Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Rangel.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cindy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In a Chicago suburban three flat, a vintage Singer sewing machine allowed my mother to sew occasional hemming of school uniforms or costumes for the holidays. My family lived on the second floor of the three flat while my Ecuadorian immigrant parents, as landlords, managed the other two units. At the beginning of the school year, my mom decided to upcycle or reuse old jean fabric to create our pencil cases instead of buying them. She wrote my name in cursive diagonally across in black pen and within a few hours she created three customized pencil cases for my sisters and I that school year. My first name popped out in the red thread on jean fabric. That was a moment when I knew sewing and handmade fashion became very much a part of who I was and how I ticked. Sustainable fashion made sense and it seemed to create a lightness in my life.
During grade school, I got into embroidery and made gifts for teachers. I enjoyed each part of creating things with my hands. It was quite satisfying and loved the sewing process. I never got into sewing apparel or anything more formal until after college but loved how fashion is at the forefront of change and culture. After college and living abroad twice, I accidentally became a co-founder for a t-shirt business in Chicago. I didn’t know a thing about business but all I knew was I wanted it to be ethically and sustainably with produced materials like organic cotton. I grew so much with that business but the financial global crisis hit and I knew those lessons would come in handy in the future.
Fast forward to today, I am a very committed and passionate about creating a travel bag for today’s female traveler that’s sustainable and ethically made with functionality and simplicity in mind. Currently, we are in the pre-launch phase and working hard on the prototype but very excited to work with global suppliers that have sustainable practices. Also, a lot of the materials and fabric used will be from U.S. suppliers. The business will have a fair trade initiative as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have always been challenges along the way to create a profitable business in the competitive fashion industry. There are so many moving parts to a small business. Sustainable fashion has come a long way even just five years ago. Today, more corporate companies such as Timberland and Gucci now have initiatives focused on environmental practices for their fashion products. I learned so much from my first t-shirt business. It taught me learning is good because you are changing and change means progress.
Change may not always feel so great but that’s the secret. You have to keep learning from the change. Some challenges included working with a shoestring budget. However, that makes you savvier financially and you become more creative in your approaches to solving problems. It paves the way to today’s new challenges. The best part about the business is that you create your path, set your goals, and surround yourself with likeminded people. During your journey, it’s not perfect but that makes it even more worth it. You gain new skills you thought you never had with your business and you find out skills you should source out. I’ve considered myself an independent thinker but I know that I have wanted to use my voice and leadership skills to pave more opportunities for others. This is what I enjoy immensely even with all the problems to solve.
Tell us about your company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Nomada Company is a sustainable travel bag company for today’s global woman. Currently, we are in the prelaunch phase and working on the prototype produce with suppliers in Mexico. As a global company, we are also going through changes with website design and company design so we making room to make some exciting changes in the next month. We aim to solve the problem to located objects easily and quickly in a bag for women on the go every day. Therefore, our bags will be highly functional and minimalist but designed with sustainable materials such as canvas fabric and hemp with specialized embroidery from Mexico. Our goal is to launch in May 2020 with a fair trade certification. We are also looking to make our bags circular in usage so clients can bring back to upcycle the materials and get a discount on their next travel bag for the following year.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
A lot of my support comes from my immediate family which includes my husband and my son. We have been through some interesting challenges but always feel it’s important to follow your dreams. I have also a mighty group of Latina women from an older generation always rooting for me to do what you love and that’s been vital for me as a woman of color doing business. I am so lucky to be an entrepreneur in the sustainable fashion industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nomadaco.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanomadaco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/NomadaCompany
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/lanomadaco
Image Credit:
Photo credit: Jackie Lynn Photography
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