ARANAZ NEWS!!!

Yesterday, ARANAZ was featured in Phil Inquirer alongside the works of other Filipino talents such as Modi, Cary Santiago (whose work i loooovvvveeeee..droolll) , Silk Cocoon, & Arnel Papa...

PINOY STYLE
APPLES’ PICKINGS
By Apples Aberin Sadhwani
Inquirer

Photos by Jun de Leon
Styled by Millet Arzaga

TODAY, WE CHOOSE TO celebrate Filipino talent, craftsmanship and ingenuity. No special occasion, really. We’ve always had the strongest urge to share with you information on designers and brands that are uniquely Pinoy, and as such, never fail to make us proud.

We hope they spark that flame of Pinoy pride in you, too.

Tote for the day

“I always say I like to ‘de-ethnicize the ethnic,’” says bag designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan, whom we absolutely adore. “I like manipulating our indigenous materials to create surprisingly chic and modern fashion pieces.”

She’s been known to design breathtaking pieces such as oversized plastic totes combined with wooden and straw accents, and little coco disco bags that had Manila’s fashionistas lining up.

Says Amina, “I like being able to surprise my customers with the numerous usages of local materials, thus giving them a renewed appreciation for Filipino craftsmanship and handiwork.”

It’s no accident that this cum laude graduate of Master Accessories Design at the Istituto Marangoni is into the art of designing and crafting bags. “My mom, Becky, continues to be an exporter of women’s bags. So I grew up in the business. The bag factory became my playground and the venue that allowed me to explore my creative side.”

Currently, Amina is busy working on her holiday collections (inspired by Paul Poiret and geometrics), which will be available in Aranaz, her stand-alone boutique in Powerplant. And to share her knowledge and know-how, she will also be opening a school called School of Fashion & Arts (SOFA) in the last quarter of this year.

“Fashion education is something that I had always dreamt of doing. There is a rising yearning for fashion education out there, so I think now is the right time to open a school,” she says.