Japan’s aesthetic has always been a thing of beauty and inspiration. In design, they favor a clean and simple look, but with an innate coolness (or kawaii) that prevents it from looking boring. This applies to all things: just take a look at Uniqlo’s clothes, Muji’s products, and Tadao Ando’s architecture.
It is this design philosophy that propelled Cecile Zamora Van Straten, popularly known as Chuvaness, when she partnered with National Book Store, the biggest bookstore chain in the Philippines, for a capsule collection of travel and stationery items.
Van Straten is the blogger behind Chuvaness.com, which started as a hobby more than 15 years ago and has grown to be one of the most influential lifestyle blogs in the Philippines.
She said in one blog post, “Japanese to me—or at least the ones I’ve observed—have an innate coolness, whether they are teenagers or grandfathers. There are certain things they’ll wear. It can be the simplest top and it will just look cool on them.”
The Chuvaness collection is National Book Store’s fourth collaboration with Filipino icons from different creative fields. It comes after the successful partnerships with fashion designer Rajo Laurel, media personality and entrepreneur Daphne Oseña-Paez, and National Artist BenCab.
The Chuvaness collection is composed of more than 15 items for travel, gift-giving, organizing, and personal indulgence. Van Straten partnered with graphic designer Yodel Pe and illustrator Keeshia Felipe to bring her love for Tokyo and its aesthetic to the designs of her collection.
Check out some of our cool finds:
A large tote bag
And a baby version!
An organizer clutch
A utility kit and a round clutch
Coin purses!
A multi-pouch
Stickers!
Gift wrappers
To and from tags
Notebooks
Memo pads
Note cards with envelopes
The limited edition Chuvaness x National Book Store collection is available in selected National Book Store branches. Shop online at nationalbookstore.com or call the delivery hotline 8888-NBS (627). Follow National Book Store on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@nbsalert). Share your Chuvaness finds using the hashtag #ChuvanessxNBS.
Which one is your favorite? Share your thoughts below!
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