Cebu’S bed scene recently got a boost with Focus Global’s sweet-dream-inducing Tempur mattresses and pillows. With DwellStudio’s new exquisitely soft linens in pretty patterns and happy colors, it is now even harder to get out of bed. Snoozing the alarm clock for at least half an hour is now a morning ritual, if only to enjoy the comforts of the 400-thread count percale and sateen fabric bedding.
Exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Quirks Marketing, DwellStudio recently launched its latest bedclothes and accessories collection at Rustan’s Department Store as well as cute baby bedding, clothes and toys. Cebu-based owner Gretchen Choa-Uy was joined by her Manila-based partner Oliver Sy during the launch as well as her devoted husband Rodrick Uy and children.
In her brief welcome speech, Gretchen mentioned they were very proud of DwellStudio’s quality and construction, and she decided to bring the brand to the Philippines because, aside from the attractive prints, she knew it was a brand she could trust for her children—the prints are all low-impact fiber-reactive dyes so they contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances, are AZO- and formaldehyde-free and meet all criteria for eco-friendly pigments.
The launch gathered friends from the media, new mothers, youthful and devoted grandmothers as well as the select superwomen who have managed to thrive in their careers while admirably raising their tribe.
Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio, is herself one of these superwomen—a mother of two who revolutionized the bedding industry when she launched the innovative design company in 1999 with her adventurous design and impeccable construction. She began her career in fashion working as a fabric assistant for Isaac Mizrahi and then as an assistant designer of women’s woven clothing and fabric design for the Gap.
Wooed by the world of home furnishings, Christiane took a position as design director with Portico, a New York-based home company. While with the company, she fell in love with the permanence and craftsmanship of home design. Eager to bring something new to the popular all-white linen aesthetic, she left Portico to launch DwellStudio, where she introduced geometrics and stripes as well as modern, abstract florals with her collection. Her unique sense of color and love of old-world details quickly set DwellStudio apart from other brands.
Since launching the bedding collection, she has expanded to a fuller offering of home furnishing products, including furniture, rugs, stationery and collections for babies and kids. Her collections have found a celebrity following, including Hollywood A-listers Gwyneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler, Gwen Stefani and Teri Hatcher. She resides in New York’s Soho neighborhood—where the company’s flagship retail store was recently opened—with her husband and business partner Joshua Young and children Isabelle and William.
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Calls for a new beauty salon in the affluent Maria Luisa area have been heeled—Salon Lohas grandly opened its doors to Cebu’s beauty-loving set. Thrilled to share the latest techniques in Korean hairstyling was owner Sun Ok Seo, herself the head stylist. Mrs. Seo was a hairstylist in Seoul for 17 years, seven of which were as the head hairstylist for celebrity-frequented salons Park Jun Beauty Lab and Lee Gaja.
Together with guests of honor Rica Deen, Tina Flores, Iris Arcenas and Christina Frasco, Mrs. Seo led a one-of-a-kind ribbon-cutting ceremony with the ribbon braided into the models’ hair. The four guests of honor were handpicked to cut the ribbon as women who embody the Salon Lohas tenets of a well-balanced life and lifestyle of family, career and, of course, beauty.