Siya rin ay isang multi-talented artist dahil bukod sa pagiging Zumba Queen, si Regine ay isang aktres, top notch TV host at fashion designer, model, style icon, dancer extraordinaire, at masipag na entrepreneur.
Sa aming huntahan recently, napag-alaman namin na ang kanyang unang business venture na RT Boutique ay nagdiwang kamakailan ng 21 years anniversary.
Nagbalik-tanaw si Ms. Regine sa pagsisimula ng kanyang first business venture.
Lahad niya, “I was twenty years old and pregnant with my eldest daughter Reigne when I started designing and sewing party dresses for her. A few months after she was born, I presented this collection to Rustan’s department store. They ordered all of my designs and I carried their Rustanette brand for children’s formal wear.
“I started making costumes for Reigne because I couldn’t find choices anywhere in Manila. After displaying the costumes in the window of my boutique, I was approached by Disney Philippines to be a licensee to make children’s costumes like Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, Belle, Mickey Mouse, and many more. I signed on and distributed to all SM Department Stores nationwide.”
Pagpapatuloy pang kuwento ni Ms. Regine, “After giving birth to my second child Reigen in 2000, I went back to showbiz and started making my own gowns and dance costumes. My celebrity friends asked me to make some for them as well. This is how I started expanding my services to dance wear, formal wear, weddings and debuts.
“We supplied for ABS-CBN, TV5 and GMA for variety shows, soap operas, commercials and movies. From the inventory that we had, we started rentals for people who wanted to wear what the celebrities were wearing. We then added a wider selection in our inventory and made rentals as part of our services.”
Ano ang hardships na pinagdaanan niya, bago naging matatag ang RT Boutique?
“Ang dami kong pinagdaanan along the way. Everything mula sa panloloko, pang-aabuso, pagnanakaw, pagtatraydor at paninira.
“Pero lahat ng pinagdaanan ko nakatulong sa akin bilang entrepreneur dahil hindi na mauulit lahat yun. I’ve learned some lessons the hard way, but in the end, nakatulong para maging mas matatag ako at pati na ang negosyo namin,” pahayag pa ng talented at hottie na mommy.
Ipinahayag din niya ang kagalakan sa pagiging matatag ng kanyang boutique. “I feel very blessed and fortunate that after 21 years, my businesses are still alive. It is a daily challenge, pero masaya ako na nandito pa kami sa industriya at marami pa kaming napapasaya sa services and products namin.
“We continue to evolve and adjust to the changing times. On our 20th year anniversary, we did a major renovation and revamping of our brand and we renamed the boutique to “Regine Tolentino Atelier” to cover all of our services.
Anyway, you can follow Ms. Regine sa kanyang social media account via Instagram: @RegineTolentino @RegineTolentinoAtelier Facebook: @
ALAM MO NA!
ni Nonie Nicasio