Today we’d like to introduce you to Delilah Flores.
Hi Delilah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well, Floresita Customs started as a small project with my mom and me. We would often travel between Mexico and the U.S. and bring gifts from Oaxaca to friends and family. Over time, people would start to request specific items, and we decided to start making some connections in Oaxaca with local artists. Since we have a lot of family around Oaxaca, we were able to connect more with them, and they also helped us connect with local artisans.
Eventually, we began doing local markets around San Diego and North County. We get to sell at different events around Barrio Logan, at events at Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, and at many cultural events like Día de los Muertos or Oaxaca de Mis Amores in Oceanside. We really enjoy getting to share about Oaxaca and highlight so much of the talent that our culture has to offer, while also helping support the artists who create this work.
Before we knew it, we were selling more consistently. Over the past two years, we’ve had moments where we were able to commit more to the business and other seasons where we took breaks. But now, as we step into 2026, we are looking to expand and share more about the behind-the-scenes process and the history behind the products we bring. We only work with artisans who make their own work, and we really want to help preserve the beauty and time it takes to create these handmade products
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road like most businesses, we have had our struggles with slow seasons and being able to keep the business going. It takes a lot of commitment but between my mom and I, we have been able to continue trying. We’ve grown so much as a business. We really figured it out together, from not knowing how to look for local events to sell at to trying to find artist to work with in Oaxaca, it hasn’t been easy. Especially since we are working between borders and at a time with high tension. But we love being able to build a bridge between the two places we call home. We are committed to continuing to sharing stories, ethically sourcing the products, and overall pouring into the business because for us its become a way to build community and make friends.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Floresita Customs?
Floresita Customs is a small boutique that works with Oaxacan artisans to bring quality handmade clothing, art, jewelry and products to our San Diego community. San Diego and Los Angles county has one of the largest populations of Oaxacans outside of Oaxaca. I believe being able to create a bridge between the two places it’s important. We want to celebrate our Oaxacan culture and share the beautiful talent across Oaxaca in a way that also supports the artisans and respects the hard work behind each piece. We don’t just want to sell the work, we want to be able to teach others about these crafts that have been past on for generations, the history behind the different regions of Oaxaca, and the way artist have continues to evolve their craft into more modern styles. We also want to help people be able to style, feel comfortable and see the diversity in Oaxacan fashion. Many customers have shared how they love being able to style the pieces for work, a night out, weddings, or just a casual day. Oaxacan style is very vibrant, full of colors, pattern and textures so many of the pieces we choose to bring range from traditional to more modern styles and statement pieces. As a designer and artist myself, Im really hoping to begin collaborating more with the artists both in Oaxaca and here in California as well to create more custom pieces for Floresita.
What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been a very creative person growing up but I haven’t always been the best at sticking to any one particular thing. I wanted to be a chef, an author, a lawyer, a YouTuber, and so many other careers growing up. And when it came to choosing an extra circular activity as a kid, I played just about every sport and tried about four different instruments before realizing I gravitated towards art. Overtime I realized I loved to create and the older sister in me loves to be bossy so eventually I realized I really wanted to be my own boss and I wanted to create a business that satisfied both the creative and entrepreneur sides of me. After a lot of trail and error as well as really sitting with myself and thinking about what I want to do with my time, I found my passion in design and my purpose within Floresita Customs.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Floresita.customs
- Youtube: floresitadesigns
Image Credits
Delilah Flores, Michael Potterf
