If you haven’t heard the name Natalia Trevino Amaro before, you better remember it now. She’s the fashion designer for an up-and-coming sustainable fashion brand that everyone should know about. A recent graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology, she started her own brand at only 20, and has been promoting it on social media platforms such as Youtube, Tiktok, and Instagram.
You just graduated from FIT, (huge congrats btw!!!), was it always your plan to start your brand right after school? If not, what changed?
Thank you so much! I wasn't necessarily planning to start it right away, I thought I'd be graduating in NYC and getting a job there for a while before officially starting my own business. Due to COVID19 and having to move out of NYC and back to Indiana, my post-graduation options were reduced. There is little to no fashion industry where I am, so obtaining a job in my field would be nearly impossible here. Because of that, my options were to either get a normal job outside my field to at least get me by, or invest everything I have into creating my own business since I'm living at home and have nothing to lose. Since I've always wanted my own business anyway, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and it has been the best decision I ever made!
I was watching your youtube series about your brand, and you explained the sustainability aspect of it. For those who haven’t watched the videos, can you explain the fabrics, packaging, and the other aspects of how it’s sustainable?
I try to keep everything as eco-friendly as possible, so for example, the fabrics I use are all considered sustainable in some way, shape, or form. That can be a natural fiber fabric that uses less chemicals to be produced or it can also be deadstock fabric, which is fabric that won't be produced again and is considered "leftovers." Additionally, I'm aiming to be zero waste which means I use up every little scrap of fabric leftover from all of my production. Packaging was another aspect in which I knew I needed to be sustainable, so all the packaging materials I use are from EcoEnclose which is a company that makes fully sustainable packaging materials that are either 100% recycled or biodegradable.
When was your first realization about how harmful the fashion industry is to the environment? What made it so important for you to have your brand be slow fashion?
I first realized the fashion industry's harm to the environment and its workers during my first year of college at FIT. The school or classes themselves didn't necessarily teach it, but I was surrounded by classmates who were quite passionate about it and I learned a lot from them. Once they opened my eyes to it, I started doing my own research to become a bit more knowledgeable with the subject. After realizing all of the harm caused, it was impossible for me to not address it in my own brand.
What’s been the most unexpectedly hard part of having your own brand? What about the best part?
It has been unexpectedly hard to keep up with the demand. It's a great problem to have, but I wasn't expecting this high of a "success" right away, so having thousands of people wanting products from me but also being the only person making them, is quite difficult to keep up with. I find myself wishing I could produce more and quicker, but then I have to remind myself that I'm a slow fashion brand and my customers have to know that quantities will always be limited and products won't be coming out so often. The best part has been watching it all grow and connecting with customers around the country and around the world. It's really cool to see how many people are equally passionate about ethically produced clothing as well as sustainability!
Do you have any immediate goals with your brand? Any long term goals?
Immediate goals with my brand include growing more on all platforms and constantly creating new items to be consistent during this beginning stage of everything. As far as long term, I would eventually love to have a team to work with as I cannot keep up with everything myself, so that would include a few other seamstresses maybe and possibly a design team! I'd love for my brand to grow, but I also want to make sure to stay true to its roots always!
What advice do you have for people who want to learn to sew, want to go to fashion school, or want to start their own brand?
For those who want to learn to sew, the internet is a great resource! YouTube is full of incredible sewing tutorials where you can easily learn a lot. It's a skill that takes time to perfect, so be patient with yourself. No one sews perfectly their first try! As far as fashion school, I think the best advice I can give is to stay true to who you are and make sure you have your personal goals in mind always. It's so easy to get sucked into the crowd and blend in with everyone, but the point of the fashion industry is to stand out and be innovative. You need to show the world why you are essential in the progression of the fashion industry. To those wanting to start their own brand, all I can say is that if you believe in yourself, that's all you need. I had a lot of support in my launch, but that didn't mean everyone thought I'd "make it." I never gave up on myself and fully believed I could do this and it's gotten me this far, so remember to always believe in yourself and your potential!
Thank you so much to Natalia for taking the time to do this! Follow her on Instagram @NataliaTrevinoAmaro and @Natalia.Trevino and check out her website www.nataliatrevinoamaro.com