About

The Brand

Though specific stimuli may shift from time to time, the Vito Selma brand is quite adamant on its focus on the natural. An examination of numerous inspirations reveal a love affair with shapes and textures that are often repeated in the earth, the sky and the sea. It is this love for nature that has driven the brand to constantly look for design components that satisfy its inclinations, while relying on wood as a primary medium. Considered as an enduring partner despite the brand’s continuous evolution, wood and its many variations and reiterations, provides avenues for Vito Selma® to experiment, create and explore. This exploration has allowed the brand not only to push the limits of the material, but also to examine the results of its marriage with other organic elements.

The resulting collections are those that may be quickly defined as having a Japanese or even Scandinavian influence. However, instead of being likened to a particular design aesthetic, the core of Vito Selma® lies more on keen attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship. It is through these attributes that the Vito Selma brand identifies itself as not being Japanese nor Scandinavian, but distinctly Filipino.

The Designer

Since 2006, Vito Selma has dabbled in different aspects of furniture design. Starting out as Creative Director for Stonesets International Inc. ®, he worked his way to the Head Design Director post before finally taking on Vito Selma® as a separate and independent brand. Vito’s formal background in design began when he enrolled at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where he had a short stint. The year 2011 brought Vito learning opportunities that veered on more than the usual. A move to Milan, Italy allowed him to pursue his Masters in Industrial Design at the Scuola Politecnica di Design, where he graduated in 2012.

The months during and after his studies really allowed Vito to form a distinct voice in furniture design. However, the designer is quick to mention that he is merely the sum of everyone that he has been fortunate enough to work with, along with their aesthetics, of course. Notable mentors include Debbie Palao whose work he credits as the pieces that made him want to become a designer; George Haast, who taught him about balance and composition; and Raffaella Mangiarotti, who he claims is responsible for his evolution into a “global” designer. Other mentors that Vito is grateful to have attended workshops with include the Campana Brothers and Spanish Studio Cul De Sac.

Awards to Vito’s credit include the Industrial Design Award in the 2010 DOST National Invention Contest for the Geo Table and Best Design for Material Innovation at the Cebu Next 2010 show for the Wrinkle Lamp, to name a few. In 2013, the designer was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Vito’s work has also been featured in international publications such as Elle Décor, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue Living Australia, Habitat (South Africa) and Architectural Digest in Mexico.

With the number of accomplishments under his belt, one would think that Vito Selma would be content, but he continually strives to move and restructure, armed with the vision of always presenting something new and innovative into the familiar.

The Team

Vito Selma® is the sum of many moving parts, working together to achieve a common objective. The head designer works and collaborates with his team, as well as a number of design interns, who have been selected to take part in a 5-month internship program. Credit for the actual production of every Vito Selma® piece goes to the dedicated furniture craftsmen and women encompassing carpenters, woodworkers, carvers, sanders and painters.