Dot-com survivor... an at-home dad / entrepreneur discovers a market beyond cultural lines.

Americans are adopting traditions and fashion from other cultures now more than ever... including wedding customs. It has become a way to express a couple's unique style as well as part of their heritage. This American at-home-dad has brought the cottage industry of Philippine formal wear to the world, and our "global village" is smaller and more beautiful yet.

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Corky Pasquil
MyBarong.com
Phone: 310-479-2013
Fax: 561-325-0425
Email:   corky@mybarong.com
www.mybarong.com/aboutmybarong.html

What is a "Barong" anyway? That's the typical question heard when Corky Pasquil describes his ecommerce web site to someone not familiar with Philippine formal wear. Actually, the word Barong is a contraction of "Baro ng Tagalog" or literally, "Dress of the Filipino," and is synonymous with the beautifully embroidered formal shirts and dresses of the Philippines. It also happens to be the bread and butter of the unique web store that Pasquil has built, MyBarong.com.

In our "global village," Americans are adopting traditions and fashion from other cultures now more than ever. And the idea of incorporating traditional wedding customs and attire from another culture into their own wedding here in the U.S. has become a way to express a couple's unique style as well as part of their heritage. "I've had a number of non-Filipino couples order Barongs for their entire wedding party after attending a traditional Filipino wedding, and seeing Barongs for the first time. They just fall in love with the intricate embroidery, and want to have it for their own wedding." Also reflective of our global community, many interracial couples take parts of each and combine their cultural wedding traditions.

Many U.S. couples-to-be stumble across MyBarong.com either while searching the web for "wedding traditions" or while attending an actual wedding in which a Barong is worn. "They are intrigued by the uniqueness of the Barong compared with the perennial standard, the tuxedo, when they see one. They are also impressed that it's much cheaper to buy a Barong than to rent a tux."

MyBarong.com is more than just an online store that makes the products of embroidery artisans and barong tailors of the Philippines available to the rest of the world. It's also chock full of history and cultural background of the Barong Tagalog. The Barong is still worn instead of a formal suit or dress in the Philippines today, but is only occasionally seen outside the Philippines unless one is attending a Filipino wedding or other cultural celebration.

"The beauty of an online Barong store is that the customer no longer needs to live in or travel to a city with a huge population of Filipinos just to find a Barong tailor or dress maker," says the web-savvy Pasquil. "Now anyone who can browse the web can find a Barong that's right for him or her."

MyBarong.com has emerged as the only online store that offers a significant variety of Barongs, including the men's shirts & women's dresses also known as "Terno." And like its online brethren, MyBarong.com can offer web shoppers much more competitive prices than its "brick & mortar" store competition. The entire operation is managed by Pasquil in his home while juggling the duties of an "at-home dad." "My wife and I decided that one of us would stay home to raise our children. So, I decided to launch this home-based business so she could continue her career... and it's working out well so far."

Your readers will appreciate the story, both for its human interest and for its content value. For more information, please call the phone / fax numbers provided.
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Dot-com survivor... an at-home dad / entrepreneur discovers a market beyond cultural lines.

Biography

Corky Pasquil is a Filipino American physical therapist and award-winning documentary producer. Until November 1999, he knew little about the World Wide Web and online business.

He enjoyed a full-time career as a PT, and his wife is an accomplished full-time social worker. With their first child on the way, Pasquil decided to find the perfect home-based business; one that would allow him to stay at home and work while raising a family. The idea for a web site where one could easily buy an otherwise hard-to-find Barong was born.

"When we got married, (1995) we wanted the traditional Barong for me and the entire wedding party. In order to get Barongs that both fit and matched, we had to ask a relative, who was vacationing in the Philippines, to buy the embroidered fabric for us. Once we had it, we had to find a tailor here in the U.S. who knew how to work with the delicate fabric. Fortunately, we lived in Los Angeles, where there are many Filipino businesses, and found a tailor nearby. He's now the exclusive tailor for all of our custom Barong orders."

The idea for MyBarong.com didn't come until later, when the idea of raising children became a reality to address. "I got the idea for this web site after returning from a trip to the Philippines with a few custom tailored Barongs and realizing how difficult it is for most Filipinos in the U.S. to find a good Barong," he explains. "I'd get comments at parties like, 'That's a beautiful Barong... where can I get one of those without going to the Philippines?'" For people in major U.S. cities with large Filipino populations, like LA or SF, finding a Barong tailor might not be too difficult. But for those who don't live near enough to such a tailor, finding any products from the Philippines, let alone Barongs, can be downright impossible.

And how are things as an at-home Dad and home-based entrepreneur? "It's a delicate balance, but I'm getting better at it as I continue to learn to better manage my time. I've learned how to work very efficiently during baby naps. I don't get much sleep... but it's worth it." As for the business' success, it's improving every month. "I had the 'good' problem of getting more orders than I could process and ship myself. So, I contracted the services of a company that now warehouses and ships all of my off-the-rack orders. My wife is very happy that the inventory is no longer taking over our house." Pasquil is also encouraged by customer feedback. "My customers rave about the level of customer service and personal attention. That, in turn, leads to many more customers by word-of-mouth... the best kind of advertising."
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Dot-com survivor... an at-home dad / entrepreneur discovers a market beyond cultural lines.

Questions that may be of interest to your audience

You may find the following questions useful during our interview...

1) Corky, why would a non-Filipino groom be interested in wearing a Barong for his wedding?
   Value - Inspirational and practical answers. "Unique" is a quality that every couple wants for their wedding. "Budget" & "comfort" are also factors in deciding on wedding attire. The Barong is used in the Philippines' hot, humid climate... most grooms have enough to sweat about on their big day, and more so on a hot summer day with three layers of a tuxedo on him.

2) What is a Barong made with? How is it made?
   Value - Educational answer. Insight into history of the Barong, native fabrics, and the legendary embroidery artisans of the Philippines.

3) What's the significance of connecting the Philippines' cottage industry to the rest of the world?
   Value - Inspirational answer. Sense of satisfaction in helping the local economies of the towns which traditionally produce the Barong Tagalog, while succeeding in an entrepreneurial / at-home endeavor.

4) What is the most satisfying part of doing business on the Web?
   Value - Inspirational answer. Knowing that if I do a good job, I will succeed in providing a valuable service to many people all over the world. And most significantly, our child and future children will benefit from having a full-time parent at home as they grow up.

5) Any happy customers to tell us about? Can we contact them?
   Value - Direct contact with customers is one of the great rewards of a cyber-biz. If you care to interview MyBarong.com customers, names and contact info will be provided.

6) Anything special about your site that basically sells Barong Tagalog. Isn't this simply an online version of a local Barong tailor or dress shop?
   Value - Illustrates how powerful an online business can be. Entering MyBarong.com instead of a "brick & mortar" store instantly empowers the customer beyond previous imagination. The customer decides when "business hours" are, can "shop" in the comfort of her / his own home, and can easily coordinate sizing and matching issues for any number of groomsmen... all on the web.
And with our Custom Tailored Barong feature, the customer is taught how to measure for and design his / her own Barong - from collar style to button type. Our customers can have their "Ready-to-wear" Barong on their doorstep the next day if they choose. All this without leaving home... not to mention leaving the country.

Contact:
Corky Pasquil
MyBarong.com
Phone: 310-479-2013
Fax: 561-325-0425
Email:   corky@mybarong.com
www.mybarong.com/aboutmybarong.html

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