Saudade | August 2020

saudade

f eat ur i ng l oc al ar t i s ans and s mal l bus i nes s es

A SWEET ESCAPE Song Nabi The past months have been very challenging. The ongoing pandemic has affected our day to day lives. I don't know if we will ever be able to go back to how we used to be. It feels like nothing will ever be the same again.

When the lockdown started last March, we halted all operations for our shop. This meant no more photo shoots, no more visits to thrift stores, no more meeting up with the team. I even stopped embroidering for a couple of weeks because I was on full work-mode at home.

April came and eventually, I decided to pick up my needle and threads again. We tried

to rebrand and branch out from embroidered clothes to embroidered home decors. We had to adapt.

The past months have been difficult.

Creatives and small businesses are still struggling to adjust. We must do what we can to help support our local artists and small businesses.

In this issue, we will share with you some of the local artists and shops we've been following. They have been a source of inspiration and a ray of sunshine in these uncertain times. Join us in the next pages to experience the story of their art works.

IN THIS ISSUE 08

KAHORI STUDIO FLOWERS THAT LAST A resin artisan shares her story of preserving flowers

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CLAE A NEW CANVASS A new shop is making waves in the home decor industry with her hand painted pots

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HIBLAHAN ANG KWENTO NG MGA SINULID A local artist promotes the beauty of local Filipino flowers through her embroidery series

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BEHIND THE SHOTS GOLDEN HOUR Monica Padillo, one of Nabi the Label's photographer, shares her inspiration and experiences in photography

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GABINA What started out as a simple fundraising activity turned into a brand of accessories centered on timelessness

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BJANKA KERAMIK A GLAZED STORY A mother shares how her love for ceramics inspired her to open her own ceramics shop

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PLANT STORY A married couple finds happiness in raising plants and inspiring others to start gardening

Our magazine's name, Saudade, is a Portuguese word which means nostalgia. As artists, we often draw upon experiences and stories to evoke emotions and inspire others.

Saudade is an online magazine by Nabi the label that aims to promote local artisans and small businesses by providing them a platform to share their stories.

If you wish to be featured, please email us at nabithelabel@gmail.com

KAHORI STUDIO flowers that last

Flowers don't last forever. But Kath of Kahori Studio found a way to make flowers last longer.

Her shop was originally meant to curate thrifted clothes as a way to earn additional income. Eventually, it became a platform for her handcrafted resin pieces of preserved flower.

"For five years, I worked as a graphic designer. But early this year, I decided to become a freelance designer and pursued my passion for crafting as a resin artist."

Kath decided to take a risk in her passion and dream studio and launched her first collection of handcrafted resin pieces.

CAPTURED FRAGRANCE Kath is an avid fan of Japanese films and anime. So it didn't come as a surprise that her shop's name, Kahori, was derived from the Japanese language.

"While I was searching for Japanese names that started with K, I fell in love with Kahori. It comes from the Japanese word kaori which means fragrance. There's also a variety of plant named Kahori."

True to its name, Kahori's resin pieces are able to capture and preserve the beauty and fragrance of flowers. However, the pieces may look pretty and dainty but the process of making the resin pieces is far from easy.

"Getting into resin is not as easy. You have to research every day and follow the right precautions because the chemicals are toxic."

Kath emphasizes that the craft of making resin pieces involves a lot of math and chemistry.

"You also need to experiment and practice different ways of making your desired designs for the resin pieces."

Kath also shared her process of making the resin pieces.

First, you need to dry the flowers. Then determine the exact ratio and volume of the chemicals that you need to mix.

"After mixing the resin mixture, I pour it into the silicone molds and add the dried flowers as embellishment. Once I'm satisfied with the design, I wait for the resin to harden. This usually takes up to two days."

Kath also sands and polish the resin pieces to make it smoother and coats it with wax for a shiny finish.

"It really takes a long time to craft even one piece of resin. That's why the entire resin artisan's motto is - Patience is a virtue."

