From NYC Fashion Design to Authoring Heritage Design: Part 2

From the Design Studio to the Author's Page

For 30 years, my world has been defined by the fast paced fashion industry of New York City. I climbed the ranks from a fresh faced assistant designer in the early 90's (way before digital design tools existed let alone AI), learned about sourcing fabrics and negotiating costs, managed logistics, built fashion assortments, laid out store planograms, and launched celebrity fashion brands with icons like Brooke Shields, Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine.

Since then I've had my own fashion brand and also started my own fashion consulting business.

I used to think that my career in fashion and my new path as an author were worlds apart. But recently, I had an epiphany: I haven’t necessarily changed what I do; I’ve simply changed the "brand" I’m building.

My entrepreneurial spirit didn't start in a Manhattan showroom—it started in my mother’s basement in Defiance, Ohio.

The Bridal Shoppe

My parents were the ultimate self-starters. When my mother decided to open the first bridal shop in town, she faced blatant discrimination and red tape. While a McDonald’s was approved down the street without a second thought, the city gave her a hard time. But my mother in the best way possible, is a "hard-headed, stubborn Latina" who refuses to back down.

She won. And in that basement shop, at age four, I was hooked. I watched brides transform - you could see it instantly on their face as soon as they stepped into those magical dresses, I hoarded fabric scraps that were cut from alterations, and I learned to sew—first by hand, then on a machine. That magic of creation and transformation became the blueprint for my entire life.


I now realize that fashion and writing share a common DNA. In both worlds:
• You create something from a mere concept.
• You craft a brand identity.
• You must delight your audience with authenticity.

I've come to realize that my family’s history is a "brand" more important than any apparel line I had ever launched - it's authoring a legacy.

This post was inspired by my original series published in Latin Biz Today. You can read the full, in-depth article here.

Creating a Beautiful Reflection for Children

Through my work at Latin Biz Today, interviewing other Latino entrepreneurs, I finally saw my own story clearly. I decided to resolve that lifelong feeling of being "between worlds"—of sometimes feeling "not Latino enough" and other times feeling like "the minority."

I took the same brand-building skills I used to create multi-million dollar apparel lines and applied them to my Mexican American culture. The result? My debut trio of children’s books: El Rancho Chocolaté, El Camino del Destino, and Where
El Cucuy Lurks.

I want to give young Latino readers the "mirror" I didn't always have growing up—a place to see their own culture represented with pride and beauty.

You can read the full article for the 2nd part of this series at Latin Biz Today right here.

And you can read the full article for Part 1 here!

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