We’re looking forward to introducing you to Danilo Villanueva. Check out our conversation below.
Danilo , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Making my 3-year-old laugh. Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that making silly faces and doing silly things are some of the most effective ways to break away from reality.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m the founder of MAKINA, a Filipino watch brand now based in both the U.S. and the Philippines. We’ve been around since 2017. With my background in creative direction and design, we create timepieces that lean slightly more toward form than function. Over the years, we’ve released seven model lineups—more than forty variations in total—and along the way, our work has been recognized with over ten international design awards from organizations such as Good Design Chicago, the A’ Design Award in Milan, and the European Product Design Awards.
Our watches have been featured in style and watch-centric publications including Tatler, Esquire, Fratello, Worn & Wound, Monochrome, and Time & Tide. We’ve also been fortunate to be commissioned by companies and organizations to create custom timepieces—among them the official Philippine Paris 2024 Olympic watch and several models made for the Philippine military.
At its core, MAKINA’s design language is about fusing industrial strength with elegance—giving watch enthusiasts bolder, more distinctive alternatives to conventional wristwear.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Using what I know to build other people’s brands has served its purpose. I used to work in multinational advertising agencies, creating campaigns for brands like BMW, Mercedes, Emirates Airlines, VISA, General Motors, and more. The industry has changed in many ways that I no longer agree with. Still, it taught me how to create, how to sell, how to manage clients, how to manage teams, how to lead, how to make things happen and countless other invaluable lessons.
About three years ago, I realized it was time to redirect that same energy toward something of my own — my own brand. Something built from the ground up, where the results directly benefit my own creation and rewards my own efforts and my team’s efforts. The freedom to build whatever I want and take risks whenever I choose is priceless. The risks feel bigger, but so do the rewards that come with them.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me perseverance; to keep moving and sometimes even to double down. During the worst of COVID, I was juggling both my advertising career and MAKINA. It was a difficult time for everyone, business owners and employees alike. Small to medium-sized businesses were closing, and people were losing jobs left and right.
At first, we at MAKINA decided to slow things down because no one knew what was coming next. Six months in, uncertainty was still everywhere and no one could tell if it would last two more weeks or two more years. I wasn’t comfortable doing nothing for an unknown amount of time, so I decided to keep the lights on and just keep creating — even without knowing what the market would look like, or whether there would even be one in a few months. During the height of the pandemic, we designed and mass-produced two new models. Both sold out. It turned out that people weren’t just bored and browsing online; they were craving pieces of the outside world, things that reminded them of life beyond the walls they were stuck in.
Just because the world stopped in 2020 didn’t mean we couldn’t restart the engine at MAKINA whenever we wanted to. If MAKINA were a person, I don’t think it would be the type to wait for the world to start again either.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
“Let the work speak for itself” is something art schools love to teach. I used to believe that, but I quickly realized there’s nothing about that idea that holds true in the real world. The truth is, even the best work, the best products still need to be effectively presented, justified, or marketed to the people who are meant to buy into it. Inferior products outperform superior ones all the time in terms of awareness and sales simply because they’re marketed better with stronger advertising, bigger budgets, and just an overall better presentation in front of the consumer. The reality is that selling and presenting the work requires just as much time and effort as creating it.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
If immortality were real, I’d probably dedicate most of my days to building schools everywhere, starting in places that need them most; in countries, cities, and towns where access to quality education is still out of reach. I believe education is one of the most effective ways to lift people out of poverty, reduce crime, and help communities improve their standard of living and thrive economically over time. After living in different cities around the world, I’ve seen that even developed countries have communities where access to good education remains limited. Building schools in those places feels like one of the most direct ways to give people a fair chance, to learn, to grow, and to create better lives for themselves. It’s something I’d like to pursue seriously in the near future. I have deep respect for those already doing this; I don’t think there’s a more effective way to contribute to society and to the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.makinawatches.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makinawatches/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-villanueva/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makinawatches
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