Inside Vintage Weekend, the Manila-Based Vintage Pop-Up That’s Reimagining Resonance
Among the store-lined streets of New York City’s Lower East Side, tucked beneath Manny Janeth cafe on Hester Street, the Vintage Weekend space buzzed with shoppers rifling through racks filled with one-of-a-kind vintage and designer clothing. Nearby, tables and wooden shelves showcased hand-beaded bag charms, ornate vintage necklaces, timeless watches, and designer bags. At first glance, it seemed like just another pop-up — not uncommon throughout the city, especially in the warmer months. But at its core, this one carried a mission: to bring local and Filipino fashion and creativity into sharper focus in New York City and beyond.
Born out of community ties, cultural pride, and Gen Z hustle, Vintage Weekend is a grassroots platform aiming to amplify local and Philippine-based designers and storytellers, all within the walls of a well-curated flea market.
On August 2 — the pop-up’s opening day — EnVi caught up with Vintage Weekend’s organizer and manager, Raine Panes, to discuss the planning and vision behind the event.
The Vision Behind Vintage Weekend in NYC
Panes moved from Iloilo to the U.S. with her family ten years ago and, at 23, the recent Fashion Institute of Technology graduate clearly carries cultural pride, infusing it in her work here.
“From the start, I wanted to bring more Filipino value into this,” Panes shared. “I really care about the community so much, and the businesses, and that’s what I wanted to take out of that, because for me, my long-term goal is to make a curated store of Filipino designers.”
The idea for Vintage Weekend’s inaugural international pop-up first sparked in Makati, Manila, where the flea market began. For 26-year-old Angelica “Mika” Delacruz, the passion project seemed a natural extension of her own journey, having made waves with an upcycled clothing brand of her own.
Under her creative direction, Vintage Weekend has cultivated a cult following of vintage collectors and local fashion lovers, accumulating over 11,000 followers through a playful, story-driven Instagram presence, sharp moodboard visuals, and deeply personal curation. The brand’s feed feels less like a storefront and more like a personal style diary, inviting followers into a world shaped by memory, community, and the charm of rediscovered pieces.
Panes first visited the flea market — now a Manila mainstay on most weekends — while on a study-abroad trip she coordinated for fellow FIT students this past January, where they visited the Vogue Philippines headquarters and were introduced to local brands. Impressed with what she’d seen, she connected with Delacruz, suggesting that they collaborate to bring Vintage Weekend stateside. “The main idea is to bring Filipino brands here… When I visited Vogue Philippines with the students, we had a talk and like, these [local] brands are so cool. Why are we not seeing [them] in America? They are so amazing. They need to have [an] international platform [for] everyone to see how amazing they are,” she said.
After six months of planning filled with cross-continental calls, presentations to sponsors, and meetings with potential vendors, the New York City pop-up — Vintage Weekend’s first international showcase — finally came to fruition.
A Peek Inside the Pop-Up
In keeping with the spirit of the events in Manila, the social media announcements leading up to the first leg read like invitations to a secret party, one you or your friends didn’t want to miss out on. The result? A Partiful invite with over 180 RSVPs the day before opening weekend, giveaways featuring palettes by Filipino makeup brand Issy & Co. for the first fifty guests at the door each day, and a slew of local vendors showcasing their collections and curations.
Racks brimmed with Y2K-era jackets and tees from the ‘80s from Pr0ject Vintage and e30thrift. Upcycled designs by Typec.loathing hung near archival vintage treasures from Baby Bluu Vintage and St. Evens. Across the way, tables gleamed with fun, classic charms from Solasta and colorful, mini pamaypay (Filipino woven fans) keychains courtesy of Head over Beads— an array of eras and items to pick from.
For Panes, thoughtful curation and memory-making were deliberate choices that motivated the mission of Vintage Weekend. “When you look at these booths, they’re all curated to someone,” she said. “There’s something here for everyone.” Whether it’s classic, clean-cut crewnecks from local sportswear brand Amorlola or romantic vintage European womenswear and jewelry sourced by La Coquine, there is no shortage of styles.
Organizing a pop-up is no small feat, from sleepless nights and signage scrambles to last-minute changes within the space and feelings of losing out on brands and sponsorships, Panes faced numerous challenges in the days leading up to launch day. Nonetheless, her work ethic, enthusiasm for the project, and Filipino values like hospitality, community care, and generosity helped her push forward to execute the pop-up’s experiential direction.
“I told the vendors — whatever you need, let me know. This is for you. I’m not profiting off of this,” Panes shared. “Giving the vendors good experience is important, as they are our number one priority. This pop-up is for them, supporting small businesses. Making sure they are good with their booth, they make profit, keep[ing] them hydrated and fed,” she said.
