Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliana Diaz.
Hi Juliana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Bogota, Colombia. I moved to America when I was eight years old to Washington State with my two sisters and divorced parents. Growing up and before their divorce, my parents had a business selling Military uniforms. I was surrounded by seamstress 24/8 (since my parents were able to build an office right next to my house). One day I told my mom I wanted this purse that I had seen on TV and instead of buying it my mom asked one of the seamstresses to make it for me– Since then, I fell in love with fashion Design. I loved the idea that I could create anything and everything my little creative brain could think of. My mom always had fantastic fashion taste and everyone would always compliment her, she would always stop at stores to look at clothes, jewelry, and shoes, even if she wasn’t buying anything she would still stop and appreciate the designs. Her taste in fashion made me appreciate it even more and we bonded over it. I knew I wanted to pursue Fashion in School so I applied to FIDM in LA and WSU. I wanted the traditional American college experience that my parents never got one so I attended WSU- Washington State University for four years achieving a bachelor’s in Apparel Merchandising and Design.
During my time there, I studied abroad in Barcelona which allowed me to build connections in the industry. My plan was to move to Barcelona after graduating college in 2020. The pandemic hit and my plans were once again shifted. I ended up moving to Florida where my dad lives. I packed my belonging and road trip from Washington state to Florida. Once I landed here, I applied to many different jobs in and out of my field and landed a job working at Louis Vuitton as a client advisor. After working there for six months, my dad decided to move from Miami to Palm beach county. I was barely making any money to afford the living in Miami, so I decided to move with him up north. Since living here, my plan changed yet again. I realized I have a God-given gift and I should share it on a bigger platform. I created a new fashion Instagram account and within a year, I have reached 1,000 followers then I started sharing my outfits and giving outfit ideas over on TikTok and that account grew in 6 months to 4,000 followers. My dream to pursue Fashion design has not died yet, I am working toward my future goal to create unique pieces designed by me.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
On top of shifting my plans due to the pandemic, I found it especially hard to motivate myself to begin a new journey. The day I decided to start a fashion account, I was so scared that it was going to be a flop– and it was for a few months. I remember I had announced on my personal Instagram account and only eight people followed it. I was so discouraged because I had no strategy or technique on how to grow an Instagram account from 0. Through mentors in my life, God, and family- I realized that these obstacles were just part of the journey. I know that I will be facing new challenges in the future but I truly think that if it wasn’t for the hard times, I would not be prepared for the even harder times.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a designer and fashion content creator. I share my unique fashion style on Instagram and Tiktok and also design and create clothing by upcycling pieces that I thrift. What sets me apart is that I can create a clothing collection and also be a personal stylist. Fashion is different for everybody and I value how personal and unique it is. I think that’s why my audience loves when I create fashion inspiration for them because it’s not just my style is a broad of different styles that are still unique.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Other than being a first-generation American, My parents were actually married when we moved to America but got divorced two years into living here, which made the American citizenship process difficult because now it had to be done separately. My mom, sisters, and I became citizens in 2017 but it wasn’t until this year, 2022 that my father got his American citizenship.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact.h00lie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/h00lie_/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@h00lie_?lang=en
