When I think beauty and art, what word quickly comes to my mind? Fashion! This is one of the things I'm most passionate about as a woman… to be able to dress my day's mood with this or that color, pattern, fabric, style that says as much about me as a smile or a hug.
Pride. Pride is a word that sums up what I feel when I see latino talent come forward. So when I had the chance to speak with Emilio Sosa, the Dominican designer who captured our attention in Project Runway's seventh season and who was recently selected to join the Voces de Ford program, I was ecstatic! Pride and fashion all embodied in a versatile designer that I couldn't wait to talk to. What inspires Emilio Sosa? What tips did he share with us to elevate our own sense of style?
Sosa, who recently presented his Fall/Winter 2012 collection at New York Fashion Week, is a humble guy (and that always touches my heart!). When I asked about him, he said: "I always celebrate the Dominican in me. Even though I came to NY from Santo Domingo at age 3, I was brought up in a Latino home. I design from the perspective of a Latino guy raised in New York."
It's not just because I followed his every creation as part of the Project Runway cast, but Sosa has greatly impressed me for truly being able to come up with pieces that talk to my Latina sense of style. So I put him to the test when I asked him to finish these sentences in two or three words each ("no more!", I said). Let's see if he managed to do that, or if as a true artist he just couldn't help but color outside of the lines even if a little bit…
1. What Project Runway meant for you… "Great opportunity."
2. What inspires your creativity… "Life itself."
3. The ESOSA woman… "Strong, independent."
4. Two mistakes women commonly make in fashion… "Not being true to your size."
5. Two things Latinas must invest on this Spring… "Shoes with a heel of at least three inches (the taller the shoe, the more slender you'll look)" PAUSE PLEASE… I love that!!! He goes on "and a simple knee length dress in a burning bright color."
6. Two things we can look forward to in your Fall/Winter 2012 collection… "Color (turquoise blue, bright red, orange, white and black) and strength."
7. Two Latinas you wished you could dress… "Sofía Vergara, because she's someone who is proud of her curves and knows how to dress them, and Eva Perón for her taste in couture fashion when no one knew what that was."
8. Two things you miss most about Dominican Republic… "The warm weather and the warmth of its people".
9. The two things in fashion that you're most passionate about… "Creativity and freedom of expression."
It's great you get to express yourself Emilio, because as you do I get to enjoy your expressions!
