She is Talented, Creative, Versatile…in a nutshell she is Ira Soriano!

Delving into her obsessions fashion accessories,furniture,house ware – and transforming them into something totally new, Ira Soriano is on her way for the procreation of her own sui generis in the world of design. Lets hear it from the lady herself-
ira soriano 5 RxoNm 17275Ira Soriano

Hi Radhika! Let me give you a brief introduction of myself. My name is Alma Fernadette Ira Soriano. You can just call me Ira. I am a 23 year old designer from the Philippines. I have a Bachelor’s Degree on Fine Arts & Design with a Major in Industrial Design. You may be wondering with this degree, why are my designs made of natural materials. In the Philippines, we don’t have much opportunity for Industrial Designers because we don’t have that many manufacturers. So instead of practicing my industrial design profession I became a product designer of houseware, furniture & furnishings. The Philippines is abundant with natural resources and I wanted to promote these in my own way. I worked freelance for a company with an advocacy on promoting fair trade by fair trade designs and also I worked for the only design center in the Philippines with the mission of helping small and medium enterprises. I wanted to gain more experiences and to expose myself to a more challenging position so now I am currently working in Hong Kong as an In-house designer for a Chinese company. Most of the products that I design for this particular manufacturer are Houseware (for Bathroom, Kitchen, Office, Living room, Outdoor) & Furniture (Outdoor Furniture). We incorporate natural materials for this product designs. Most of our clients are from the US & European Houseware Market.

1 How would you characterize your personal style, including your preferred colour scheme and the material for your products?

Ira– How do I characterize my personal style, I use the “Form follows Function Principle”. As a product designer for the home, the function/purpose of the product must come first before the aesthetic value. I am also a devotee in promoting eco-friendly designs, so I mostly use earth colour schemes to go with the seasonal designs (spring, summer, autumn, winter). Also, I always use this phrase when presenting a design concept to a client, “Bring nature to your home…”
ira soriano 1 kCbdg 17275

2 How you’ve evolved as a designer? What efforts do you make to keep a balance between the evolving techniques, consumer requirements and your obsession?

Ira– I’ve only been practicing my design profession for 3 years since I graduated college. For me, design is a never ending process. One must keep updated of the latest trend and to keep on learning new techniques for adaptation. I started as an eager fine arts student who just designs for the aesthetic purpose. But as I started working, I evolved from just conceptualizing to becoming a commercial artist. Maybe that’s what differentiates a designer from an artist. We create art to solve a certain problem. For my case, I design products to serve a purpose. When designing, I now not only consider the aesthetic output but I also think about the manufacturing process, right material to use but it must also be cheap, it must be stackable or foldable for the shipping package, etc. There are a lot of evolving techniques that can be applied but most of the time I have to compromise with the consumer/client’s requirements. When given a project, I take into consideration the client’s requirements but I also give them a couple of my unorthodox designs which gives them an idea that storage containers are not only shaped as a box.
ira soriano 3 Dq7l5 17275
ira soriano 4 6i1mN 17275

3 Which is your favourite project, till date, out of your repertoire? Enunciate the reason as well? I hope you won’t mind sharing your wildest dream design here?

Ira– My most unforgettable design project so far was my first International Trade Fair Show. When I worked as a freelance designer for a non-profit-organization in the Philippines, I was chosen as one of the designers to handle a product development to design items for small & medium enterprises to be showcased for the Manila F.A.M.E show. It is an international event held in the Philippines twice a year to showcase what Philippines can offer for foreign buyers in terms of houseware, furniture, fashion accessories, etc. Aside from the travel benefit to visit the manufacturer’s site and also side tripping (haha!), this product dev. gave me the experience I’ve wanted since graduation. I’ve been participating to local trade shows but this was my first international exposure and the designs garnered good reviews from my handled producers and buyers as well. But I had most fun designing when I handled a project on costume jewelry design. There was no client specifications, no particular color, I can use any material, but it must not be simple so this gave me the chance to showcase my design obsessions.

I don’t think that I have a wild dream design as I’ve said earlier I’ve always been a form follows function type of designer. I want my designs to be used and not just look at. For me, that’s the joy of being a designer for people to appreciate and use my design in their daily life. Maybe that’s the reason why I never considered changing my field in design, because I still enjoy making a home a stylish place to live at.

But my biggest dream aside from traveling to Europe is to design my own home. I may not be a licensed architect, but I want to design the place that I will live in for the rest of my life. Also to develop all the stuffs inside, from furniture to furnishings. I want it to become a full house, a representation of who I am. But honestly, I still don’t have the image of the house, just the idea of building the house is in my head.
ira soriano 6 Tm7kB 17275

4 Your products have an element of uniqueness since they are made out of seagrass or bamboo.Any special reason for this inclination?

Ira– Maybe this differentiates me from the other designers; I make use of natural materials for my designs. There are a lot of industrial designers out there, but being a designer does not only mean developing complicated items. The joy could also come from developing simple items that helps a person on his daily life. I don’t think making use of natural materials can be considered as broadening the scope of my artistic practice, because I’ve always been a product designer of home decor. I did design industrial items way back in college but not for production and if given a chance, I will also design industrial items. But right now, I am an advocate of promoting the earth’s natural materials.
ira soriano 2 TerWg 17275

Hey ,before we wrap up the interview please answer the following questions

a.What motivates you?
– Being challenged motivates me.

b.Which food/dessert best describes your personal design style?
– Chocolates. It is good to look at and also serves a purpose. And I said chocolates because I am a chocoholic…haha!

c.What was it ten years ago?
– I am considering of studying medicine ten years ago. Being a designer never entered my mind until I have to sign the college application form.

d.Eating what food brings back the best memories?
– Chocolates bring the best memories and remind me of the worst.

e.First thing you notice in a restaurant?
– The ambience, especially the lighting, what type of lighting did they use.

f.Best color for a front door?
– Off white

g.Interior design piece at the top of your wish list?
– Right now I really wanted to buy (or have if someone would give me) a cabinet for my clothes, my existing has broken doors.

h.Latest celebrity crush?
– My all time celebrity crush is Josh Hartnett.

i.You’ll always pick up the magazine if ____________________ is on the cover?
I’ll always pick up the magazine if showbiz is on the cover.

j.You never leave home without it

I never leave home without my bag with wallet, cell phone and lip-gloss.

I’d like to thank Ira for, snatching out these precious moments and share her vision with the Instablogs Community and all our readers.

Today's Top Articles:
Scroll to Top