MANILA — ArteFino Festival returns bigger than ever with a curated collection of over 100 exceptional Filipino brands for this year's campaign, themed “kaPAMANA,” which aims to recognize "the talents of today inspired by the masters of yesterday” that help contribute in keeping the Filipino heritage alive and thriving.

The showcase, where each piece promises to “tells a unique story, reflecting the creativity and dedication of its Filipino maker,” will be held on August 22 to 25 at The Fifth at Rockwell, Makati City.

“We have a lot of brands who had graduated from our fairs. Most we have seen their business grow, evolve, and reach new heights. They keep coming back,” ArteFino co-founder Mel Francisco said in an interview during the “KaPAMANA” press launch Thursday, held at the SoFa Design Institute in Makati City.

“We make sure it is the local communities we tap for our local products… ArteFino has [evolved] through the years, we encouraged them to be more modern so they can be worn in our daily affairs. We wanted it to be part of our daily affairs not just costume parties or events,” co-founder Marites Pineda added.

Apart from  each apparel featuring top-notch craftsmanship and creativity of local artisans, the pieces are all sustainable.

“We have a lot of new innovators, younger ones, who are very  aligned with the Artefino advocacy of sustainability, upcycling, and giving back to the environment,” ArteFino co-founder Cedie Vargas said.

“Sustainability had always been part of our ethos. We are looking at sustainable practices the way brands create the products. It is integral to us,” Francisco explained.

Among the exclusive collections flaunted  at the  ArteFino Festival is the  “wearable art” multifaceted artist Patty Eustaquio and bespoke brand BAYO Atelier collaborated on.

“They are zero waste patterns, they are woven from scraps. All the salvage discards from making the BAYO garments made into these and re-woven into new fabrics. The print are my artworks and paintings, and we used water-based biodegradable ink,” she explained.

Eustaquio added the “wearable artworks” are one-of-a-kind but versatile enough for daily wear.

“I think I just wanted to go for loose and edgier silhouettes. Very comfortable, we have transformer kind of shirt dress that becomes a sleeveless short dress, long sleeve shirt dress, it is fun. but if you wear it it is like you are in a Margiela outfit,” she added.