Shopping can be exciting. There’s a thrill in finding imported items, or spotting popular brands you’ve seen unboxed online, made famous by music, movies, or social media.

Many are drawn to foreign goods—for the name, the style, the reputation, or the sense of familiarity they bring.

But Spatio, inside Opus Mall in Bridgetowne, Quezon City, offers something different. It places Filipino makers and designers front and center. Taking up nearly an entire floor, the department store brings together a wide range of local products — jackets, scarves, bags, shoes, jewelry, chocolates and more.

It serves as a gentle reminder: Filipino designers, artisans and shoemakers are just as capable as their foreign counterparts. These goods deserve support not just because they are local, but because they bring real value, reflect our identity and support the livelihoods of Filipino artisans.

Multi-sensory shopping

“This store, housed inside Opus Mall… which is the newest mall under the Robinsons Group, we want to be able to touch on all of the senses and put together a cohesive story, not only for social media, brand lineup and presentation, but really, a multi-sensory experience,” said Spatio deputy general manager Martin de Leon during the store’s media launch last 3 July.

From the moment you enter, the department store offers more than a visual experience. It invites you to engage with sound, texture, scent and flavor.

The scent of ube fills the area — earthy, a little nutty, with hints of coconut and vanilla. As the smell settles around you, your hands might reach out to feel the textures of the merchandise: the weave of Piña silk, the raised thread of hand-sewn embroidery, or the uneven feel of plant-based dyes and fibers.

Music completes the atmosphere. A playlist titled “Sa Habi ng Alaala: A Tapestry of Filipino Sound,” curated by Jorge Juan B. Wieneke V, plays throughout the store. It includes Kundiman, folk, experimental tracks and ancestral rhythms — chosen to reflect our cultural memory through sound.

The store also offers services that go beyond shopping. There is a barbershop, a food and drink area, and a wine bar called Bar Shu, where you will find local twists on familiar flavors: Wild Halo-Halo, Ube Colada and Drunken Sago’t Gulaman.

If you need something warm while browsing native shawls — it can get chilly inside — there is We The People Coffee & Tea Co., serving drinks like Kape Latik and Soy Kape, as well as desserts such as Bibingka Cheesecake.

A story of Filipino identity

The store is a collaboration between Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (RRHI), the Fashion Accessory Makers of the Philippines (FAMph) and filmmaker and artist Connie Macatuno, who leads the campaign “Kwento Natin Galing Pilipino.”

The store features items that reflect Filipino heritage —

indigenous fabrics, traditional needlework, local materials. Many are handmade or produced in limited quantities, giving them a distinct and personal quality.

Among the featured FAMph brands are Alchemista, Abel PH, Lokal, Charming Baldemor, Agsam Fashion Fern, Crystal Seas, Leather Studio Manila, Oel Designs, Nifty Shoes, Strozzi, Style Isle, Lakat, Roweliza, Beatriz, Mara Piñon and Jmakitalo.

“Thank you, Connie, for helping us bring to life our shared vision of making (the store) the home of over 100 local makers and designers. This is something you will find only here… only here in Opus Mall,” said De Leon at the event.

Centuries of colonial history have influenced the way we perceive quality. Imported products have long been seen as better or more modern, and the store wants us to look again. In her remarks, Macatuno shared how the store connects to her larger advocacy:

“Para sa amin po, ang fashion at ang accessories ay isang visual storyteller (For us, fashion and accessories are virtual storytellers). And part of my advocacy is to keep on telling the story of our Filipino identity, whether it’s in film, in TV, or in this case, retail. I want each one of you to feel that (the store) is your home, whether it’s in the context of bahay ­— house, or in the context of homeland — bayan. Please keep coming back to this space where you can feel the warmth and the belongingness and all the beauty of everything that is Filipino.”