The Manila FAME 2024, an international trade show organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), welcomed the public to a vast collection of the country’s finest designs, products of innovation, and iconic repute that are shaping the future of creative identity in Philippine home, fashion, and lifestyle (HFL) sectors. No less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. visited the various exhibitors and the installations that highlight Philippine ingenuity and craft on its second day.
The President commended the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for empowering MSMEs in both the local and digital space, helping them work competitively and move up in the world market. He stressed the importance of continuous creativity in order to sustain the current progress, assuring the government’s full support. “We will do everything that we can, so that the world will know better how good Filipinos are,” he added.
About 350 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from across the country drew inspiration from the theme “Reimagination” for this year’s edition, resulting in a compendium of collaborations that are artistic in thought, inclusive in creation, and culturally sound in representation.
Crowd estimates were at 10,000 at the country’s premier trade show promoting export-ready HFL products and local artisans. Visitors were comprised of local and international buyers, retailers, wholesalers, industry movers, media organizations, and hotel and related services.
A trade show by definition, Manila FAME goes beyond its economic contributions to the country’s export industry growth and development. It seeks to validate the distinct identity of Filipino talent and skills among the world’s best in the export value supply chain.
In his speech, the President noted the design industry’s contribution to the GDP, though small in percentage, translates to billions of dollars for the economy. “There is a very quantifiable aspect to the design industry. It contributes 7.1% of our GDP. When you translate it into pesos, that’s trillions.”
