Kenneth Cobonpue

Kenneth Cobonpue is a multi-awarded furniture designer and manufacturer from Cebu. He graduated in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York with highest honors and subsequently worked in Italy and Germany. Integrating locally sourced materials with innovative handmade production procceses, Cobonpue's brand is known around the world for its unique designs and roster of clientele that include Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt and members of royalty. Awards to his credit include 5 Japan Good Design Awards, the grand prize at the Singapore International Design Competition, the Design for Asia Award of Hongkong, the American Society of Interior Design Top Pick selection and the French Coup de Coeur award. Several of his designs were selected for several editions of the International Design Yearbook published in London and New York. Phaidon’s book entitled "& FORK" underscores Kenneth's position as a leader of a new movement incorporating new technologies with crafts. He has appeared on European television, countless international magazines and newspapers around the world. Various Cobonpue designs have also appeared in full-length feature films and television such as Oceans 13 and CSI. Kenneth reveals new work each year in design shows from Paris to New York. He also speaks regularly about Southeast Asian design all over the world. In 2007, TIME magazine called him "rattans first virtuoso".