Sample Sale

On October 24 of 2008, I had my first Sample Sale along with other two local designers, Richard Dayhoff, a famous fashion designer and Valerie Downs, a jewelry designer. This was a great learning experience as to how to self promote your creations and business to the public. A great number of supporter who attended this event included coworkers, long-time customers from my day-job and classmates from Columbia College. For being my first sale, I made a great profit at the end of the day. I'm looking forward to more events like this in the future.

Biografia

I was born in Ponce, P.R. in 1974 and raised in Jamestown, N.Y. Since an early age, I was always encouraged by my parents to follow my instinct. My mother is a seamstress and my father an inventor, and although, they never enforced their trades on me, it became second nature. 

I used to design women fashions and accessories but felt something was missing. I decided to enroll at Columbia College and fuse my self-taught Fashion Design with Product Design. This was a time of self-discovery and soul searching. I had the desire to build my own future but first needed to build a solid foundation. After graduating in the Spring of 2008, I knew it was time for me to follow my dream and fulfill my potential. Making bags is my passion. 

I construct bags and accessories using Recycled plastics,  Reclaimed fabrics, and premium materials. As a  designer, my goal is to implement aesthetics and manufacturing techniques to produce exceptional quality accessories.  All of my products are made to wear gracefully and endure your everyday commute. The manufacturing process is based on quality craftsmanship using common materials in innovative ways and focuses on distinctive detail. I design my hand bags and other soft goods here in Chicago

Sharper Lines

Sharper Lines 

[The title of this declaration is to celebrate the journey of being a free individual. Free of being tied to a kind of mentality, a judgment, a culture, a religion and a way of life.]

Deviation for long had been the spell that discarded individuals from the fabric of society and considered them nothing more than a stain that ruined their cloth. My world drove me to the departure of my own inner most desires as an individual. I was a ghost suppressing it’s own reflection in order to belong and be accepted.

Through the lens of my society, the line to be walked was blurry one. Defined by the unexplored but reserved notions of pleasure in a dated society and condemning the aspiration of a soul, seeking fulfillment, I submissively gave in.

Since an early age, I always knew I was different. I knew I had to protect my self. I learned to be strong by being silent. I was a survivor with a captive spirit. Taking a chance to open-up would’ve been a gamble to loose grip on the air I walked. My silence turned into solitude. To know me was to not know much at all. This was the price.

As time went on, I turned the solitude that had engulfed my life as means to escape my torment. I began a new life. I was a fugitive looking to buy my own freedom. I meet others. I was never alone. I never was. I found the courage to pursue happiness. People say “what don’t break you, makes you stronger”, but if you ever find yourself broken, this is your chance to rebuild yourself the way you were meant to.

Now at the age of 34, I may not be as strong as I used to. This is because I have chosen to no longer be silent. After healing my soul, my spirit is mighty. I have learned to lift my voice, bare my soul and not live afraid. I’ve found the way to free myself from the demons that kept me from flying.

After removing the lens I was given by my own society, I can see the road to follow. I can see a sharper line to walk upon.

I was never a stain on a cloth. I was a print, that with time, embellished into a unique pattern. This pattern is repeated in the fabric of a whole new society. A society that is proud to show their true colors without the fear of being bleached by the prejudice of ignorance.

Plastique

This is one of my bags. It's made of recycled plastic bags.

Content + Hopeful

I have started the new year by pulling a 10 hour shift at the restaurant and doing a little sewing on two of my handbags before going to bed. That was my first day of 2008. I didn't mind working a long shift at all. I know it's the first day of the year and most of Chicago is off today but i want to make the most cash i can before school starts. 

If i do so, I can then buy a better sewing machine so i can work on my bag collection. I have two machines at home but they need to be repaired. I used them a bit too much. What i really need is an industrial sewing machine but they're quite costly. I cannot afford one at this moment. 

Today I spent 15 dollars playing the lottery hoping to hit the jackpot. This would solve all my problems and allow me to buy a few extra toys like a good serger machine and a MacBook Pro. 

I already own a PowerBook but i find it inferior. Although it works good and is in great condition, when i look at it all i see is a small dent i put on it a little over a year ago. While working on a school project, I needed to do a photo-shoot on a sketch model which required a laptop to show how it would work as; then suddenly, the prop fell apart and my Mac hit the floor. It may be a small dent to the naked eye but it's eye soaring to me!

Despite of all the good wishes and prayer, I did not win the lottery today. That's right-not today!!! So for the mean time, I will continue to work long hours, wear-out my sewing machines and drop my computer until i hit the lottery. I'm not rich but content and hopeful.