Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Salazar.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amanda. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Costa Rica and in 2002, my mom and I came to the U.S in search of the American dream. It was hard while I was a child because I was an illegal immigrant until 2008. When I finally gained my residency, I was able to go back to my home country and know more about my roots. Having the privilege of going back to Costa Rica every year made the pursuit of my American dream easier. Here in America, we take the simplest things for granted such as the array of cereals in an aisle or the number of clothing stores in a mall or simply the type of roof over our head. Going to Costa Rica made me realize the great opportunities you can obtain by solely living in the United States of America. It took me several years to come and act on this realization.
The first college I attended was the University of Oregon. I was on the pre-med track but that shortly ended after I barely passed my chemistry classes. I was not too fond of Oregon because of the gloomy weather. Being from Costa Rica and growing up in San Diego, I did not realize how much that would have an effect on my mentality. So after my first semester, I decided to apply to schools back in California. I luckily got into better schools than I did when I applied as a senior in high school. I decided on attending the University of San Diego because it was what was closest to my immediate family. Now I was still faced with one problem. I did not like the pre-med track, so as a typical freshman, I switched majors. I knew I was good at math so I decided the next best thing would be something within business.
Boy, was I happy I switched to business. During my whole sophomore year, I probably switched to every major within the school of business because I fell in love with them all. To get a taste of the school of business, I decided to go with a bachelor’s in Business Administration. This allowed me to dive deeper into each of the fields within business.
In my junior year, I got the opportunity to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. This was a life-changing experience because I not only became more attuned with my Hispanic culture but was also able to see the world of fashion. I lived in the city of Madrid next to the famous Ventas stadium. I was overwhelmed with the happiness of the people but also how everyone, no matter the age had their own sense of unique style. Being able to play with clothing depending on the season allowed me to connect with my creative side that I didn’t know existed. From wearing leggings every day in college to now realizing how the many shades of denim can be used to flaunt an outfit truly changed my self-esteem, as silly as it may sound. In Spain, there were stores similar to Goodwills but the quality of the clothing was out of this world. Instead of focusing on brands, fashion in Spain is more based on physical materials as well as unique structures.
I came back home enlightened. I wanted to be a part of this fashion world but didn’t know how to make my start. I began to look at more magazines and keep up with fashion shows but I still had one problem. The ethics behind the fashion industry are very bad. The fashion industry alone makes up 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to create a brand that allowed young people to value themselves and the world around them. After talking with a cousin Andres from Costa Rica we both came to the realization that in Costa Rica young adults didn’t really have access to modern thrift stores. After several months of spitting ideas and lifestyle inspirations between Andres and I, we created Vanished Closet. Vanished Closet mantra is Discoveries of the unwanted. I handpick every item here in California, the store is currently running through Instagram.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
“It’s gonna be a bumpy ride” – Skeleton from Bus in the Harry Potter movie. Vanished has been in the works since June of 2018. As a start-up, you want to minimize costs as much as possible the saying “you gotta work with what ya got” is my mentality. But on the other hand, I dream so big that I felt the only way to make these dreams come true is by becoming a social entrepreneur. As I allowed myself to take this title when pursuing business ventures, I always ask myself: do they align with my personal values to what I would want to see in a brand and what is the impact this business can have on the world?
This being said, the biggest struggle I think is staying with your values. For instance, Vanished Closet wants to always be working with up and coming artists whether its models, photographers or graphic designers. In addition, since the brand is located in Costa Rica and I live here in San Diego, I depend a lot on Andres to hand-select our creative team. A word of advice would be: as you’re starting your business use the resources you have at hand, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and google is your new best friend.
The next biggest challenge is dealing with life. If you are considering opening up any company, you cannot pursue conscious capitalism without being aware AND staying active on the current events of the world. In addition to this, be thinking where the future is heading, simply do your research every day. I personally spend 20 minutes every morning reading news from around the world. Not only does this keep you in the loop but also when you’re doing business across borders, you become a world citizen.
Vanished was set to launch in early March but with COVID-19, we felt as a team it would be inconsiderate of us since so many people lost their jobs. Costa Rica was one of the countries that reopened quickly. Just when we were gonna try to launch again, the Black lives movement began. As a team, we did not want our platform to interfere with the good that is being done through social media. I’m not gonna lie, it hurt to keep pushing the launch back but always know that if you have pure intentions and always keep human life before business, you will succeed.
What should we know about Vanished Closet? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Currently, Vanished is my side gig per se. I hold a full-time position as an administrative assistant at Bella’s Facility, which is a home provider for adults with disabilities. I believe in not laying all your eggs in one basket and until Vanished fully takes off, I will continue to have two jobs. It’s important to be realistic financially about when to drop your day job. But also knowing that by having two jobs, you’re gonna sacrifice a lot of leisure time. In terms of Vanished, I’m most proud of our business model. We want to sell and make clothes “for the kids, by the kids” meaning our team is made of young adults wanting to bring creativity but also awareness of how to be a conscious consumer. When people buy clothes at Vanished, they know they are supporting local (country of Costa Rica) artistic as well as being part of the change of this world. Lastly, Vanished will always donate part of its earnings to different charities or organizations specializing in creating equality and education for children in Costa Rica. At the end of the day, the children are our future.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Word of Mouth. It’s so easy to get caught up in making the best resume, the best grades and I think actions and your personality speak a lot further. Something I always try when networking is to remember the person’s name and give them your full attention. Whether it’s your waiter at a restaurant or the CEO of a big corporation. A person always has some insight to give you and the only way we see that is by asking questions and being real.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Anna Wardell (for personal photo), Franco Viini (for art photos)
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