'Leather' be light (Part 1)
The pun on a Book of Genesis line is no mere coincidence. In the last five years, we’ve seen the Internet mushroom beyond a social network medium, to also become a veritable marketplace. Online shopping provides exciting opportunities for enterprising vendors to make this “minimal overhead” virtual store their profitable playground. And women are no exception, as niche platforms have been identified, and have allowed the two women featured today to start up and “create” (Genesis style) sites that pander to practically every woman’s obsession with leather goods, especially bags and shoes.
Tet Rodriguez owns Exquisite Manila, one of the premium sites for luxury designer bags, watches and jewelry pieces. Genesis of the site dates back to 2007, when Tet tagged photos of her personal collection 25 Chanel bags, and was surprised by the outpouring of comments and offers for her bags. An entrepreneur at heart (she had operated boutiques and a pawnshop, plus a network of people selling jewelry and watches), she heard opportunity “singing her tune,” and saw pre-owned luxury goods as the foundation for a new business venture. Today, if one ever wonders where highly coveted Hermes Birkin bags of limited edition crocodile and ostrich, where top-of-the-line Rolex and Panerai watches, and Chanel flaps find “temporary shelter” before finding their second home, Exquisite Manila is one reputable, ready answer.
Fielding anywhere from 50 to 100 inquiries a day, Tet has a ready inventory of current season merchandise, those from a season to two seasons ago, to antique and heirloom pieces. The exotic and the rare are often found on her luxe site. She reconditions the pre-loved items (and yes, while I find the term verging on the ridiculous, I appreciate how it elevates the merchandise beyond mere pre-owned), and enjoys an enviable reputation for dealing in quality and with dependable service. Even when offering brand new merchandise, patrons of her site are pleased to discover she prices at 20 percent lower than regular retail.
The convenience and confidentiality of online shopping is not lost on this writer, and am not surprised by the popularity of Tet’s site. Beyond the “bag ladies” of Manila and other major cities, I can imagine how men looking for pricey gifts for those second and third women in their lives would see Exquisite as the ideal shopping stop. While luxury hinges on exclusivity, it does not necessarily “exclude,” and thanks to sites such as Exquisite, the coveting is not left to mere virtual reality. Tet’s contact details are 0917-5400206 and 0922-8190670.
‘Leather’ be light (Part 2)
From band manager, law student and events organizer, 2009 became the watershed year for Mae Sergio, proprietor of one of most popular specialty ladies’ shoewear sites on the Net, VirtualMae. That was the year of her lawyer father’s untimely passing away, and during the wake, her “Imeldific” genes came to the fore when she found herself upset, facing a woman who had on exactly the same pair of pricey shoes she had on... and loved. Upset turned to a steely resolve to turn shoe designer and create her own brand of shoes, even without any formal shoe design or manufacturing background. And there lies the provenance of VirtualMae.
Starting on Multiply, and rapidly expanding to Facebook and accepting orders by e-mail and calls, VirtualMae specializes in a diversity of styles, limited numbers of production per style, and a host of suppliers ranging from Italy and the US, to our own backyard San Mateo and Marikina. The flats range from P1,200 to P3,500; and the boots they’re especially known for start at P4,500 to P6,500, depending on the material and design. The Italian made shoes are more expensive, reaching P12,000 a pair. A glance at her website is testimony to the variety she promises, with subcategories named Pin Up, Babydoll, Earth-Sky, Bikers, Area Hues, 7 League Boots, Brogues, Skaters, Flatforms, Nautica, On the Prowl, Fur & Fringe, Color Splash, Lego and Equestrian each with their own collection.
A size chart is posted on the website, and Mae asks any potential customer to measure her feet by centimeters, and comment on the width of one’s foot. With the client’s satisfaction such a primary concern, Mae offers another style or redoes the pair, if the client isn’t happy. Happy repeat patrons of her shoes include showbusiness celebrities (who find this more convenient than heading to the mall), and customers seeking discretion these include pregnant women about to marry, and gays whose size of feet preclude them from going to regular ladies’ shoes retail outlets.
On the day I interviewed Mae, the hour and a half we spent over lunch had some 48 inquiries logged on her e-mail address alone. With so much already going her way, Mae dreams of being a vital cog in the “machine” that may one day revitalize the Marikina shoe industry, and re-entering law school, an endeavour she then undertook for the sake of her late father, who passed away with none of his five children having followed in his footsteps.
