Agnesia Cahaya

Trained Into Becoming An Environmentally Friendly Product Designer In University

Beside equipping their students with academic and non-academic skills, UPH always make sure to produce impactful graduates. Therefore, UPH School of Design initiates Product Design study program in order to create innovative, creative, functional and aesthetic designs based off environment-friendly materials that will have positive impact on the society. These values implemented by UPH’s Product Design alumni cohort 2015, Agnesia Cahaya, in her freelance designs and Caleo base designs – the brand that she started herself.

During her studies at UPH, Agnesia admits that she was involved in a lot of work experiences that helped her find her passion in bag designing. Agnesia started pursuing her passion in bag design as she deals with her final project, one to which surprisingly caught the attention of the public eye. The interest towards her bags made her decide to turn the project into a business. Her bag collection can be found through Instagram, under the username of @caleoofficial.

Agnesia, who is now working with Cirebon and Tangerang craftsmen to increase Caleo’s craftsmanship, admits that every knowledge she gains from UPH is still applicable to her – all from hand skill, drawing techniques, rendering process, accessing designs to computer to product manufacture and building partnership with craftsmen are continuous process interrelated to design. Of course, Agnesia is building her brand based from environmentally friendly products. She believed that a product of good quality does not necessarily have to ruin the environment. This very process is the basis of her perseverance. For Agnesia, her career is not merely for the achievement of profit, but also about how she could glorify God – yet, another value UPH has impart on her. Agnesia believed that if she does everything for God, the results that come will be the best one around.

“At UPH, I was always reminded to be grateful to Jesus Christ through every process I undergo – whether it be bad or good, inside or outside class. Thus, the thought of ‘is this the best I can do for God’s glory? How does it impact my growth?’ became like a second skin to me. I believe that if this is what God entrusted me with, it will go accordingly in the future,” Agnesia closes.