Spring has sprung and it's hard to avoid the fact that it has been heavy these last couple of months. The spike in anti-Asian hate crimes across the US has been hard to stomach. While there was a step toward accountability, there still were too many steps back on the continued disregard of Black lives by police. I am trying any and all strategies to take care of myself to keep pushing forward. My go-to strategy is: Gratitude.
One of the things that I am so grateful for is the amount of funds we have raised for @Pagasa.ph through our mask sales! Since last July our mask sales have raised $920 USD, (with our remittance exchange rate yielded a whopping Php44,730). With a second lock down happening in Luzon, we are so super grateful to provide support to Pagasa toward their feeding programs that provide the most vulnerable populations with survival food packs, among other integral advocacy work that they do across the country. If you and your kin are looking for masks, do consider getting one of our hand loomed ones, as we will continue to donate to @Pagasa.ph. To get one of our masks click here.
Another of our fundraising initiatives was to give back to Ifugao Nation and all of their initiatives in Kiangan, Ifugao. We are so happy and grateful to say that we had been able to fundraise $565 USD (Php 27,402.50)! Marlon Martin, the director of Ifugao Nation has shared that our donations will be going toward their project of constructing traditional houses for their outdoor weaving and learning area at the community center. Beautiful.
Watch out for new pieces coming out this summer in gorgeous textile handloomed by the great folks at Ifugao Nation!
I've already shared this on all our platforms, but it's very exciting for our little operation to be mentioned on a big fashion magazine! So we are definitely so grateful for this inspiring article, “Amid Anti-Asian Hate Crimes, I found Beauty in Filipino Attire” written by Isiah Magsino in W Mag. His awakening to Filipiniana clothing is exactly the light we needed to see. He also mentions VINTA Gallery and likened us to shops on London’s Savile Row, a street in central London known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men. I consider that such high praise because Savile Row was always what I referenced as the western counterpart to Escolta Ave in Manila - an almost mythical place for me (because I heard about it from my mom and Lola), where all the best couture designers had their shops in the 1950s-60s. Read Isiah's article here.
In the meantime, the atelier in the Philippines is humming along! We’ve dropped a large part of our Filipinana Wedding Collection, but there’s more coming, so stay posted! Check out what we have launched here. Just yesterday we launched our jewelry collection, and it was a surprise (to us anyway) hit! We literally only have 1 left of each piece! Check it out here. If you miss it, and need to get it, please email us at customerservice@vintagallery.com to get on a list for the next pre-order list. These uniquely Filipino handcrafted pieces are made the old fashioned way, no short cuts. So they take time.
Custom and special orders have been very busy! If you are thinking about getting a VINTA piece made for an event for September 2021 and beyond, get in touch within the next 4 weeks to get in queue!
We have brand new styles in the pipeline for the summer that we are super excited about. If there’s anything you’d like to see, drop a comment on Instagram! We love hearing about what you’d like to see and wear. And in case you missed it, there are some last few pieces in our Spring Cleaning Sale left (<< click on the link)!
We have partnered up with Gongster’s Paradise: A Virtual Healing Force, an online festival celebration of kulintang music featuring different genres and forms. Happening on May 4, 2021. Register here and get 20% off VINTA discount code! Gong swag!
We are hoping that nations around the world are getting closer to mass vaccinations, and we can look forward to renewal after this pandemic. We hope you and your families are safe and sound.
Last but not least, we are grateful for you, our community!
Maraming salamat!
Ingat palagi,
caroline
