“An instinct for good design, coupled with their razor-sharp wit and generous spirit, defines the dynamic tandem of Rita Nazareno and Gabriel Lichauco.”

—V. Montenegro, 2021

 

About

Nazareno/Lichauco is the collaborative design practice of Rita Nazareno and Gabriel Lichauco, working together since 2014 across curation, mentorship, and exhibition and product design for numerous brands. Their practice treats traditional craft and materials as living resources for contemporary design.

Their object and space design reflect their ongoing interest in reworking familiar materials into new, contemporary forms. Across their collaborations, Nazareno and Lichauco position Philippine craft within a global design conversation, treating heritage as a starting point for innovation.

  • Rita Nazareno

    Rita Nazareno is an Emmy award-winning former Television Creative Services Producer whose shift to design is a product of passion and family ties. She is the Creative Director of ZACARIAS1925, a brand of hand-woven bags and home accessories that places a contemporary thrust in the traditional craft of hand-weaving—made at the S.C. Vizcarra Workshop, founded in 1925 by her grandmother.

    Nazareno holds Design & Creative Process workshops and talks for varied institutions such as Watari Museum’s On Sundays Tokyo, Nomi Network Phnom Penh, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design Manila, and Selvedge World Fair London. She holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Arts from AAU San Francisco and Design Management from London College of Fashion. Nazareno has participated in international tradeshows in Milan, Florance, Paris, Dusseldorf, London, Singapore, and Tokyo.

  • Gabriel Lichauco

    Designer, Curator, and Creative Director Gabriel Lichauco holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design from Schuola Politecnica di Design in Milan. A seasoned exhibitor at various international tradeshows and exhibits, Lichauco has participated in the 2017 Venice Art Biennale, 2016 XXI Triennale and several editions of Salone Internaionale del Mobile di Milano.

    He is a professor of Design and Heads of Special Projects at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts. Lichauco, who has been practicing design since 2001, is the founder of Openstudio, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy that focuses on space, installations and objects, and Newfolk, a creative platform for innovative designers, artists and producers. In 2020, Lichauco was named one of Asia’s “100 Leading Designers” in Design in Asia: The New Wave.