Where did your interest in fashion actually begin?

Honestly? It started with noticing. I've always paid attention to how people put themselves together, what they choose, what it says about them. I didn't have words for it when I was younger, but I was always watching. The way a fabric moves, the way a silhouette changes how someone carries themselves. That was always interesting to me, even before I knew it was a thing I could actually do.

How did you end up working with Løv Sartorial?

Funny enough, it wasn't fashion that brought me here. I was at Midland looking for internship opportunities and I got connected to the Durán family through their community development work. Black Sailboat. That's what drew me in first, the depth of what they're doing for neighborhoods, for people. It was grounding. Refreshing, honestly. You don't always see that, a couple so genuinely passionate about their community, their craft, their clients. They love what they do and it shows in everything. So I came in through that world, and then Løv Sartorial was just there, this whole other expression of the same sensibility. And I'd always loved fashion. It just hadn't found me in the right context yet. This was the right context.

What does it mean to you to work in bespoke and haute couture?

It means the work matters. In bespoke, nothing is an afterthought. Every seam, every fitting, every conversation with a client, it's intentional. That appeals to something in me. I don't like doing things halfway. If you're going to make something for someone to wear to the most important moments of their life, you better mean it.

You're also a competitive powerlifter, does that world connect to fashion for you at all?

More than people expect. Both ask you to understand a body, how it moves, what it's capable of, how to support it. In lifting, you're working with your structure. In fashion, you're dressing it. I think powerlifting made me more comfortable in my body, and that changes how I see fit. Not every body needs to be hidden. Good tailoring celebrates what's real.

What part of the design or dressmaking process do you find yourself most drawn to right now?

Construction. I'm completely obsessed with it. There are so many different types of garments and each one has its own logic, how it's built, how it behaves, why a seam goes where it goes. I love getting into the small details and seeing how everything actually comes together. But what's been a real eye-opener is learning the other end of it too, the business side. The Durán family is teaching me about the relationships with the big mills, how international this industry really is, where materials actually come from and how they're made. I didn't realize how much of fashion lives before the fabric ever hits a table. It's a lot to take in, but it's so fun. Every layer you pull back, there's another whole world underneath it.

You moved up here from Texas — was that a scary leap?

A little, yeah. I didn't have roots here. I didn't have family down the street or a crew I'd known forever. Nebraska wasn't on my vision board, honestly. But sometimes the opportunity finds you before the comfort does. I decided to trust what was in front of me. And now, I actually like it here. It's quieter than I expected. There's something about being in a place where you have to build your own thing that makes you figure out who you are faster. I'm still figuring it out, but I'm glad I came.

What does it mean to you to be a young Latina doing this work?

It means something. I don't take it lightly. Fashion has always had talented Latinas in it, we've always been here, but not always in the rooms where the real decisions get made. Being in an atelier, learning construction, understanding the business side, building relationships in an industry this international, that's not a small thing. I want to carry that well. I want the girls coming up behind me to see that this is a space we belong in, not a space we have to sneak into. And working with the Durán family, being embraced by people who are so deeply rooted in our community, that's made it feel less like a job and more like something that actually matters.

What do you want people to know about you as a designer?

Honestly? That I'm still figuring it out, and I'm okay with that. It can be intimidating being around people who've studied this formally for years. I'm self-taught. I came to this through curiosity, not a classroom. But what's been so refreshing is learning that the Durán family came up the same way. That matters. It makes the space feel open instead of closed. I'm not here to compete with anyone. I just want to keep learning and see where my own eye takes me.

What's next for you?

Right now, this. Learning everything I can. Building skills that belong to me. Tailoring fundamentals, pattern making, draping, client relations, there's a whole foundation to build and I'm just getting into it. I want to really understand the craft before I decide what I want to do with it. I know that takes time. I'm not in a rush.