Joseph Rastrullo was born in the United States, raised in the Philippines and spent some time in Milan, Italy studying Business Design in Domus Academy. That said, he is a third-culture designer who brings a multi-cultural vision to his creative aesthetic.
Passionate about design since high school, Joseph truly began his journey in 2006, when he entered De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde’s Industrial Design program. During his time there, he experimented with different materials and techniques before deciding to focus on fibers, resin, iron, wood and plastic, and the potential combinations of these. In 2009, he started his apprenticeship under Philippine architecture and design legend Mr. Antonio “Budji” Layug, who, through his guidance, became responsible for Joseph’s design direction and currently still mentors him with his approach. Hungry for inspiration and hoping to improve, Joseph pursued his Master’s studies in Italy in 2012, where he enrolled in the Master’s in Business Design course at Domus Academy. There he met and learned from Domenico Dolce (Dolce & Gabbana), Andrea Branzi (Vitro Design), Aldo Cibic (Memphis Group), Stefano Giovannoni (Alessi) and Giorgio Lavelli (Radar Trend). It was also at Domus that he learned how to merge business and design to create a mutually beneficial system. Having returned to the Philippines, Joseph has been recognized as one of the featured designers of DTI CITEM’s (Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions) Manila FAME, Design Anthology Hong Kong’s 100 Emerging Designers of Asia, Home Review Magazine India’s Designer of the month and a Design Star of Singapore’s International Furniture Fair.