MIXING IT UP Kath still plans to go back to the roots of her shop. She's looking forward to curate

more thrifted clothes. But this time, she's going to add a twist.

"I aspire to give a fresh or new twist to today's fashion style using preserved flowers. I'm planning to make resin buttons with preserved flowers and use that in the clothes that I will sell."

Aside from preserving flowers, Kath is working on home decors featuring preserved butterflies.

"It's not easy managing an online shop.

There are times when I only have a few customers. But that didn't stop me from curating more clothes and improving my taste in fashion and eventually, I got into resin crafts."

You may check out Kath's work at www.instagram.com/kahori.studio

CLAE

a new canvass

We all know Mrs. Potts, the beloved character in Beauty in the Beast who had a penchant for singing. Her face, drawn on a ceramic teapot charmed it's way into our hearts.

Today, there's a new kind of pot whose face charmed its way into our homes.

Who would have thought that the clay pots we put our plants in could also be as charming and full of character?

Shane Raymundo did.

Gone are the brown colored clay pots we remembered as kids. In its place are the pots painted with faces whose stories we can all wonder about.

CLAE WITH AN "E" On May 8, Shane launched the first collection of Clae's painted pots. It featured nudes, neutrals, and lines — simple and clean, designs that won’t take the attention away from the plants that will be placed inside it.

"Clae started out as a trial to see if people will be interested in hand-painted clay pots. I was pleased to find out that they are. The pieces from the first collection were sold out in less a day."

The clae pots are hand-painted. No two pots are exactly alike. Each one is a

unique piece with its own charm and character.

"I’ve been planning to offer hand-painted pots since last year but I never got around to it until this April. I wanted something to keep my mind off the uncertainty of things during quarantine, so I started painting. We had pre-made clay pots at home and I just went for it."

The first couple months of Clae has been busy. The number of people who want to have their own clae pots continues to grow.

"It has been such a pleasure painting pots for our customers who are just the nicest. They get excited when they find out their pots are ready for pick up. They even send us photos and show us how they displayed their purchase."

Aside from its collection of painted pots, Clae has also started customizing the designs based on the customer's request.

"In the coming months, I wish growth for Clae. I see the brand possibly joining bazaars and being featured in specialty stores."

Get your own Clae pots at www.instagram.com/clae.ph

HIBLAHAN

ang kwento ng mga sinulid Beloved author Frances Hodgson Burnett once said that if you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.

With her needle and her threads, she is making a garden of her own. A garden preserved and can withstand any season.

THE FIRST STITCH

For Antonette, a lover of flowers, this proved to be true. After discovering her love for embroidery, she started working on an embroidered series of local flowers in the Philippines.

Antonette started embroidery back in college. She was having a stressful time working on her thesis when she discovered the art of embroidery.

"I stumbled on some embroidered pieces on Tumblr and Pinterest. I was fascinated by it and decided to learn embroidery. It became my stress reliever."

A GARDEN OF THREADS Every artist have their own distinct styles. Most people who are familiar with Antonette's work know her through her embroidered series of local flowers in the country.

The series called Marikit, which means beautiful, features flowers that are popular in the Philippines.

"WaIking around our neighborhood, I was inspired by the flowers I saw around the village. That's why every time I pass by, I can't help but admire these beautiful flowers. So I thought:

Wouldn’t it be nice to embroider common flowers in our country then take a photo of it with the actual flower?"

Creating the Marikit series was not an easy task. A lot of research goes into the work. "I started researching about famous flowers in the Philippines. From there, I started sketching out the

designs and scouting my neighborhood for the flowers, so that I can take a photo with the real flower side by side."

nature more. I said to myself that I have learn how to capture the beauty of the flower through my embroidery."

HONING HER CRAFT

THE NEXT PIECE

Embroidery is not an easy task. Working on her Marikit series can be difficult at times.

