CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- Cagayan de Oro-based interior designer Nicole Cabanlet has successfully graduated from the OBRA Design Masterclass Program of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Philippine Trade Training Center - Global MSME Academy (PTTC-GMEA) on March 8, 2024.

The OBRA Design Masterclass Program for the Furniture Industry is a specialized furniture training program designed to empower and promote local talents in the furniture and creative industries.

It seeks to set Filipino furniture design standards by seamlessly integrating cutting-edge technologies, sustainable materials, and innovative creative processes.

The program comprises three phases: the designer’s phase, program consultancy phase, and designing for the market phase.

As one of the 57 scholars of the OBRA Design Masterclass, Cabanlet additionally showcased her innovative and world-class furniture designs under Nicole Cabanlet Designs in the Philippine International Furniture Show at the SMX Convention Center, Manila on March 7-9, 2024.

The Philippine International Furniture Show is a premier and exclusive furniture expo in the country that connects local and international furniture designers, manufacturers, and exporters.

The furniture show was presented by DTI and PTTC-GMEA and supported by Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF) Inc.; Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation, Inc. (PFIF); and Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, Inc. (CFIP).

Early this year, Cabanlet brought the sustainable products of Indigenous PH to international trade expositions, such as Ambiente in Frankfurt, Germany, and Maison et Objet in Paris, France. (DTI-10/PIA-10)