Salvacion Lim Higgins a.k.a. Slim: The Mother of the Modern Terno
She was the epitome of cool. A creative visionary way ahead of her time. An innovator in couture. A pioneer in fashion design in the Philippines, inspiring thousands and shaping the careers of generations of Filipino designers.
Her name was Salvacion Lim Higgins a.k.a. Slim: the Queen Mother of the modern terno and founder of the most prestigious and well-known fashion and dressmaking school in the Philippines. Ever heard of her? Not to worry, not a lot of people have.
Her name was Salvacion Lim Higgins a.k.a. Slim: the Queen Mother of the modern terno and founder of the most prestigious and well-known fashion and dressmaking school in the Philippines. Ever heard of her? Not to worry, not a lot of people have.
With an androgenous name like Salvacion (and a badass nickname like “Slim”), those who have heard of her, but have never seen her face, may have mistaken “Slim” for a male designer — admittedly, us included. Amidst a sea of men working to reclaim the terno in the Philippines, Slim was able to pave her own path and create a name for herself — while looking so damn good.
Sandata Embroidery Designs
The Barong Tagalog though a garment of pride and honour of Filipinos, it also carries with it a history of trauma and discrimination. In the past, it was believed that Spanish colonizers were in favour of the indios’ (indigenous) traditional transparent barongs to distinguish them from the ruling class and ensure that they were not concealing a weapon. The Sandata (literally means sword) design series turns that history of the Barong Tagalog on its head, and it serves as an ongoing documentation of Philippine weaponry as a cultural heritage.
Pamanang Paniniwala Embroidery Designs
Pamanang Paniniwala is the newest embroidery design series, featured on our latest Biggie Barong. Pamamang Paniniwala literally translates to inherited belief. Conceptualized and created by our in-house artist, Algagadngsining, this epic design is an embodiment of religious-spiritual semiotics and the ancestral Filipino psyche anchored in history, anthropology, nature, superstition, belief and faith.
VINTA Outfit for Every Zodiac Sign 2021
“Astrology is a reflection of you and your life. The whole thing can be seen through the lens of what makes you beautiful and what makes this life of yours beautiful.” — Chani Nicholas
We’ve mentioned this a few times before, but here at VINTA, we’re all about horoscopes, astrology and all that birth chart business. So when our woman crush/astrologer Chani Nicholas launched her new app, The CHANI App, we got inspired to write up our own little star sign-related fashion guide. (Btw, if you don’t already know who Chani Nicolas is, check her out ASAP. She weaves progressive politics, social justice, queer identity — not to mention amazing Spotify Cosmic Playlists — into her work. We’re obsessed.)
But back to VINTA — it’s a new year, and 2021 is the year for us to begin a new cycle, a new journey of creativity, exploration and discovery. Of hard resets. Of being the boss of our own lives. Of expressing ourselves. Of feeling good. Of rocking a sweet new look — no matter what the current situation.
So we’ve put together these VINTA outfit ideas for every star sign to hopefully inspire your wardrobe for the new year ahead.
Year-End Thoughts from Yours Truly
We are almost done this cluster fuck of a year, can you believe it?!
It’s safe to say that we, every single person, on the VINTA team has been on a roller coaster ride all year.
We started this year so READY and excited. After I came back to Toronto from Manila, after finishing the details of the Spring/Summer 2020 collection, I worked on an elaborate strategic plan and a huge new marketing plan, and literally one day before our big strategic planning meeting with the whole team, the world shut down. It was like the rug was pulled out from underneath me. So many questions that I could not answer. All I could think of was, I have 12 people relying on the full time employment VINTA provided to feed their families.
13 Filipino Fashion and Beauty Brands You Need to Know
Make no mistake, the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora is home to some of the most exciting, driven and forward-thinking designers, entrepreneurs, founders, thinkers and creatives in the globe — in our humble opinion.
In our over decade-long experience in the biz, we’ve had the privilege of encountering and connecting with many of those Filipino groups and individuals — those willing to challenge the traditional system through art and innovation, those hungry for change and revolution through better and more responsible business practices and production models, those who have the fearlessness and courage to express themselves and share their love of their culture with the world in their own unique way.
From new Filipino beauty brands that are challenging the status quo to ethical and sustainable Filipino clothing companies, we’ve gathered 13 of some of the best Filipino-owned fashion and beauty brands today — and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
VINTA Update - November 2020
It’s been a while since our last VINTA Update in May, so thought we’d pop on to let you know what’s been going on on our end.
In sum — lots. From virtual global retreats and international panelist sessions to our exciting NEW Holiday Collection in the works, we’ve been keeping busy. Here’s what’s happening.
Filipino Deco Embroidery Designs
Art Deco is a style of visual arts, architecture, and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. Art Deco also influenced the design of furniture, jewelry, fashion, cars, and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners. Most popular from the 1920s to the 1930s, in the Philippines, its popularity extended to the early 1960s, and used simple, stylized forms, linear motifs, zig-zags, lightning bolts, and geometrical patterns, and often set in vibrant colours —it was meant to represent the era’s machine age, and an increasingly liberal outlook in life. Filipino interpretations of the Art Deco movement is really central to VINTA's visual influence, including our logo.
Filipino Tropico Embroidery Designs
Exceptionally lush and full of life, Filipino Tropico is a series of embroidery designs conceptualized and illustrated by Alagadngsining, VINTA's in-house surface designer and artist. Filipino Tropico features the wonder and beauty of Philippine flora and fauna in meticulous detail.
Voices from the Field: Appropriate or Appropriation? - Event Recap
It was an international online event unlike any other — that had us yearning for more.
Last week, 18 practitioners, culture bearers, educators, social entrepreneurs, designers and artists from across the Philippines and the diaspora came together to discuss cultural appropriation, as part of the Voices from the Field series, put on by House of Gongs, KulArts and CulturAid. Voices from the Field: Filipino Identity and Contemporary Cultural Practice is a new 3-part online event that was created to help bridge interdisciplinary voices and encourage meaningful dialogue around different topics related to Filipino identity, affirmation, education and contemporary cultural practice.
VINTA's 10 Best Terno Dresses of All Time
You may or may not have already known this, but we’ve been in the game for a long time. Since 2007, to be exact. But back then VINTA was just in its beginning stages — an idea brought about when Caroline Mangosing, the founder and executive director of Toronto’s Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture at the time, would receive several inquiries from the local Filipino-Canadian community about where to get traditional Filipino “costumes” for multi-cultural events. Caroline soon realized the demand for Filipino clothing extended much further than those simply looking for “costumes” for their kids — there was a greater need for Filipiniana fashion in the diaspora.
VINTA's Production Process and Ethical Sourcing
In light of recent comments we’ve received from the public about VINTA’s production process, I would like to address some of the points being made.
