Three Tips for Young Mexican Designers
Op-Ed
“That collar is ugly, it should be a cafe racer style.” I didn’t know in 2012 that those words would create a chain reaction launching me into a career. Alone, however, those words would not automatically make me a designer: only years and hard work would accomplish that.
Today I’m 27 and celebrating 10 years of designing Leather Luxury Goods for our family owned brand of J.L. Rocha Collections. While the company reminisces on the joys of our successes, this post will cover three essential tips I’ve learned over 10 years of designing Men’s leather goods.
Feel on top of the world, but do the work to get there.
how i started at 16 years old (feeling Giant)
Lesson 1: Learn the Lingo
You don’t have to graduate from FIDM to be a designer, but you do have to understand your terminology. While getting inspired, drawing, and conceptualizing clothing is fun - when it comes to bringing your ideas to life it’s the technical and practical that works best.
“Manufacturing is Always a Nightmare”
- Every Designer Ever
So it’s important to be both practical and specific when designing. Why? Because your design, the sample, and the final product will probably look different. Your creative pro was has to be fueled by passion and practicality - so learning the lingo in both languages will always be more beneficial than not.
Lesson 2: Details are Deadly
In more ways than one. I’ve come to realize after 10 years of luxury design is that imparting fine details and surprises are the lifeblood of minimalistic elegance. The issue is that details demand additional quality and care.
Quality control and consistency are key to excellence in details. Especially if your design falls apart without them. If you don’t have access to those and have concerns - I recommend keeping details subtle and simple. This practice will help bring refinement because as the old saying goes
“Luxury whispers, it doesn’t shout.”
- Someone somewhere; me now.
Lesson 3: Let Love Live
When it comes to design, manufacturing, and making anything: the process is a journey. It might become frustrating, it might become disheartening, but when you watch something you love actively come to life: you deserve to be proud and you deserve to enjoy it.
I started in this passion at 16 years old, and many of my bright young ideas are sitting in a closet (they look bad) but so much of my work is a part of my life - even more honoring is that others wear it.
My work represents more than my inspiration, it represents my belief in and love of Mexican Craft (maybe even of Mexico as a whole) - and it represents my desire to communicate how beautiful life is when you look and feel and walk through this world with joy.
If there’s something I’ve learned matters most in design: you have to care.
“No one listens to a soulless symphony - it has to pull your heartstrings.”
- Jose-Noel Rocha
Keep your head in the clouds,
but your feet just a little off the ground.
Closing Notes
I’m 27 and I still don’t have it all figured out - but anyone who tells you they have isn’t living this life to the fullest.
We’re all made for questions, we’re all made to look beyond ourselves - get inspired - and reach higher. If you’re a young Mexican Designer: you might face challenges, you might face unfriendly opinions; but you’re reaching for something your heart believes in - and that means you’re on the right track.
~ Stay Fancy, Friends