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.
We’ve Raised Over $3,540 for Grassroots Organizations in the Philippines from Our Face Mask Sales (and Counting!)
When the lockdown in Manila was announced in March, we went to work and started the production of 90 handloomed face masks. The first run of face masks at the beginning of April was a red and beige striped weave that originated from Paracelis Mountain Province — it sold out within three hours of release. Every $20 from each mask sold went towards the grassroots organization, Pagasa, and their fast-moving, on-the-ground efforts to put food on the tables of daily-wage earners in the most vulnerable communities all over the Philippines, with no means to feed their families during the pandemic. We chose Pagasa because we admired their absolute dedication to the cause and their fight against some of the injustices happening in the Philippines during this period. We wanted to support their #FeedThePeople campaigns as much as we could.
From the April run alone, we were able to donate $1,800 US towards Pagasa — so in May, we did it again. This time, we added another beneficiary on top of Pagasa called “Save a Trike,” a crowdfunding project started by three women, which helps to raise funds for tricycle and jeepney drivers and their families during the lockdown. Since dropping our second run of the Paracelis Face Masks and the new Kalanguya Face Masks, we were able to raise $1,740 towards Pagasa and Save a Trike… and counting.
A HUGE thank you to those who purchased, and for not only supporting VINTA and small businesses, but for supporting these two incredible initiatives. If you’d like to donate directly to Pagasa and Save a Trike, contact them via Instagram and/or Facebook, and they’ll respond right away.
Come June, we will also be donating a portion of the face mask sales towards Raised Pinay and their Roots of Health initiative, which empowers women and girls in the Philippines to secure their right to health and freedom from violence. Learn more about it here.
Y’all looked fab AF, btw. Keep those IG posts comin’ and don’t forget to tag #VINTASpotted.
In Other News: VINTA Collections, Bridal Dresses and Production Moving Forward
By the end of April, we were debating over whether to go ahead with our scheduled production of VINTA Gallery’s new Professional Collection. Because, you know, that #WFH life. So we took to the polls on IG, and with your enthusiasm and feedback, we decided to move forward and make our Terno Suit!
We did scale down the original planned quantities, so there will be only two (2) of each size, of each set (the terno jacket and skirt). But it comes in two colour ways: black with white window pane check, and white with black window pane check.
Production for this last month has slowed down. Some of our sewers have had to go attend to their families, and because of checkpoints all over Metro Manila, they have not been able to come back to live/work at the atelier. There is some ease in that some of our suppliers have now started operating again at 50% capacity. And just in time to re-up on specific coloured threads and zippers.
For those with weddings on the horizon, you’ve asked and we’ve listened: Our custom orders for 2021 are officially open. There've been a few bride-to-be’s getting in touch with us already, so if you have some tentative plans, contact us today. We are making our usual non-refundable deposit refundable, because of uncertainty with fabric and other production supplies. So at least save your spot!
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More amazing styles are in the pipeline for the summer, all in very limited quantities as usual. So stay posted.
Xo
Caroline
