#LifeLokal: Imprenta 31 brings back nostalgia through its old school calendars
The 90s and Y2K fever are everywhere, but Imprenta 31 takes a different turn on nostalgia. This lifestyle brand's only offering embraces the essence of old-school Pinoy design, rekindling memories and sparking new ones.
Neil Carandang, a romanticist, felt a gaping hole in his heart one day. His dad used to manage a printing business, but they were forced to shut it down because of the industry’s decline.
“Naramdaman namin yung pagkamatay ng print, eh yun yung pinaguusapan namin ng tatay ko na kailangan na isara (yung business) kasi namatay na ang print, marami nang competition, and digital na,” he shared with PhilSTAR L!fe.
But in October of last year, he had this idea to create a calendar inspired by a 1920s design found in many Filipino households’ homes. With the help of his dad’s imprenta (yup, that’s where the name came from!), Neil and fellow visual artist Mijan Jumalon were able to start a business.
“Mahilig ako sa mga old stuff, yung craftsmanship ng old times. Kungbaga naappreciate ko talaga siya. Syempre ngayon, fast-paced na buhay and with the age of the digital technology, parang feel ko lang meron akong namimiss before,” Neil said. “Naisip ko lang, maganda yung meron kaming ganitong kalendaryo kasi as visual artists naiintindihan namin yung value ng ingenuity.”
Speaking more about the design, Mijan, a filmmaker and painter, said that as artists they wanted to produce a calendar that people would be proud to display on their walls.
“The calendars in our homes are usually hidden behind our doors. So when we created this, we're thinking that ‘Why don't we create the calendar now people will not put behind the door or in the CR or somewhere hidden na bubuksan lang, titignan? Why don't we create something that people will be proud of or be comfortable to put it on the forefront?’”
The calendars designed by Neil feature places and images that are representative of the Philippines such as the jeepney, Mayon Volcano, Banawe Rice Terraces, and Apo Island.
Continue reading below to learn more about Imprenta 31.
How does your Filipino heritage/culture influence your brand values and identity?
MIJAN: When we started this, we didn’t have a preconceived idea ano yung magiging konsepto nito or ano yung magiging meaning nito. But as we listen or read people's reviews, mas nafoform yung ano namin… kasi base dun sa natanggap nila, base dun sa feeling, ”That's very Filipino. You're really strengthening our heritage.” So yeah, that too. That's what we want people to have.
NEIL: It's a representation of who we are.
We just created the calendar, but the effect it has now on the people we didn't really have a hand on it like truly. Ang ganda kasi it's a conversation piece and we are really enjoying what people are saying.
What obstacles have you faced while creating your brand and how have you overcome them?
MIJAN: This is our first venture in business and entrepreneurship. So we're still learning the ropes. Yung bala lang namin is yung pagiging artist or yung creativity ng pagiging artists at orientation namin sa 2D piece on the wall. So yun lang ang meron kaming know-how. So as we go along with learning how to do things, how to market the calendar, how to get people to look at it or get people's attention to even buy.
[Pati] yung pag balance ng demand and supply. Sometimes nag rerelax kami tapos biglang surge ng demand and then wala kaming supply.
NEIL: At pano ispread yung awareness sa tao. So ngayon parang crash course on everything kasi hindi din kami mga techy, hindi din kami aware on how social media works.
What message do you want to impart customers from your product?
MIJAN: Napakasarap sa puso pag sinasabi ng mga tao na "Naaalala namin yung Pilipinas dati dahil dito sa calendar" or "Ang sarap maging Pinoy. Itong calendar inspires us to be who we are as Fillipinos."
We didn't expect that and we didn't even create that. I mean, we just created the calendar, but the effect it has now on the people we didn't really have a hand on it like truly. Ang ganda kasi it's a conversation piece and we are really enjoying what people are saying and also on warm, hard stuff. Thank you everyone.
Are you going to expand your product line?
MIJAN: So we have a few ideas now after the calendar, but we haven't really nailed down anything yet. But we're so excited because since ngayon sa kalendaryo, ang daming magagandang salita ng tao.
We were talking yesterday, sabin namin na "Wag natin to i-stop kasi we want to give people beautiful things. We want to give them that and we want them to have it in their home.” So, we would still be creating beautiful things for the Philippines.
