Specialization: Design, Merchandise, and Product Development I Market Expansion and Internationalization ( Exports) I Branding Graphics I Image Building and Propositions I Value Chain and Operations I Entrepreneurship I Skills Upgradation
“Serving the vulnerable communities around the world.”
PJ Arañador is the first Filipino International lifestyle designer. He is also a design-led product and merchandise development expert, trends tracker-blogger, and branding consultant focusing on image building. He is a known Filipino livelihood and enterprise mentor, exhibitions curator, and creative director serving many countries. His body of works spans over 25 countries mostly in South America, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, North America, and the Caribbean for over 30 years.
As a multidisciplinary designer, he is a noted industrial, fashion, and jewelry designer. He is adept in interior design and resort design. He is acknowledged for his green, ethical, responsible, sustainable, bio-diversified, social, and innovative design in food, wellness, homestyle, wearables, and gastronomy, mostly culture-based.
Known as a "Designer in the Bushes", PJ has worked with the grassroots on social, cultural, and environmental focused projects worldwide, many of them as a volunteer. His mentors include Alice Reyes, national artist for dance in the Philippines, Gerda Lyngaard pour Monies of Denmark, Countess Harumi Klossowska of France, Filipino national artist on visual arts Design Center director Arturo Luz and Jose Joya of the Philippines, among others.
He is the co-founder of the prestigious Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines and a member of the Philippine Fashion Coalition. Multi-awarded including Katha, Quill, Anvil, Asian Communications, and UNESCO awards in design, the state-owned University of the Philippines Diliman, where he finished college, honored him with the Outstanding Professional Award in Arts and Letters, one of the youngest recipients.
Arañador received the Golden Shell Award in Design Excellence, the highest of award bestowed by the Department of Trade and Industry. He was awarded by Iloilo Province as Outstanding Ilonggo in the field of Arts and Fashion. He is listed in the Filipino design royalties on-line. He has exhibited his works mostly in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, South America, Southeast Asia, India, and Dubai.
Arañador was a consultant at the ASEAN Trade Center in Tokyo, USAID, Asia Foundation, British Council, India Ministry of Textiles, German GT-Z, Canadian CIDA, Aid to Artisans, Artesanias de Colombia, MINCETUR Peru, JICA & JETRO of Japan, OTOP Asia, among others. He worked in the crafts, tourism, and external trade industry of South America in the Andean Region including Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, etc., and Central America including Puerto Rico, Panama, and Belize for 8 years and India for 10 years. He trained young designers & entrepreneurs in these countries.
He reinvented the Delhi Fair transforming it to become Asia’s biggest artisanal fair while running as design director with Filipino team of its National Center for Design and Product Development for 10 years. In the Philippines, he was a consultant to the Design Center Philippines, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Department of Social Welfare & Development, Great Women Project, OTOP, Cebu FAME, Export Development Council, Council of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, the Lopez Group Foundation, Inc. among others.
Currently, the designer is considered one of the longest-serving consultants of the Department of Trade and Industry in the Philippines. He has trained thousands of artisans, MSMEs, and young people across all sectors of various communities. Serving as an ever-current design consultant for Manila FAME and DTI regional trade fairs. Mentor at KMME Negosyo Center producing top-notched mentees. He became a consultant at the Metro Manila Development Authority and the Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation on urban crafts development for livelihood. He also developed 100 entrepreneurs in Metro Manila under the program Metro Fiesta.
He trained with the PUM Netherlands and Go Negosyo Mentoring the Mentors on Inbound Tourism Restart. He is a tourism mentor at the International School on Sustainable Tourism and U.P. Small & Medium Enterprise Institute; a consultant at Society for Sustainable Tourism, Iloilo Visitors Bureau, and USAID Tourism project in the Philippines. He was a branding consultant at Philippine Airlines.
He apprenticed and worked for Natori in New York City, Global Village in England, Capilini in Milan, Design Centers in Kenya and India, Gifts France in Paris, and ASEAN Trade Center in Tokyo which rounded up his works in Asia. He designed for many retailers around the world including Neimann Marcus, Macy’s. Harrods, Crate, and Barrel.
As a social entrepreneur, his brands include as a consultant and mentor in PJ Arañador Design Studio serving clients all over the world with design and product development consultancies; as a social entrepreneur in Nautilus PJ Arañador on artisanal resort wear and lifestyle objects; as a wellness healthy living advocate in Nautilus Arañador wellness and spa; as a gastronomic slow food expert and restaurateur in Wawa Arañador Heritage Restaurant and Café; as design-led crafts and visual arts educator in Escuela Talleres de Artesanias PJ Arañador, teaching community members of all ages including scholarships to marginalized youth. As an academic instructor in fashion, design, marketing, product development, and textiles as a faculty member of the Iloilo Science and Technology University College of Industrial Technology, College of Fashion and Wellness.
