Today we’d like to introduce you to Careli Rojo.
Careli, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up watching my mom and my grandma sew but I never showed any interest in it until I started appreciating my grandma’s sewing machine. She had a beautiful vintage pedal Singer that my grandpa had converted to an electric one and I so badly wanted to use it, that I took a sewing course. I studied graphic design and freelanced since I graduated in 2008, but one year I was having a very slow work-wise December so I entered a Christmas bazaar making infinity scarves and cellphone covers made out of felt. I had just started sewing, and knew practically nothing about patterns, finishes or sewing. It went really well and I spend several years side hustling the brand. Back then it was called CHICLE.
It took me several years to realize that I enjoyed this kind of design better than graphic design. And although I really love branding, my jam is product development, making stuff with my hands and experimenting this way.
A couple of years ago I decided to make the brand my main focus and with a lot of help from my family I was able to open a showroom last year. My mom joined me officially in 2015; now she’s in charge of 70% of production and I am more focused on marketing, design and product development.
What makes our pieces so special?
Not only they are totally handmade by my mom or me, each piece is designed to be multifunctional. Either you can use it in different weathers, or it can be styled in different forms. We combine aesthetics and functionality. I truly believe that we don’t need to sacrifice comfortability for fashion.
For example, the pompom scarf can be used as a scarf or as a shawl. The cape can turn into a scarf and the jumper dress can be use both in hot and cold weather, it just depends how you style it. It’s designed this way so we can add value to each piece and reduce its disposability. Culturally we’re used to wearing our clothes a few times and then we discard them. So, I like to think that Monstera pieces are going to be loved and used for a long time, in different contexts and forms.
OUR COMMITMENT
We want to be a brand that’s committed to have a small impact on our planet. That’s why we mostly use scraps to make all our pieces (80% of our fabrics are bought from scraps) that also means that we don’t have many duplicates as fabric goes; each piece is unique even though we’re repeating the design. The scraps we produce from this “big pieces” are saved and made into small pieces like the mini scarves or scrunchies, to reduce our waste. We just launched our first all-natural fiber garment, the Lemonade Tote Bag. It’s dyed by hand with turmeric, which makes it nontoxic. There’s a lot more to do, and we want to become a 100% sustainable brand. Eventually, we’ll get there we just have to make the journey step by step.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all, taking the leap from being a graphic design freelancer who had a side hustle, to making it my main income was a major decision. And all sorts of things; from personal stuff like having fraud feelings because I didn’t study fashion design and having to wear lots of hats as a creative entrepreneur; to dealing with cultural stuff like having to compete with fast fashion prices and trying to let people know why handmade products have much more value than something mass produced.
Monstera Showroom – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Ok, I think I overshared in the brand history question, but mainly we hand-make wearables that are comfy and stylish at the same time, and pieces that are multifunctional. I love that our pieces can complement any style and they elevate any outfit. I love that we are always looking for ways to make a more sustainable brand.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is being able to do what you love for a living, I know it sounds cliché, but being the owner of my time, even though I sometimes work more hours than the average 9 to 5 job, and even though I sometimes have to do stuff I don’t love, it just makes me smile thinking of what I’m building. And I think that’s very successful. I think the most important things in a designer and maker are quality and making pieces that you (as the designer) want to wear/use/have in your house.
Pricing:
- jumper dess $35 – $45
- lemonade tote bag $40
- tassle scarf $20 – $30
- cape $17 – $25
- wrap $20 – $28
- mini scarf $10
Contact Info:
- Address: Gobernador Rico #10224
3rd floor Calete, CP 22044 - Email: monstera.shwrm@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstera.shwrm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monstera.shwrm
Image Credit:
Careli Rojo
Fernando Servin
Folkolia Studio
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