Aside from working on the Marikit series, Antonette also plans to release a tote bag collection with embroidered flowers.

"Finding the right color of thread for the petals of the flowers is really important.

Because it is one of the most important features of the flower, I have to get it right. Otherwise, it might end up looking like another flower."

"It’s my dream to have a garden in my house, but for now I will embroider the flowers."

Antonette, who is also a graphic artist, saw how working on the series improved her sketching skills.

"While working on this series, I also started to appreciate the beauty of

She is also looking forward to start a new series of hand embroidered pieces featuring the trees found in the Philippines.

"Do not be afraid to try embroidery. It may look hard but if you take the time to learn and practice, soon you’ll be able to make a garden yourself.

You may check out Antonette's work at www.instagram.com/hiblahan

a conversation with the photographer of Nabi the label Warm, muted, and nostalgic tones. This is probably how one would best describe the aesthetics of Nabi the label.

In this section, we share with you the creative process and perspective of the photographers we worked with.

Over the course of several collections, we have received messages asking about how we come up with the theme and photos of the lookbooks we have released.Â

From the cameras used by our photographers down to the editing tools used during the post processing, let's sit down for a conversation with Monica Padillo.

G O L DE N H O UR Monica Padillo HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH PHOTOGRAPHY?

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?

I feel like photography has been ingrained in me since I was a child, considering that my mom did photography as a hobby when she was young as well.

Getting started with photography was not an easy task. It takes a lot of effort and learning. Each shot is a journey to developing your style and widening your perspective in creativity and photography.

Photography by Monica Padillo Models: Juan Patricio and Marlina Carlos

But it wasn't until I was 16 years old that I really focused on photography because I became interested in fashion and blogging.

However, I only took photos as a hobby back then until I decided to take it seriously after I graduated from college in 2016.

It helps to do a lot of research and learn from other photographers. When I was starting out, I looked up to Natalie Chyi.

most people who follow my work, they know me for having warm photos and soft concepts.

But in my early years as a portrait photographer, I was also interested in street style. Today, I am leaning more towards minimalist and editorial concepts.

WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU ENCOUNTER IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES? Building myself up as a photographer was definitely a challenge. At first, it was hard to build connections and having people trust in my skills and capabilities.

Natalie Chyi is a Hong Kong and Londonbased photographer who took photos of one of my favorite fashion and lifestyle bloggers, Zoe Suen.

I've always liked how warm her photos looked. My other favorite photographers include Leslie Zhang, Matthew Priestly, Ahn Yeon Hoo, and Michele Yong.

Most of my inspiration comes from Asian photographers. Their works are so clean but at the same time dimensional.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE? When it comes to my photography style, I tend to depend on the concept or theme of the shoot. However, for

But I'm really glad and thankful that I was able to find clients who believed in what I can do and took a chance on me.

There's also the problem of pricing my own work. Considering how creatives are paid in the Philippines, it was and sometimes still is a struggle for me whether to price my services low or high and I think this is a common problem among amateur photographers as well.

However, I was able to resolve this once I started getting clients who were willing to pay for my services without a discount.

It made me realize that I shouldn't sell myself short and that my work really is worth the price tag I put on it or even more.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS BEHIND YOUR SHOOTS? It usually depends on the people that I'm working with.

When I do collaborations, it's either I reach out to models or models reach out to me. Once we agree on the things that we could benefit from each other, we then conceptualize for our shoot, shoot in person, then I send them the pictures after post processing.

It's a bit different when working with brands and clients. For this, I settle the technicalities first like the payment, location of shoot, how many photos and layouts we're going to do. Once we settled this, I coordinate with them about the concepts that they want to achieve for the shoot.

We shoot, I get paid on the spot, then I send them the photos after two to four weeks, depending on my schedule and the difficulty during the post-processing period.

WHAT CAMERA OR TOOLS DO YOU USE IN PHOTOGRAPHY? I mainly use a Canon 700D camera body, paired with a 18-55mm kit lens, 50mm prime lens or 35mm prime lens.

