Manila, Philippines — It is such an amazing day for us here at Style Visionary Network as our International Women’s Month cover star from earlier this year Justinne Natividad, founder and fashion designer of proudly Filipino-founded jewelry line Trinkets and the first cover of the Style Visionary premier series, just opened her physical store at Glorietta 2, Makati City, Philippines on October 8.
A self-made female style visionary, Justinne’s story is one of our favorites here at Stylish Magazine, as she shared in our cover story how her grandmother and mom influenced her to explore pearl jewelry pieces from the Philippines, which would later on inspire her to make a business out of it.
Started as an online store, this feat of Trinkets is indeed a milestone, especially because her store is located right in front of high street fashion brands Bershka and Mango at Glorietta 2 under Ayala Malls. This is a milestone for us here at Style Visionary Network as our founder and editor-in-chief, Marane Plaza, personally referred and pitched the Trinkets Jewelry brand, an all-Filipino brand, to Ayala Malls through a personal contact earlier this year.
Built almost before the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ingenuity of Trinkets Jewelry reflects the Filipino creativity as the line mainly uses Philippine raw materials and made by Filipino artisans from different islands.
We have caught up with Justinne to share with us her journey to becoming a true style visionary:
Stylish: How does it feel like to open two physical stores of Trinkets?
“It was really overwhelming. There were a lot of factors to consider before the actual opening of our stores. First we had to do construction, hire our sales staff, apply for permits, add more to our inventory and of course come up with marketing strategies. It’s not a one night or one month thing, it takes months and a lot of sleepless nights. But once we saw the outcome and finally opened our stores, it was really worth it! And I am really grateful for our hardworking team that helped me accomplish these things.”
“Two years ago, one of the leading department stores that I really love offered us a consignment proposal but it didn’t push through. I was deeply saddened that I considered it my biggest failure because I really wanted Trinkets to be physically available at the mall to achieve my goals and vision for the brand. But that rejection inspired me to dream bigger! In 5-10 years, my goal was to have a store in Makati. Who would have thought? My long term goal was achieved in 2 years and manifested it in 8 months,” Justinne further shared in a Facebook post.
Stylish: What are the new offerings of the new store? Any new collections?
“As of now, we don’t have a new collection because we want to introduce our best sellers and original designs to our new customers in these new locations. We want to tell the story of our brand to more people because we’re not just a brand, we also want to inspire people to wear their sparkle and to embrace their uniqueness with jewelry rather with Trinkets.”
Stylish: What can we expect from Trinkets? Do you have an event for your SM North store?
“We will be having pop-up stores this October and November at The Fifth at Rockwell. We will be introducing a new collection at our Powerplant Mall pop-ups so stay tuned for this!”
“For SM North, we will have an upcoming sale just in time for the holiday season perfect for gift giving.”
The self-made business story of this morena is truly inspiring. Of course, Justinne is aware of her privilege growing up that opened opportunities for her, as she celebrates her own hard work and self-made stature by giving cheers to her mom and grandma, the women who came before her who raised her into an amazing woman she is now, even though they are not from the fashion industry background.
“I would like to express my biggest gratitude to my mom for her unwavering support and guidance. In moments of opportunity, she has consistently been there, providing the motivation and encouragement I needed to believe in myself. Her faith in God’s plan for me is evident in her assurance that these incredible opportunities wouldn’t be presented if I wasn’t equipped to handle them. Her trust in my capabilities has been a source of strength and motivation throughout this milestone. This is for lola and lolo! Hope I made lolo daddy proud from up there,” Justinne shared on Facebook.
Keep shining, Justinne!
You may read her full story here.