The winds of change are blowing a hailstorm around the world. And in once-buttoned-down Makati, film junkies, design denizens, and individualistic creative types have a new breeding ground at The One School.
Inspired by the educational philosophy of Edward Harkness, The One School strives to create an environment in which students can find their individual “voice.” This is achieved by providing a more intimate classroom experience, with individual mentoring and interaction with instructors who are respected practitioners in their fields, as well as project-based learning that lets students take the reins on their own projects, pitching their dreams and schemes to a panel of real world industry professionals.
With options from a 6-month certificate program to a 4-year bachelor’s degree, The One School offers in Fashion Design & Marketing, Intermedia Arts, Film & Technology, as well as Entrepreneurship, that strive to transcend the barriers of traditional higher education.
One of the school’s founders, Lex Ledesma, entrepreneur and Stanford Master of Engineering graduate, stresses the importance of entrepreneurship in the creative mix. “We didn’t want a school where students just learn art for art’s sake, but instead find a way to develop a career around whatever artistic talents they have. We don’t want to produce starving artists who have all this great talent, but don’t know what to do with it.”
SHIFT, the School of Intermedia, Film and Technology, is led by TeamManila, the graphic design team that made Pinoy pride cool again, as well as acclaimed film/commercial director Quark Henares. Together they strive to provide a venue for visual artists and filmmakers to learn craft and technique to match their visions.
According to the team, “Nowadays it’s all about convergent technologies, which provide a lot of opportunities for young people. Together with the emerging technology, you use your film knowledge to make a short film, you use the internet to release it virally, you make a website with graphic design and photography to market it, and you might even use motion graphics, so by focusing on being creative within the digital medium, we’re equipping you to get ready for that kind of world.”
SoFA, the School of Fashion and the Arts, is led by Instituto Marangoni alumnae Loralee Baron-Soong and Amina Aranaz-Alunan. Alunan’s bags have been lauded in the pages of US Vogue, and she runs her own successful local business. The One School’s partner for their Fashion Design & Marketing curriculum, SoFA was recently chosen by Project Runway Philippines as Manila’s equivalent to New York’s Parsons School of Design.
As a relatively new school, pursuing an alternative school of thought in an increasingly competitive industry, The One School’s Lex Ledesma has one thing to say: “I think who we really are, is not better or worse (than any other school), but definitely different.” – Alexandra Castro
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