Collaborations seem to be all the rage this season with many local chefs joining forces to come up with limited-time (or747 live, even one-night-only) gastronomic affairs.

Recent editions from the likes of Miko Calo and her Avec Series with talented Filipino chefs, Barcino and its 20th anniversary celebration with two-Michelin star restaurant Miramar, and Gallery by Chele, Toyo Eatery, and Ayá’s star-studded collaborations with Hong Kong’s Andō, Tokyo’s Den, and Melbourne’s Serai, respectively, marched into our consciousness with such fervor that it felt like the industry was—and is, really—banging on our doors to bring back the spirit of foodservice in the wake of the dissociated period we’ve lost.

It’s a feeling that also isn’t lost on art studio and “third space provider” Hatch + Hoolman Studio and Filipino brand Construction Layers whose last collaboration to launch a new Envisage collection is anything but unexpected. Both brands’ partnership practically got off to a start nearly a decade ago when Construction Layers founders Kendrick Cay and CP Garcia and Hatch + Hoolman Studio founders Andie Lasco and Iya Poon became friends in design school.

Today, the young adults hurl themselves into their own respective creative paths, taking on sleek cafe uniforms and pop-ups in seemingly unlikely yet meaningful spaces to churn out experiences that aren’t just centered on flavors but also toys with all five senses.

So it isn’t as surprising to see the two brands curate yet another third space experience outside the boundaries of their studios and within the walls of the historic Reducto de San Pedro in Intramuros for Construction Layers’ Envisage Vol. 2 collection.

On this Nov. 23 episode, attendees experienced something that makes collaborations special. They (re)imagined, as we say, the unfading romance between food, beverage, and, in this case, fashion and history. “This collaboration embodies our vision of pushing the boundaries of spaces, merging culinary expression with creative exploration,” they write in a press release.

Walking into the tunnel that leads to the grassy clearing before rifling straight into the stone stronghold meant to keep ammunition during the Spanish colonial period, Hatch + Hoolman and Construction Layers get to the heart of the matter. The dialogue between past and present, F&B and fashion is seen first in Lasco and Poon’s contemporary corn-focused grub—as maize was an essential produce during those times—and then Cay and Garcia’s Envisage Vol. 2 collection that references the 1800s.

“Our main ingredients all throughout would be corn and bread,” Poon says, explaining that these were easy-to-find staples during wartime. A focaccia corn bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette is an uncomplicated blast of a bite, while a shot glass of elote, Poon tells me, is their take on the Filipino street food, sweet cheese corn. “But, in a way, we elevated it by putting Parmigiano Reggiano cheese foam instead of the cheese powder.”

On the beverage side are two drinks that would have aptly survived the war: a “victory” vodka blended with honey citrus cheong (Korean syrup) and a Citrus Laurel lemonade with hints of peppercorn that both slide down nicely. Once you down the drinks, step inside the hall to pay homage to Cay and Garcia’s throwback yet modern stylings of asymmetrical vests and textured waistcoats, pleated and voluminous pants, and remarkably constructed jackets.

“A lot of our designs were also referenced back in the 1800s and they sort of tried to be in that same mindset,” says Cay. “What were they eating back in the 1800s and how do they eat it? And it’s that contemporary approach that makes it, I guess, a very organic experience for both of us.”

While the food and beverage reflected “the journey of exploration and discovery” of Cay and Garcia’s material manipulation and techniques, the collaborative dimension between the brands clutches at the idea that entrepreneurs and creatives regardless of which industry they are in should strive to position themselves in such testing grounds and continue finding new forms of expression and keep asking what’s next.

“I feel like there’s an intersection of food and fashion,” says Lasco. “Nowadays, F&B businesses are exploring more of the creative side as well, and I feel like a good collaboration is having the proper understanding of what each other can offer, or how the founders or the creative directors or our friends, think. If we agree on something good, good things will happen.”

Artistry and creativity in food have always been there and it’s once again creeping back into restaurants and third spaces after a pandemic hiatus with the plethora of chefs and food entrepreneurs willingly embracing their art in quietly astounding ways. 

And this is what makes the Hatch + Hoolman Studio and Construction Layers collaborations just as admirable as, say, Taquería Franco’s Friends of Franco and Friends or Ayà’s Inayà Series, and even Hapag’s musical collaboration with Leanne Mamonong and Zsaris: It adds a whole new dimension to the food industry. And it only wants you to look for more good collaborations.

Which can747 live, as Cay rightfully says, best be done “when you know nothing is forced.”

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