My camera is considered an entry level camera and I've had it for 6 years. If given the proper resources to buy a new body, I probably would only because higher level cameras are faster and more efficient, but for now, I'm content with my 700D.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SHOTS? CAN YOU SHARE THE STORY BEHIND THESE PHOTOS OR WHY IT'S YOUR FAVORITE? I certainly have a lot of favorite shots. I guess it mostly depends on who I'm working with rather than how the photos look like.

I've done a shoot in a field under the blazing hot sun before. It was tiring but I loved every moment of it because the model was enthusiastic about the shoot as well.

I also did a shoot before in a studio. We were comfortable indoors and the photos came out nice, but I didn't enjoy it as much as my other shoots because the model seemed like she wasn't completely into it.

WHAT SKILLS SHOULD A PHOTOGRAPHER HAVE? First and foremost, an eye for photography. You can have the latest camera model from one of the best camera brands out there, but it's useless if you don't see the unique in the mundane.

I also think photographers should be patient.

Lastly, it goes without saying that photographers need to be creative and learn that we're not just pressing buttons.

I think some photographers believe that only the models should exert effort.

It's just as much as the photographer's job to make the models stand out. It's teamwork basically.

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS? Never stop shooting. I learned to build my connections and improve my craft by reaching out to people and scheduling photoshoots. There was a time when I would even schedule shoots before going to work simply because I was eager to learn more and meet new people.

You can enroll to photography school to formally learn about the craft, but it's in the inperson experiences that'll help you grow faster as a photographer.

You may check out Monica's work at www.instagram.com/mbpadillo

GABINA what started out as a simple fundraising activity turned into a brand of accessories centered on timelessness A brand where everyone can find a reflection of their personal style. This is the vision that Gea, Abby, and Regina dreamed of when they decided to launch Gabina back in 2019.

was a reminiscent of the texture of the waves and feel of the sea breeze.

This local shop of curated earrings started out as a fundraising activity for a project. When the project ended, the trio realized how much they enjoyed curating the pieces and decided to continue and make a brand out of it.

Gea, Abby, and Regina have been best friends for a long time. Their shop is a testament to their friendship and a story of how their personalities complemented one another.

"Gabina was established because we want to share pieces that we think everyone can appreciate and enjoy."

After a couple of months of conceptualizing, they were able to release Amihan, their first collection of earrings. The collection, which featured dangling pieces and pearl details,

A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP

"The name Gabina actually started out as an idea while we were joking around for names and it just stuck. It stands for the combination of our names and encapsulates the brand which is essentially a combination of our personal styles."

Through Gabina, they were able to share their love for accessories, especially earrings.

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STARTING OUT Coming up with their first collection wasn't easy, but it was a memorable experience.

"Since we wanted all our styles to resonate with the brand, we realized how hard it was to identify your personal style until you have to describe it to others. We did a lot of introspection to finally build a foundation for Gabina’s brand."

Unknown to many, a lot of planning and preparations go into curating a collection. The customers only see the end product but each piece is well thought of doing the photo shoots, choosing the photos that gets posted on social media, editing publicity materials, and even naming the pieces and the collections. Basically, the whole behind the scenes that you don’t normally think about when you’re a customer.

But despite these hardships and challenges, the three persevered.

"We were able to overcome these challenges mainly through experience and trying what works and what doesn’t. We always strive for continuous improvement and it helps to have a supportive group of friends who aren’t afraid to offer constructive criticism. " MIX AND MATCH A lot of people say that three can be a crowd. But for Gea, Abby, and Regina, they were able to make it work. Three means they are a team working to reach their vision.

"When curating the earrings for our collections, we make sure that the pieces reflect all our personalities. The earrings should also be timeless and can fit in with any wardrobe. We decide together as a team whether a new design fits in with what we want to show in a collection."

