My obsession began at age four with my mother’s shoes. Organizing and categorizing them was my daily entertainment. Drawing dolls with killer outfits and no arms was the natural progression, and a lifelong love affair with clothing and fashion began. As I grew up in the hot Puerto Rican beachside, my love for fashion grew among my grandmother’s Chanel perfumes, Vanidades, and Vogue magazines. My mother’s style was also a source of inspiration, always polished, always wearing her high heels. I’ve never known anyone who liked to add height to her already towering 5’10 frame with such confidence. My aunt, the maven of Kaftans, taught me what I needed to know about eclectic elegance. These women shaped my fashion knowledge and consumption at an early age. Though I wouldn’t count myself as sophisticated as them, I would say I have developed a keen eye for making people look beautiful.
At a young age, I decided I’d be a fashion designer and boutique owner who would dress her clientele in feathers and gowns. Were my fashion dreams attainable? I felt so, as I spent my summers in Brooklyn with my dad’s side of the family and we’d stroll through 5th Avenue and every possible museum we could attend.
As life went on, I briefly set aside my dream, influenced by my pursuit of higher education, and went on the path of teaching, as I consider myself an avid learner. My experience at the University of Puerto Rico gave me a unique perspective on global fashion trends and lifestyle.
As I worked in the education field, I kept one eye on fashion. I continued taking courses on the side until I decided to make the leap and move to New York where I enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology and graduated with a Fashion Design degree, Fashion Styling certification, and a year of Entrepreneurship education under my belt. The constant changes in the industry inspired me to reach further with a Master’s Degree in Merchandising and Retail Management completed in 2018.
My journey has given me experiences with great industry giants, as well as dynamic start-ups that challenged me every step of the way, my favorite way to keep up to date. I’ve been part of the industry for about 15 years now, and I think I love it more now than I did as a bright-eyed student. During my career I’ve honed my talent into not just understanding a vision and bringing it to life, a huge part of my goals at Wishi is to make every woman feel confident and knowledgeable.
One of the main reasons I have loved my time at Wishi is that not only do I get the opportunity to do what I love, create content, and work in the tech space, alongside other creatives, but I also get to connect with people all over the world who may feel too intimidated to dress up or change their style.
At the core of what I do, there’s always an educational aspect I want to touch upon, to have my clients leave with more information than they came to the session with. To have some tip or hack, some sort of insider knowledge that grows not just the Wishi community but the love for fashion overall.
Experience the Wishi with me, and take a chance… as I always say you only live once!