Veni, Vidi, VSY!
In Idée, a quaint fashion store along Chino Roces Ave., one would find a collection of the most unique minaudières under the brand name VSY. These colorful and whimsical bags are the brainchild of artist and pastry chef Ma. Victoria “Vicky” Yabut.
A graduate of the California Culinary Academy (CCA) in the US, Vicky developed a keen appreciation to the finer aspects of gracious living. “I’ve been cooking a long time now. I went from CCA in San Francisco to local short courses to Enderun for another three years. Both my parents were foodies. My mother is Singaporean and my dad is from Pampanga, two cultures that are so proud of their food. I got into painting as another way to express my ideas and to work with color,” Vicky shares.
Clearly, being a home chef was not enough for Vicky. Her innate love for fashion and her desire to promote Filipino aesthetics inspired her to create VSY. She has incorporated materials such as snake skin, abaca, leather and metal to create her unique clutches. Vicky also has added a touch of Mindanao to her collection by using t’nalak fabric, which is made by the T’boli tribe in Mindanao.
With her ever expanding avenues for creativity, one wonders if this artist would ever run out of ideas, an assumption that Yabut quickly strikes down.
“Ideas just come to me,” Vicky explains. “I am inspired by other people’s work, may it be furniture or fabric, weaves, art galleries. I start by drawing and as of late, I have started painting my work on canvas. That way you have a feel for the colors you want to use when I make it into a bag. I like touches of gold. Gold makes things more dramatic and expensive.”
On her inclination for native sources and her insistence on quality, Vicky says, “As I am a stickler for high-end and great craftsmanship, I knew I had to go to Cebu for my manufacturing requirements because Cebuanos are known for this. I wasn’t wrong because you will see their fine work in every piece that I have.
“Indigenous materials are my favorite mostly because they bring attention back to the Philippines. And being Filipino, you are also part of that story.”
(VSY bags are available at Idée, G/F, 2263, Lapanday Center, Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City. For more information, call 8339763.)