As the holiday season is fast approaching, designer Neric Beltran wants you to have a ball—literally.
It’s already September, and that only means one thing for Filipinos: Christmas. Upon approaching the ber months, it has been a quintessential tradition to start listening to various Christmas playlists, especially the all-time classic Jose Mari Chan songs. But more than this, we kid you not when we say our neighbors are starting to decorate their houses with Christmas decors—from the twinkling lights, the Belen figurines, festive ornaments, tobof course, the Christmas tree.
As the tree is the centerpiece of decorating our houses for the most wonderful time of the year, it’s only right that we adorn it with the most exquisitely gorgeous ornaments. Fortunately, designer to the stars Neric Beltran thought of starting his own holiday ornaments collection. From red and green perennial holiday hues, decadent beaded and sequinned orbs, to shimmering ornaments, he has successfully handcrafted a wide array of curated bespoke trinkets to impeccably liven up your tree.
According to Neric, the idea of starting this collection came about the month of April during the lockdown. “I was doing a list of possible products to make. And then I really thought of my beaders as they were the ones who didn’t have work since no one was ordering gowns. So, this project was really intended for them.”
Looking back at his memorable childhood, particularly during the Yuletide season, the designer made it a point to share his wonderful memoirs through art in the form of a bedazzled spheres. “I have really good memories of my Christmas childhood. For me, it’s a season wherein all of us are in high spirits,” he reveals to MEGA. “I remember every Christmas, my cousins and I would perform and do declamation numbers in front of our entire family.”
Apart from being inspired by his terrific youth, what really lit up his creative bulb was because of a simple yet touching gift from his aunt. “I will always remember when my aunt came home from Switzerland, and she brought these huge chocolate Christmas balls that had very shiny colors—and it was so dazzling,” he happily recalls. “That memory is one of the inspirations. It was a fantasy, a dream something I thought was not possible when I was a kid. So, I want to bring back or share that same feeling from these ornaments that I designed.”
Moreover, while this was primarily an avenue to provide job security for his artisans-beaders, Neric also explained that this endeavor was a re-visit to what he was doing before he got into designing clothes and styling for television programs. “I used to do window dressing for several brands, malls, and even for friends and clients. I missed it a lot and I’m really happy that I now get to make the ornaments for others to enjoy as well.”
Have a ball this holiday season and get the first dibs on these designer ornaments. For inquiries, please contact +63 917 653 8465. Follow Neric Beltran on Instagram @nericbeltran for more info and updates.
