Uh-oh, fake Daphne chairs on sale at APEC meeting in Iloilo


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Oh, the irony!

Iloilo is currently hosting the Small and Medium Enterprise ministerial meeting of APEC, and in one of its accredited venues, fake designer chairs are being sold out in the open.

What a way to protect the rights of small and medium businesses, huh?

The original version of the designer chair was created by Daphne Furniture, a registered trademark.

It was conceived and designed by celebrity Daphne Oseña Paez. Last year she decided to stop its production, after a successful run that saw it sold at Rustan’s and Dimensione, and featured on magazines and television shows, as well as Vogue Italia.

What made the chair such a hit?

“They were cute. But more importantly, they were very well-made,” Daphne explains on her blog today. “Our partner manufacturer is one of the country’s top furniture makers, licensed for export and all that. The paint, distressing process, type of wood, hand carving process were all top-quality.”

Now a fake version of the Daphne chair is being sold at the Yusay-Consing mansion in Molo, Iloilo. The 1920s-built mansion, by the way, was bought and restored by the SM conglomerate.

Daphne’s request?

For the APEC organizers to do the right thing. “I’m appealing to APEC. Since they have integrity… hopefully they handle it…I don’t care who did it. Since their name is on the banner of that Mansion museum… they should be concerned,” she says. 

Update: According to Daphne’s post on Facebook, the fake chairs were pulled out of the Yusay-Consing mansion on Sep 25. 



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