Gabina's brand centers around practicality and timelessness are important aspects to consider when buying anything. They see to it that any piece you purchase from Gabina will be a staple piece in your closet.

Looking closely at the pieces of their collections, you can distinguish the personality of each design.

Gea likes pieces that that can be worn whether day or night, and can complete any outfit effortlessly.

Meanwhile, Abby's style is classy and prefers pieces that can give you a touch of class no matter the outfit.

On the other hand. Regina is more inspired by Parisian styles. She likes earrings with subtle and unique pearl details that can easily be paired with a cozy sweater or a backless top.

A FAVORITE PIECE True to their personalities, each of the three have their own personal favorites from their collections.Gea loves Diwata which was part of their first collection because it's classic design is something that she can see herself, and others, wear years from now.

For Abby, it's Tala from their first collection. It's something that she can wear on any occasion whether it's casual or for a night out, it's always a

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good piece that will accentuate her outfit.

But for Regina, it's the Amor from the Dalaga Collection because it reminds her of the beach and how its design is subtle and elegant. It’s something that she can see herself wearing everyday to dress up a casual look or dress down a formal look.

THE ROAD AHEAD Like all brands, Gabina has long journey ahead of them. They are coming up with ways to reach more customers and have recently started offering deliveries to Visayas and Mindanao.

The shop also released their fifth collection this August.

"We are also excited to celebrate our anniversary on October. We will be releasing an anniversary collection and of course, we'll be doing giveaways to give back to our customers who have been with us since day one."

YOUR STORY, YOUR STYLE Even though their designs are influenced by their personal styles, their earrings are made to complement any piece in your wardrobe.

Whatever your style and story may be, there's always a Gabina piece for you.

"As we branch out to other accessories in the future, we want to keep the core of Gabina – designing and curating pieces that anyone and everyone can wear."

You may check out Gabina at www.instagram.com/gabina.ph

BJANKA KERAMIK a glazed story

Ceramics have been present since ancient times. Even archaeologists believe that ceramics play an important role in understanding the culture, technology and behavior of the peoples of the past.

Like archaeologists, Claire of Bjanka Keramik is intrigued by the story behind every piece of ceramics. While curating ceramic pieces for her shop, she often wonders who owned it before and all the stories it can tell.

"Every little chip, cracks, and scratches have its own story, and I'm always fascinated by that. All these little imperfections make every piece even more unique and special.

That is when my love for ceramics bloomed."

THE FIRST PIECE

THE ODD ONE OUT

Claire's first piece of ceramic was a set of discontinued Mikasa Tempera F6901 pasta plates. The plates, produced in 1975 to 1976, has a speckled light tan color and was part of the Mikasa Tempera's Stoneglaze line.

Most people might like ceramic pieces that come in sets and match. But for those like Claire, there is something exciting in finding unique pieces and matching it with other ceramics.

Her first piece of ceramics eventually grew into a bigger collection until she decided to open her own shop of curated ceramic pieces.

"My vision is to expand my shop someday to offer other homeware items while still providing beauty and functionality at the best price possible."

"I have a soft spot for odd-shaped vases and those that look like it came from a Wes Anderson set. Those are the ones that I keep for myself. For my shop, I try to mix beauty and functionality. I would pick the pieces that would complement each other to create a small collection."

However, managing a ceramic shop is not always easy. Since Claire has no physical

store, her ceramics are shipped to the customers.

"Packing the ceramics for delivery is a challenge. There were a lot of damaged pieces on my first batch of delivery.

As a result, I had to use bubble wraps on my next deliveries.

But using bubble wrap is not very environment friendly, so now I'm trying to minimize the plastic waste by using paper instead. I only use bubble wraps on big and heavy items like vases."

Taking the photos of each ceramic piece is also a challenge. One must be able to capture the quality and character of the ceramics so the customers can appreciate the ceramics even if they are just viewing it online.

"Minimalism, for me, is the simplest form of beauty.

