TUNA SHOP UPDATE INFORMATION!

Hi fish fries!

The catalogue is finally here! I've got so much new and exciting stuff planned for this update that I hope you are all looking forward to seeing! Please read this post carefully as it contains information about the shop access tomorrow as well as additional information with regards to preorders!

The shop update will be going live at SUNDAY, MAY 7TH @ 12PM PST/3PM EST publically! This update will be made available one hour earlier for patrons as part of an early access perk for all of my fish fries--early access will start at 11AM PST/2PM EST for all patrons!

Please don't share this password with anyone else, as this early shop update is exclusively available for patrons only! Thank you very much and I hope you all enjoy! 🥰

EARLY SHOP UPDATE PASSWORD: FINTASTICTUNA0502

Some items are expected to sell out after the first initial hour of the shop update, so I definitely recommend shopping during the patreon early access as it increases your chances being able to snag items before they sell out/go on preorder!

I'll also be testing streaming for the first time for this shop update over on twitch! We'll be hosting a waiting room party before the shop update where questions can be answered and I'll be talking about the process I went through behind the scenes while working on this collection.

The stream will include a little educative presentation about Tuna (in celebration of World Tuna Day) and I'll be officially doing my Vtuber Debut on the same day! I hope you will all consider joining and consider having fun with me and hyping everyone up before the launch goes live!

THE STREAM WILL BE BROADCASTED HERE! 

PREORDER INFORMATION:

This update is expected to have a large influx of new and pre-existing customers ordering at the same time! As you might have noticed, most of the new items are on a pre-order status but there are limited quantities. For this update, I've separated preorders into two different rounds: ROUND 1 PREORDERS & ROUND 2 PREORDERS.

Round 1 preorders are the stock that I have already ordered and are currently enroute to the warehouse. This batch has limited quantities as the stock had already been ordered ahead of time but had not physically made it into the warehouse on time to be counted as "in-stock" products. These items are estimated to ship when they arrive at the warehouse (approximately late-May to early June). 

Round 2 preorders will be a regular definition of a preorder--meaning products have not been ordered in yet and orders placed are reservations for that particular item to be made and shipped. Round 2 preorders are unlimited and will run for a certain time period before they are closed and the order is counted and turned in for manufacturing. These items are expected to ship when they are finished being produced and arrive at the warehouse (no estimated ship date at this time and will depend on if Round 2 preorders will be implemented at all). 

Please note that your shipping time varies depending on what round of preorder you have on your item! Most, if not all, items will be on a Round 1 basis for today's update UNTIL IT IS SOLD OUT. Round 2 preorders will be implemented depending on how quickly the item sells out/is in demand! Thank you!

F.A.Q.s:

• How do I access the early shop update?

When you enter the main store front (https://umvvelt.fish) the store will be shown as "CLOSED"! There will be an option to input a password to bypass the closed page on the top right corner and by putting in the password you can enter the shop for the early access update!

• Will you restock (insert product here?)

Any product that doesn't have the word "RETIRING" in the title will most likely be restocked at some point or another! If a product sells out within the first hour of the update, please check the listing again later in the day to see if the listing reopens to accept preorders!

• I already placed my order and want to add another item to it!

No problem, please either reach out to me on discord in the #CONTACT-US tab or shoot me a DM on patreon! Please don't forget to include your ORDER NUMBER and a list of the items you want to add on!

• Can I request/hold items for my order!

Unfortunately, I can't hold any items for the order without payment! Please make sure you complete your order as soon as you can, otherwise you risk having your item sell out before you complete your order!

• How do I access the secret shop?

Please keep in mind that access to the secret shop and the early shop access require two separate passwords! The secret shop password can be found on the monthly patreon rewards reveal post and changes monthly!

• If I have pre-order items and in-stock items in my order, will my order ship separately?

Please keep in mind that if you place pre-order items and in-stock items in the same order that your order will NOT ship until pre-order items have arrived and are ready to start being fulfilled! If you need to receive any of your in-stock items sooner, PLEASE MAKE A SEPARATE ORDER FOR THEM!

SHOP WORK EXPERIENCE (blog post)

The shop has also been updated with some new model photos AHH! I planned these past few months working with Hungry Hipsters, a content creator agency that had options for a full service photography brand shoot alongside this update!

I've always been the one modeling/photographing most, if not all of the items of Umvvelt but have always dreamed of being able to be more inclusive in my photography by showcasing Umvvelt worn by people of all sorts of shapes and sizes and I was finally able to accomplish that dream by working with Hungry Hipsters! These photos are now available to see on the Umvvelt website and some of the existing product photos in shop have been replaced by new photos featuring some of these models! I hope you enjoy looking at them and find them as beautiful and stunning as I have when I first got them!

I played around with the idea of streaming and using a vtuber model for some time! For those of you who are unaware, a vtuber or a virtual youtuber/streamer, are streamers who use face-tracking applications in order to broadcast their appearance as a virtual character! I personally have always been uncomfortable with the idea of face-cameras so venturing into this as a potential idea for Umvvelt was really interesting!

I started the design process last year with the intention of creating a character that was inspired by a yellow-fin tuna and from there was able to work with an artist who drew an official model and rigged it for streaming use! 

The intention behind Ryuki was to create a virtual streamer as a character I could use for not only casual streaming but also as a mascot character when it came down to Umvvelt and future updates. 

Umvvelt has always been about being able to create something that was fun that could also be used as an informative outlet for educating people through unique medias. This was an idea I wanted to experiment with for a long time and I wanted to test out this product launch with Ryuki's debut and be able to work in fun and informative presentations about the animals that Umvvelt draws inspiration from in future streams and launches in the future! 

This project was a huge labour of love towards one of my favourite ocean animals, Tuna which are largely associated with as a food item and not as an animal so I really wanted to bring awareness to them with this update, especially when World Tuna Day was last week on May 2nd!

I really hope you guys are looking forward to this update and all it has to offer!

As always, stay tun(a)ed and sea you soon!

Kir🐟