In an open letter to Filipinxs in the diaspora, VINTA Gallery founder Caroline Mangosing urged the Filipinx community to do the work of decolonizing and digging deeper to know ourselves. In the context of fashion and design, decolonization could mean many things to many people and brands. For VINTA, it means centring Filipinx voices, stories and their work, in an effort to reclaim our own culture. Designer, educator and member of the research group Decolonising Design said it best: “Decolonizing is about shattering the familiar.”

In a previous article, we outlined the rich and interesting history of the Barong Tagalog in all its embroidered glory. If you ask us, the barong is one of the most elegant pieces of artwork one can wear — and should be a staple in all Filipino men’s wardrobes. At the same time, the barong carries with it a long history of trauma and discrimination. In the past, it was believed that Spanish colonizers forced native Filipinos to keep their transparent barongs untucked and without pockets to distinguish them from the ruling class and to prove that the wearer was not stealing or carrying a weapon. Meant to police the native “Indios,” it served as a constant and painful reminder that they will always be oppressed.

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER AND DESIGNER

Does anyone feel like time has gone super fast since quarantine began? It seems like only yesterday we sent out our last VINTA Update in March — and now we’re already halfway through the year. (Sidenote: We literally had to Google if this was a thing, the whole concept of time speeding up during the pandemic, and it is — apparently psychologists say it happens when a routine changes drastically, our worlds and lifestyles shrinking to the bare minimum and all of us trying to multitask more. It’s a common phenomenon. Just an FYI. We’re all still in this together.)

But I digress.

At VINTA Gallery, things haven’t slowed down. Here’s what’s been going down.

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER AND DESIGNER

We’re not even a full quarter into the year yet, and 2020 has already been a wild year.

Recently, we caught wind of the news about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announcing the full lockdown of the Metro Manila region — an area that holds over 12 million people — for an entire month, from March 15th to April 14th, due to the coronavirus. This means shutting down any government work, suspending all domestic travel to and from Metro Manila and restricting entry of travellers from foreign countries, especially those known to be directly exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

Last month, we held our first ever Private Shopping Experience Contest on Instagram — the selected winner and tagged friend would receive an exclusive styling and shopping day with our founder and designer, Caroline Mangosing, plus a $100 Gift Card each to spend.

Just in time for NYE 2020, our two winners, Yasmine Perez-Achig and her mom Princess, visited the VINTA HQ in Toronto the Saturday before ringing in the New Year. Yasmine shared what it was like to spend the day with Caroline and what the experience meant to her and her mom.

A Note from Our Founder and Designer 

It’s been a helluva few months since our last VINTA update in August... and we’ve been busy! Since then we’ve completely redone our sizing (adding in XL, +XL and XXL sizes in women’s and XS in men’s), we’ve expanded our team to include bright and talented new designers and pattern makers, and we’ve launched a new line of hot-selling terno tops and camisas, plus one-of-a-kind, head-turning new Ifugao items. 

With only a few weeks left until 2020 (wtf, crazy!), we’re getting ready to LEVEL UP and give you the best that VINTA Gallery has to offer, to both our new and returning customers alike.

Lots happening at the VINTA HQ, but here are just a few updates we thought you’d like to know.

VINTA Wedding Diaries is a new series that takes us behind the scenes of a custom VINTA Filipiniana wedding. 

Diandre and Noel first met at Diandre’s childhood friend’s surprise birthday party in their home state of California. Diandre recalls not knowing many people at the party and she was sitting in the corner by herself. In a flash, Noel slid right next to her and said, “Hey girl, I heard you went to art school.” And the rest was history.

Made from delicate piña fabric (pineapple leaf) or jusi material (banana silk) and ubiquitous in the Philippines (and within Filipino diasporic communities), it seems like a very unassuming shirt often worn on special occasions — lightweight and so far from the stuffiness of a basic black tuxedo or suit normally associated with formalwear. But if you ask us, the Barong Tagalog can be one of the most stunning, elegant pieces of artwork one could ever wear, incredibly rich with history and pride. Like, it’s been through a lot.

A Note from Our Founder and Designer 

Don’t know if you’re into astrology and star signs as much as we are, but a new moon means new changes are happening. And boy are there a ton of changes happenin’ at VINTA (all good ones, tho)!

First off, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU for being super amazing and patient with us as VINTA grows. It’s just getting better and better (we promise), and we couldn’t have done all this without our loyal customers and VINTA-loving followers.

That said, we just wanted to share a quick update on the new and exciting changes happening on our end.

VINTA Wedding Diaries is a new series that takes us behind the scenes of a custom VINTA Filipiniana wedding.

Jenn Nucum and Tiffany Trinidad first met at the age of 18, during their undergrad for Media Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Etobicoke, a district west of downtown Toronto, Canada. Jenn specialized in Journalism; Tiff specialized in Photography/Image Arts. During their first year, they ended up in many classes together and started befriending mutual classmates within the program. They ran into each other quite frequently, though they were never formally introduced to each other.