Conversations with Grisel Ortiz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grisel Ortiz.

Hi Grisel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I come from a family of designers. I remember since I was a young girl seeing how my grandmother and mother created their own beautiful outfits from start to finish, so it was only natural for me to have the eye for design. I began hand sewing outfits for my dolls at the age of five and remember at the age of eight making my first pair of bell bottoms from a psychedelic print I had fallen in love with while fabric shopping with my mom.

After working in the fashion industry and becoming a mom to my first son, I decided to start my own line. It was a small line I sold through Etsy and at various pop ups. After giving birth to my second son, I decided to take a bit of a break and take things slow, focusing more on motherhood.

When 2020 came, I had a vision to create a different line with a new name. I wanted something that truly represented where I was in my life and what I wanted to give to my children. A better world. FAUNA was born as a line focused on using sustainable or reclaimed materials that are healthier for our bodies and our Planet. Shortly after I began FAUNA, COVID-19 hit and it was clear how important it was for my line to stay away from fast fashion which is inexpensive monetarily but extremely costly to our environment. It was confirmation for me to focus on ethical manufacturing, creating pieces catered to the conscious shopper. There were many setbacks along the way but I was determined to not give up.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have had different setbacks along the way. Especially since FAUNA was born literally a few months before COVID-19 hit. Some of the struggles were finding the right team. I went through different sewing artists until I found someone who had the same attention to detail as I do. I also had trouble finding someone reliable when it came to cutting and grading. Ordering fabric was also an issue since most manufacturers do not work with small businesses. But thankfully, I have found the right companies to work with who also see people before profit and want to make this world a better place, taking care of the Earth through ethical manufacturing.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a designer in all its forms. This means I do not enslave myself in only one area. At the moment, my brand FAUNA has pieces for women, men, and boys but I plan to expand into girls, home furnishings, jewelry, and whatever else might come to mind.

I think what sets me apart is my passion for designing each piece with the intention of having the wearer feel joy and give LIFE to it.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I took the risk of continuing to follow my ideas even after COVID-19 hit and the world seemed to be paralyzed. There was so much unknown. I took the risk financially as well, not knowing what would happen.

I am most proud of having taken the first step and even created my brand. As a woman who lives in her head a lot and often can be paralyzed by fear of the unknown, this quote really spoke to me: “Fear will try to keep you from taking that first step. Don’t give in to fear, do it afraid (Joyce Meyer).”

I did just that. I did it afraid, while taking each step with faith knowing that FAUNA had to be created now, not later.