
By Patricia Baes, Spot.ph
"Food is, in many ways, art—or at the very least, a delicious medium of creative expression. This year’s run of the annual ArteFino Fair looks to be emphasizing this connection: they’ve opened the doors to the first ArteFino Lounge at the Chef’s Table at Balmori Suites, Rockwell, and enlisted the cooking chops of Offbeat Bistro, led by chefs Angelo Comsti and Don Baldosano."
ArteFino Fair Challenges the Future of Artisanal Craft with 2025 Iteration
By Elle Yap, Bluprint
"Since the first ArteFino in 2017, the trade fair has found itself fostering a “community of conscious retailers.” As an umbrella of different lifestyle brands from different provinces in the Philippines, it has expanded the definition of Filipino design to include unique brands and products from areas and cultures separated from the dominant Manila one.
This year, ArteFino will be providing exclusive new collections from different designers exploring different conceptual themes. For example, Steffi Cua, Geraldine Javier, and Marionne Contreras will be releasing the “Earthbound” collection, described as an exploration of “the use of eco printed local textiles and new forms of zero waste designs."