That's why I always try my best to keep a clean and crisp look using natural light with no editing so everyone can really appreciate the details in every piece."

HANDLE WITH CARE Starting your own ceramic collection may seem difficult, especially if you have no idea or background about ceramics.

But like any collection, you only need to start with one piece. Eventually, you learn more with every piece of ceramic that you own.

"You also need to research on proper maintenance to keep them in their best condition so it will last for several years."

Claire recommends to handwash the ceramics with dishwashing soap and warm water to preserve its original appearance. She emphasizes avoiding bleach as it may damage the ceramics. For deep cleaning, she suggests using baking soda paste to remove stains or dirt.

"The process of collecting ceramic pieces has always been exciting for me, and I treat every collection with utmost care and dedication.

Hopefully, you will look forward to each collection."

You may check out Bjanka Keramik at www.instagram.com/bjanka.keramik

PLANT STORY For the owners of plantstoryph, every time you bring home a plant is the start of a love story. Even though gardening is a far cry from their work as consultants in the IT industry, they fell in love with growing and caring for plants. Their experience as parents to their two kids encouraged them to try growing plants.

"We love seeing these plants grow. It also gives us that much needed breather from the corporate world and parenting. Yes folks, every parent needs a break.

Gardening is good for you."

GROWING TOGETHER As gardeners, they believe that there's no such thing as too many plants. The couple is growing a variety of indoor plants and among their favorites are ficus audrey, anthurium, calathea, scindapsus varieties, ferns, and begonia.

Their shop believes in the idea that gardening teaches a whole lot of life lessons.

"Plants are alive and there's the possibility that it can die. Caring for plants can be high maintenance."

They share that there's a lot of process involved in managing their shop and growing the plants.

They need to make sure that the plants are healthy, cleaned, and packed properly for safe delivery to the customers.

"Our current situation with the pandemic is really challenging. Plant prices are soaring. Sourcing of plants and other related supplies has also become difficult."

When the couple started their shop, there weren't too many online plant shops in Metro Manila.

Nowadays, there's a surge of new online plant stores popping everywhere. The high demand for plants has also contributed to the surge in the price of plants.

NURTURE AND GROW Their love for plants continue to inspire them to grow their humble shop.

They are looking forward to growing and expanding their shop.

They want to have their own lot dedicated just for plants so they can propagate more instead of sourcing the plants from suppliers.

"It can be suffocating to see that there are plants priced so high.

Especially when you know how much it costs before the pandemic happened. This is one of the reasons why we're trying to propagate more so we can offer our plants at a lower price."

To encourage others to start gardening and growing indoor plants, the couple has been very active in their Instagram account in sharing the process behind their shop. They are also responsive when their customers ask for advice on how to take care of the plants that they bought from the shop.

"There's a lot of process that goes on in our shop. From sanding those pots, waterproofing, and double coating it. We even wipe the leaves clean before packing it for delivery. My husband and I have our own designated tasks. Sometimes our kids help

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too. There’s so much more in the process that you don't see in our Instagram page. Once you start gardening and growing plants, you'll see that it’s hard to hold your phone when your hands are full of garden soil."

PLANT 101 Taking care of plants may seem like a challenge, especially for beginners.

However, the couple encourages people to still try and experience gardening.

"Growing and caring for plants can be easy and difficult at the same time. It depends on a lot of factors. For indoor plants, it's mostly on the lighting situation of your home and your choice of plants. Tip is for you to research and see what would work for your space."

They also recommend researching about the plant before purchasing it.

It's important to know what can and cannot work for your space so that your indoor plant won't die.

It's also best to start with small plants that are not high maintenance and easy to grow. For beginners, they recommend avoiding variegated plants since these plants are sensitive and difficult to grow.

"It's best to enjoy the journey of growing plants, even with all its ups and downs. It’s fun and sometimes stressful, but it’s all worth it."

You may check out PlantStoryPH at www.instagram.com/plantstoryph