Labubu, Sonny Angels, and Smiskis have been the craze among Filipinos since last year, and now, too many to mention blind box toys or “anik-anik” are becoming fashion accessories, if not decorative home trinkets.
Among this sea of collectible figures is Maria, the Off White Lady, a designer toy by art toy designer Klaris Orfinada from Antipolo City. Yes, it’s locally made, and yes, it’s inspired by our very own folklore—the White Lady. Sounds cool, right? But there’s more!
Just like her name, Maria is clothed in a streetwear outfit inspired by the brand “Off White”. In short, she’s a female trendy ghost and she’s Filipino, what else could be cooler than that? She might be the next “anik-anik” fave we didn’t know we needed!
Maria has other versions such as Maria Summers and Kuro Skullmori Maria, the latest customized piece by art toy designer RM Tagasa. She also has her own line of exclusive blind boxes, the Sugar Rush, launched in August 2024.
On top of that, Maria has two siblings: Polar Meltdown, a polar bear having a meltdown, which was Klaris’ first art figure created in 2019; and Zoie, a half-human half-zombie teenage girl looking for her lost sneakers and finding out how to save the world, which was created in 2022 and launched in her second solo exhibit.
They are very interesting, aren’t they? And these “urban, cute pop” creations are just as interesting as Klaris herself.
Being the first known female art toy designer in the country, Klaris has quite a story. Already creative since she was a child, she only taught herself arts as she pursued Communication Research at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. TV art shows and YouTube channels honed the artistic skills she needed.
A multi-passionate, Klaris tried applying to become a flight attendant after college to pursue her dream of traveling. She has also tried working as a real estate agent and production manager in the film industry. However, she realized she wanted to be a full-time visual artist when working as a market research analyst at a private local company.
In July 2021, she held her first solo exhibit in Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery. Just a year later, she participated in the Abominable Toys Chomp show at Clutter Gallery in New York. Since then, she has been featured in other art shows and exhibitions, including the Pop Toy Show Singapore in 2024.
She has fostered connections with various artists including Juanito Maiquez, also known as Quiccs, which resulted in their collaboration in 2024.
With her confidence, creative integration, and edginess, Klaris creates a future she and female artists can call their own in a male-dominated field. “Making feminine characters is also one of the messages I want to convey; that a female artist can design female art toys amidst the dominant male art figures here in the country.”
In a world of male art toys and blind box figures, Maria’s not just a force of women empowerment, her existence is also a tribute to Filipino folklore and modern fashion—qualities that make her as rare as a jewel. Of course, all these are due to Klaris’ ingenuity, advocacy, and passion for the craft.
Klaris’ appearances in various art galleries and conventions—local and abroad—and collaboration with art toy designers are a testament to her greatness. She shares more of her journey, creative process, and thoughts on the local art scene in this exclusive interview with PAGEONE Online Network.
PAGEONE: How did you come up with the idea of combining Filipino myth with hypebeast clothing for your art toys?
Klaris Orfinada: One of the concepts of my character Maria comes from punning the word ‘white lady’ with the famous streetwear brand ‘Off-White’. Before I came out with her own name Maria in 2021, she was originally called Off-White Lady. Also, making a white lady as a figure alone is a bit plain, so I thought of dressing her up with streetwear clothes since her first name was already a streetwear brand pun.
My style is combining mythical and fictional characters with modern street art. As part of designer toy history, designer toys evolved from the urban vinyl trend that was pioneered by Michael Lau in 1990. I stuck with the concept of mixing classic characters with urban art. And considering that all my characters are inspired by fictional and mythical creatures, I want to call them “beasts” rather than creatures. Calling them “beasts” sounds cooler to me. Plus, they wear hypebeast clothes most of the time, which makes them hype beasts.
What rituals or habits help you get into the creative flow?
I finish my daily errands first before I start working. Most of the time, I clean my work area first because I get distracted by a messy workplace. A clean workstation relaxes the mind. Therefore, it activates our creative flow.
Can you take me through your work process?
For me, there are five steps in my work process. First is sanding, cleaning, and priming the resin figure. Second is the base coating. Third is detailing, where sometimes I do masking using stencils and tapes; sometimes I do detailed painting on the figure too. The fourth step is a top coating to seal all the paints and details from dirt. The last step is the finishing touches or the retouching stage.
For one 6-inch tall figure, excluding the resin casting because I outsource it, it takes me three to four days to finish–from sanding to finishing.
For the paint medium, I use acrylic for both art toys and paintings. I use lacquer-based acrylics for airbrushing and water-based acrylics for hand brushing. For sculpting, sometimes I use polymer clay, but most of the time I use air dry epoxy clay.
As a child, did you already show an interest in art? What’s a core memory you still remember?
For most of my childhood, I didn’t have anyone to play with because there was no one my age living with us, and my relatives who were my age lived far away. So, I spent most of it just playing with my toys. For me, I guess the early sign of my interest in art was when I enjoyed playing with modeling clay when I was young. Even then, I liked sculpting food out of it. From elementary to high school, I was really drawn to art. Whenever there were art projects or special occasions that needed prop makers, I was very active. But I could not say I took it seriously because I had no idea back then, and there was no one to teach me. It was a small school, and they weren’t really focused on art back then. So, it was more extracurricular at that time.
Any artists you admire?
I admire Kaws because he is already a household name when it comes to designer toys. And he is very well respected in high and urban art. Every project he does amazes me and I aspire to be like him. I also admire Quiccs, because, despite the fame and success that he has been blessed with right now, he manages to remain humble and nice to everyone, especially to us artists. He is one of the artists I look up to.
What’s a moment you’re most proud of?
A lot of times. However, I guess the best moment that I can really say that makes me proud of my work was when I got invited to a talk for the Pop Toy Show event in Singapore last 2023. It made me nervous but happy at the same time because I was able to talk on stage with my fellow Asian female art toy designers. I gained some morale that time, and I am very humbled and thankful to have experienced that kind of opportunity.
Where do you see your art going? Are there any steps you’d like to take?
I am working on my upcoming solo exhibit for the first quarter of next year. I am prepping some paintings and figures for this show. Also, I am getting ready for the next international art toy convention in Jakarta, Indonesia this coming February 2025. It is the Jakarta 20th Toys and Comics Fair.
I try my best to showcase something new every year; may it be a new art toy character, or a new story or version for my main character Maria. I see myself doing art toys for life and continuing making artworks until I can.
I would [also] love to explore more international art toy conventions, especially in the Western part of the world. I do hope that my next milestones will be to have my first solo exhibition abroad and to collaborate with big brands.
Any advice to your fellow female artists?
To my fellow female artists, be strong and wise so you could avoid working with people who love to take advantage of amazing individuals like you. Protect yourself and your art. Best is to educate yourself about the ins and outs of the industry, and focus on strengthening your art, but see to it that you maintain work-life balance. You have so much potential, which is the best reason for you to be humble all the time. Keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.
How do you see the future of Philippine art? Especially in the art toy field.
The Philippine art scene is starting to recognize local designer toys. Hopefully, more organizations, people, and communities will get to know and appreciate us in the years to come. The local art scene has always been active, so I have high hopes for more opportunities for us in the future. And I am excited to see more designers, especially female designers in the future!
