An abundant cultural and natural landscape is an artist’s haven. At Moy Studio, what perpetuates in Cebuano culture is curated in a bespoke collection of artisan wardrobe pieces, and at the fore of this magic is designer and creative director Kiko Kintanar.
The Cebu-based brand sets the scene for an overhaul of the typical vacationer fashion. What’s casual turns chic, and what’s lightweight is luxurious at Moy Studio. “We sort of had a unified direction which was to elevate Filipino accessories,” Kintanar says of Moy’s beginnings, “and go against the grain of commercial souvenir looks.”
In 2012, what started as inventory relief for his mother’s manufacturing business bloomed almost immediately into a fully curated brand. By the time Kintanar finished his studies in architecture and fashion in 2017 and went to Milan the year after with a capsule collection, Moy Studio was beginning to establish its image as an emerging name in Cebu fashion.
From earrings, necklaces, and bracelets handcrafted from wood, cattle bone, and tree fibers, Moy Studio broadened its horizons and soon ventured into the bagmaking business. “I had a sudden thought to maybe make a bag out of the materials that we already use,” recounts Kintanar, “and then came the very first Moy bag.”
Today the brand Moy Studio conjures up images of its iconic beaded bags, its flagship offerings that showcase naturally dyed indigenous wooden beads on reinvented totes, clutches, and purses.
Origins in rebranding surplus inventory, sourcing from native materials, and repurposing the same materials beyond jewelry—it’s a core value at Moy Studio to practice slow and sustainable fashion. Kintanar believes in learning from past launches and being research-based. “Fashion is subjective and constantly changing, season after season,” he points out, “from silhouettes to colors to materials to design—they all organically have to come hand in hand.”
As a result, the creative process behind every Moy Studio collection builds on practicality more than glamor. To Kintanar, this mindfulness is almost a given despite a fashion world plagued with unsustainable business models and consumerist practices. And a hands-on creative director is crucial to pull it off with flair.
“I sit with the sampling team and really get a feel for the concept and collaborate with them to see how we can improve and at the same time create something completely new,” the designer shares. “It’s quite easy to lead the team when I know how to actually make the product as well.”
To say Moy Studio embodies a singular style would be a simplification of what the brand is trying to do, or trying not to do. With pieces that rise a cut above industry trends and the fashion cycle, the bagmaker’s design philosophy isn’t about pursuing a certain look but is instead tied to a certain individual—the Moy individual.
“Our product is quite unique and [it] could be hard for people to grasp the idea on how to incorporate that in their wardrobes,” Kintanar says when asked about Moy’s aesthetic identity. “So we really had to delve into imagining the Moy individual and how that would translate to our customers’ everyday looks.” So what makes a Moy Studio piece, like the playful Alez or the versatile Riki basket bag, special? “To be honest with you,” Kintanar admits, “there is nothing like it. It’s special because it is.”
The unique Moy individual is donned with heritage-inspired pieces that project a clean, refined boho-esque aesthetic and delight in wood, shell, and rattan materials native to Cebu. Incorporating a Cebuano design perspective came naturally with so many familiar cultural elements to experiment with. “I believe we have so much creativity to offer, thus Moy [is] our form of expression,” Kintanar says.
One could say that this expression of artistry existed even before the brand itself, in the ubiquitous array of boho accessories and travel trinkets that line local boutiques and tourist hotspots. Moy Studio reclaims these persevering styles by waving in a fresh concept and a stylistic attention to detail that Kintanar emphasizes. “We have seen a fair share of wooden or shell accessories at shops and these would have a perpetuating look… So we took it upon ourselves to reimagine that.”
In late March last year, Moy Studio reached a new height as it flew to New York City to host an exclusive, weeklong exhibit of its Fall-Winter 2022 and Spring-Summer 2023 collections. The show was a ready step towards establishing Moy Studio as a global fashion brand and joining the roster of the likes of Net-a-Porter, Ssense, and Moda Operandi, something Kintanar hopes for Moy Studio to achieve in time.
“Now, it is an opportunity for us to really hone [in on] that identity as a Cebuano brand and continue to better our products in function and design,” he remarks. “There is truly so much growth from here.”
What started with local artistry grew with sustainable creativity, and with Kiko Kintanar at the helm of Moy Studio as it continues to redefine what’s perpetually in vogue, the show goes on.
Photography Kyrra Kho | Makeup Morpha Mua | Location Nest Workspaces
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