Our Story
It was a wild, never-been-done-before idea. It was a calling, to dust off the quintessential glamour and chic of Filipiniana fashion of the past and bring it to the world — and VINTA Gallery was born.
When it comes to designer clothes and luxury fashion houses, people think of European brands first. Our vision for VINTA Gallery is to convey Filipin* excellence in fashion by reviving the craft and beauty of traditional Filipiniana fashion but with contemporary relevance. We want to bring modern Filipiniana craft, culture and aesthetic to the global fashion conversation, and offer others seats at our table. We pay tribute to the cosmopolitan chic glamour of Filipiñana fashion from the 1890s all the way to the 1960s, as well as highlight different Indigenous Philippine hand-loomed textile traditions. VINTA Gallery is an homage to heritage with a fresh perspective.
Welcome to our world.
Our mission is to create innovative and intentional handcrafted, heirloom quality Filipiniana and Filipino-inspired clothing and accessories through a decolonizing lens.
When we started the initial research and development to create VINTA Gallery back in 2009, it was a rare opportunity to corner a niche market, albeit in one of the largest and most exploitative industries in the world — so we were intentional with our approach.
Not only did we want to make beautiful and unique modern Filipiniana pieces but we wanted to go completely against the fast fashion model that dominates the industry. Deliberate and mindful, we focused on artisanship, and making things last. Continuing the Philippine tradition of made-to-order fashion, craftsmanship remains foundational. Not only are these practices inherently sustainable, they are body positive!
On top of creating slow fashion clothing (ready-to-wear collections and custom, and made-to-order collections), and ready-to-wear collections featuring ethically-sourced Indigenous textiles, we sought to build a sustainable and ethical business that provides a living wage for the skilled artisans who make our products as well as create further opportunities for growth among them within the company.
We believe that sustainability for the business is tied to the sustainability of the people whose hands are creating the end product.
When VINTA Gallery first came to fruition, Caroline Mangosing was the founder and executive director of the Kapisanan Philippine Center for Arts and Culture, a youth-focused cultural center located in downtown Toronto, Canada. With over 350,000 Filipinos in Toronto at the time (and not a single shop where you can buy high quality barongs and ternos), naturally people would call Kapisanan to ask for Filipino cultural clothing.
Flashback to 2004 — meeting through a mutual friend, Estelita Lagman (VINTA Gallery’s founding master couturier) made Caroline's wedding dress, after Caroline sent a technical sketch via email through her mom.
Estelita has been in the couture industry in Manila for over 30 years, having worked with high profile Manila-based fashion designers, and then eventually working for herself with a loyal clientele. The dress arrived in a Fed-Ex box simply PERFECT.
Although it took close to a decade, Caroline promised Estelita that she would create a company that would highlight her talent to the world. Research and development of VINTA Gallery started in 2009, and was launched as a social enterprise within Kapisanan in 2013. In 2016, it was incorporated as a for-profit/private business, and launched as an e-commerce brand catering to the world.
Estelita’s talent is the foundation of VINTA Gallery’s old school (high) quality tailoring and fit. Estelita retired in 2019. We have since brought in Yanyan Mangogtong, a young, third generation tailor, and uber talented couturier. We are so fortunate to have her on board to build on Estelita’s legacy with VINTA.
We are a women-owned and run, vertically integrated, ethical small business, focused on slow and sustainable fashion rooted in heritage.
