‘Modern Elegance’ Via the Philippines
After opening a flagship store in Manila and selling items from his Blue Carreon Home line at Bergdorf Goodman and other boutiques in this country, the brand’s founder, Blue Carreon, has opened a shop this summer in East Hampton’s Red Horse shopping complex.
Mr. Carreon, an interior designer and former fashion and lifestyle journalist, was settling into his new shop last week as he offered a visitor a tour of the space and an introduction to his collection, which is “based on the design philosophy of modern elegance,” according to his website.
Among the items at the shop, most of which are produced in the Philippines, are boxes and trays, Art Deco paperweights made of brass and inlaid shell, an Art Deco version of tic-tac-toe, an ant vide-poche, recycled plastic mats, recycled cotton blankets that become even softer after being put in the washer and dryer, bags, silk fans, and cloisonné pencil cups.
He has supplemented his collection with things he loves that he sourced away from the Philippines, among them silk velvet pillows from Uzbekistan.
Originally from Manila, Mr. Carreon holds degrees in communications, fashion merchandising, and interior design, a combination that positioned him well to become a fashion editor at both Philippine Tatler from 2002 to 2005 and after that at Hong Kong Tatler from 2005 to 2008. He opened his retail shop in Manila while living in Hong Kong, and then moved to Singapore to launch the Singapore edition of Amica, an Italian women’s fashion magazine.
In 2010, he moved back to Hong Kong, where he worked as a freelance journalist with a weekly column for The South China Morning Post and a monthly column on fashion and design for Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, among other projects.
After decorating his homes in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Manila, friends encouraged him to brand his own style of interior design. Blue Carreon Home was launched at about the same time as the publication of his book, “Conversations: Up Close and Personal With Icons of Fashion, Interior Design, and Art,” in 2014. The book was a compilation of the interviews of fashion designers that he had done as a column for The Huffington Post. He went on to add other personalities, including artists.
He has his designs produced in factories in Cebu, in the south Philippines. Everything is handmade. “I was fortunate that the factories were owned by friends,” Mr. Carreon said, “so there was trust, and I was confident of their capabilities.”
Mr. Carreon and his husband, Bruce Bromberg, a lawyer who works in finance, split their time between East Hampton and New York City.
When Mr. Carreon discovered the Red Horse spot was available, he had just 10 days to get it ready for a Memorial Day weekend opening. He painted the wall himself, with stenciled birds and flowers, and pulled it off.