C A N VA S
Hello! Please introduce yourselves.
I’m Reymart Cerin, co-founder of The Public School Manila, a
branding and design studio based in Escolta, and The Manila Creative
Exchange, an independent initiative that serves as a platform for
creatives in Manila to collaborate and foster a community through talks,
publications, and community-based projects.
Can you briefly recount to us the beginnings of The Public School
Manila? What convinced you to put up a branding studio?
My partner (Vince Africa) and I were about to re-launch a streetwear brand
back in 2015. However, during the branding and planning stage, Vince also
had to deal with more clients than he can accommodate. So out of necessity,
we eventually found ourselves opening a design studio. He used to work as an
art director for Team Manila while I did accounts management for Vgrafiks
for a while. I guess our passion for good design and love for Manila brought us
together to form the studio, where our work mostly revolves around the two.
Your studio seemed to have formed a strong bond with the city (Manila),
particularly Escolta. Why did you decide to set up shop in this location?
There’s this interesting story about how Vince was working on a
documentary in his past job and got to interview Robert Sylianteng of First
United Building. During this interview,
Robert toured Vince around the building and
they stumbled upon a studio which Vince
posted a picture of online. He was fascinated
with it because of the big windows and
abundant lighting — it really looked like a
dream studio. And then voila! Two years after,
that studio ended up becoming the home of
The Public School Manila.
But aside from that, we’re just really
very passionate about the untapped potential
of Manila, with its deep history and cultural
significance. It’s a city that gives us a glimpse
of our past and easily connects us to our
struggles as a people —something that is a very
potent well of inspirations.
FIRST Coworking Community stationery
Opposite page: Escolta Block Party poster
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