For Solasta founder and CEO, Kirsten Villamor, the opportunity to showcase her popular Manila-based jewelry brand in New York City was something she had only once dreamed of. “We’ve been working with the Vintage Weekend ever since, joining pop-up events in Manila. It’s been a dream come true to bring Solasta to NYC. It was definitely a journey, but it’s really huge for us,” said Villamor.
Despite not being able to personally make it for the pop-up, a team of New York-based friends helped with sales at Solasta’s table. “My team have been watching how the NYC event has unfolded over the past few days and we all agree that the energy’s been wonderful! Seeing the beautiful New Yorkers with their Italian charms and jewelry bar!” she said. Noting that fashion is a form of identity-building, Villamor expressed, “We want people to leave with a piece that adds to who they are.”
Curating Culture and Connection
At Vintage Weekend, the community-driven ethos extended to the very brands on display and the support of local Filipino tastemakers. Clothing racks were lent by FILIPINXT, a fashion platform dedicated to spotlighting Filipino designers on the global stage, particularly at New York Fashion Week. “They’re like, ‘yeah, use these materials. Use whatever we have in our storage space to help you out,’” Panes shared.
The energy was both familiar and fresh, as the vibrant, intimate space was more than a launchpad — it was a celebration of the diverse creative minds whose stories, curations, and creations have shaped Vintage Weekend into what it is today.
Pop-ups offer small businesses a platform to share their story, while embedding themselves in the narratives of those that they meet, be it attendees or fellow vendors. Vintage Weekend’s market assistant, Karyna Maldonado, said, “[The vendors] can connect in the future and be like, ‘Hey, you know what? I would like to collaborate with you.’ I think it opens up possibilities. It’s a way also for others to get out of their comfort zone and just push themselves, and you also get to talk to other vendors, and see how their growth has been, and give each other advice.”
Villamor also added, “Community [is] one of [our] greatest influence[s]…it’s great to receive honest feedback from people that experience our booth firsthand… At every pop-up we hold, we want people to walk away feeling like there’s an added piece in their personality or fashion. Our pride and joy comes from our passion with curating our pieces and making sure that people are also able to personalize it according to what they are.”
These spaces serve as a way to feed consumers’ hunger for uniqueness, something not lost on vendors like Villamor. She observed, “Pop-ups are now the hub for fashion. Specifically, environmental-friendly fashion and unique pieces. I think everyone has grasped the harm of fast fashion and fads these days and wants something new. Something unique. They want everything to be curated just for them and I think it gives them the ultimate confidence.”
Pop-up flea markets also allow consumers to reimagine resonance in a world full of fast fashion and constant consumption. By offering guests an immersive experience, they are given a glimpse of what shopping can look like: prioritizing and fostering connection between vendors and visitors over a shared love of rare items and circular fashion, rather than cold, impersonal interactions found within typical linear models. It is a chance to connect with, support, and celebrate creatives who are building lasting cultural impact within ephemeral spaces.
Maldonado shared that curating stories through the items sold is also a goal of the market. “Let’s say you get a piece and somebody goes, ‘Oh my God, I love that, where’d you get it?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, I got it from this designer, but they don’t make it anymore.’ You feel like that’s a part of your identity now.”
For younger consumers, finding one-off pieces is akin to discovering a second skin. Clothing or jewelry is more than what you wear, it becomes “part of your identity,” as Maldonado observed. “And I think also when it comes from specifically your culture, that’s even stronger. You feel like you have a sense of home, while being far away from home,” she adds. There is an engaging sense of discovery, not only for pieces to add to your wardrobe, but items that enhance and reflect your identity, personality, and memories.
Looking Ahead: From the LES, Onward
New York City is far from the last stop for these creatives, as the brand hopes to take the Vintage Weekend global. Maldonado added, “I think the more places, the bigger the community gets…it just connects everybody… You want to have people engaged with what you’re selling, you want to have people connect with the vendors, and I think we’ve been able to do that today.”
The NYC pop-ups for Vintage Weekend mark a new chapter, not just for the brand, but for what Filipino and Gen Z-led vintage can look like on a global stage. Serving as both an introduction and a blueprint in further demonstrating a commitment to showcasing diverse and innovative creators, Vintage Weekend has cemented itself as a hub for cross-cultural celebration, styling, and belonging.
Want to catch Vintage Weekend’s next pop-up? Follow their Instagram for the latest updates!
Want to read more about fashion and cultural pride? Check out EnVi’s Style Guide with P-pop group BINI here!
