{"id":10550,"date":"2019-07-22T13:43:48","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:43:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/queencitycebu.com\/?p=10550"},"modified":"2019-12-30T02:49:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-30T02:49:56","slug":"success-story-kenneth-cobonpue-rattans-first-virtuoso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queencitycebu.com\/success-story-kenneth-cobonpue-rattans-first-virtuoso\/","title":{"rendered":"SUCCESS STORY: Kenneth Cobonpue, \u201cRattan\u2019s First Virtuoso\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\nwould you do if you weren\u2019t afraid? What would happen if you follow your\npassion? TIME Magazine\u2019s \u201cRattan First\nVirtouso\u201d, Kenneth Cobonpue,<\/strong> is a living proof that pursuing you passion\nand enjoying what you do can actually help you achieve your goal. He is a\nmulti-awarded furniture designer and manufacturer in Cebu with designs that won\nhim the \u201cDesigner of the Year\u201d in the\nfirst edition of Maison et <\/strong>Objet Asia<\/strong> held in March 2014 in Singapore, Grand Prize of the Singapore International\nDesign Competition<\/strong>, Japan Good\nDesign Awards, Design for Asia Award of Hong Kong<\/strong>, the American Society of Interior Design Top Pick selection<\/strong> and the French Coup de Coeur Award.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, all these successes didn\u2019t\ncome in a snap. Like most of those who followed their hearts, he also struggled\nto become who he is today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenneth Cobonpue was born in a Chinese\nfamily with father who really wanted him to take up Business course. But his\nlove for designing rooted at an early age. His mother\u2019s backyard factory became\nhis playground where he made use of various materials which eventually led him\nto creating his own furniture pieces. Such exposure enabled him to join his mother\nin various furniture affairs around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the wish of his father, he\ntook up a course in Business in UP Diliman but his love for designing urged him\nto shift Fine Arts two years after. Though he was really interested in taking\nup such course, he was not accepted because he could not draw well enough.\nStill, he persisted and studied\nIndustrial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York, apprenticed for a leather\nand wood workshop near Florence, Italy, then took up a scholarship program in\nFurniture Marketing and Production at the Export-Akademie Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg in\nReutlingen, Germanybefore working in Bielefeld and Munich.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1996, Kenneth came back to Cebu to\nmanage Interior Crafts of the Islands, Inc. \u2013 the furniture design and\nmanufacturing company of his mother Betty Cobonpue. He had to face tough\nchallenges including the absence of advanced technology for furniture here in\nthe Philippines, creation of his own brand of designs, and the loss of some\nclients. But these didn\u2019t stop his determination. He began creating modern\ndesigns using natural fibers and materials, crafting pieces of functional art.\nToday, the KENNETHCOBONPUE\u00ae brand receives numerous recognition around the\nworld and among renowned individuals because of its unique designs. Every year,\nhe reveals new sets of designs in Milan and New York. He also appeared to\ncountless European television, international magazines, and films like Ocean13\nand CSI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The limitless potential of his\ncreativity was once again acknowledged last July 2016, when he and his business\npartner Christopher Reiter were selected as high-impact entrepreneurs during Endeavor\u2019s 65th International Selection\nPanel held in Indonesia. <\/strong>On the same year, he also designed the children\u2019s playground on the 3rd<\/sup>\nlargest shopping mall in the Philippines \u2013 SM Seaside City.<\/strong> He brought to\nlife the colorful world of children\u2019s imagination by creating designs from\ndinosaurs to outer space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, people should not be afraid of\nchallenges that would come as they pursue their passion, instead,\nthey should see these as opportunity to grow and become better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFERENCES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttp:\/\/www.kennethcobonpue.com\/profile\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\nhttp:\/\/www.kennethcobonpue.com\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\nhttp:\/\/content.time.com\/time\/magazine\/article\/0,9171,1213324,00.html\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.rappler.com\/life-and-style\/career\/185606-kenneth-cobonpue-design-lessons\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\nhttp:\/\/primer.com.ph\/business\/2016\/01\/01\/story-of-filipino-success-kenneth-cobonpue-world-renowned-industrial-designer\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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From Lahug to Hollywood<\/a><\/blockquote>