00:00Streetwear to me is a form of identity.
00:04I don't think that there is one right way to do streetwear.
00:06I think streetwear is a way that so many of us express ourselves.
00:12And I think that that's what makes streetwear so beautiful because streetwear isn't just
00:15one person, place, or thing.
00:17It's just a mashup of what makes us who we are.
00:22My name is Rachel Gomez, and we are at the Viva La Bonita headquarters.
00:27Hey, guys.
00:27What's up?
00:29You need some help?
00:30No, I got it.
00:30You got it.
00:31Leave that there for Danny.
00:33Viva La Bonita as a brand is that Latina lifestyle and apparel brand that's just rooted in self-empowerment.
00:43We are like your loudest hype woman.
00:45I think navigating through retail as a college dropout was mentally challenging on so many levels.
00:55When I created Viva La Bonita, I was creating these mantras and they were helping me get
01:00through just my days and my weeks.
01:03On my worst weeks, I would kind of look back on my notes and these little mantras that I
01:09would write for this idea that I had for a brand would help me kind of get through those
01:15dark times.
01:17I remember driving out to LA when I was first starting trying to just find any source of
01:24inspiration.
01:25The idea for Viva La Bonita came from my experience working in retail.
01:31I used to work in fashion retail.
01:33It wasn't until I became a store manager when I started to understand marketing, branding,
01:39and I realized that there was a little pocket that wasn't being filled and that was a really
01:46dope streetwear brand that catered to women.
01:51And I wanted to take a hit at it and create a brand that spoke to the Latina community.
01:58So I was born in Van Nuys and I was raised in the city of Pacoima slash Arlita.
02:03So when we found our warehouse space here in San Fernando, it was such a huge accomplishment
02:10for me because I wanted to prove not only to people my age who may be starting a business
02:18or people who want to come back home or even the next generation, like you don't have to
02:23leave home to make your dreams come true.
02:26Sometimes that's not the case.
02:36Grandma!
02:37Yes!
02:38Te llegue!
02:39Hi, Granny!
02:40Hi!
02:42Mirando pictures!
02:43Growing up, my grandma would always tell me,
02:46Lo que te hace bonita es lo que tienes adentro.
02:49I think what makes my grandma the most beautiful is when she's doing what she loves,
02:54taking care of her garden, taking care of her family.
02:57I was like, she's going through so much, but in those moments where she taps into doing what she loves,
03:02all of that is non-existent.
03:04And I think that that feeling, when we find it, we should hold onto it.
03:08She was working at Wetzio.
03:12And one day she told me,
03:15Grandma, how am I going to go to work?
03:18And I said, what are we going to do?
03:19You have to work.
03:21And then she said,
03:24Can you pay me money to start a business?
03:28My grandma, we need a lot of money to start a business.
03:32And she said,
03:35With $5,000.
03:37No, it's $500.
03:39$500.
03:40Oh, yes, yes, yes.
03:41$500.
03:42$500.
03:43$500.
03:45Okay.
03:46Let's go to the bank.
03:47Let's go to the bank.
03:49And she went to Los Angeles to buy her.
03:52Her mercantia.
03:53She had everything to be acomoded.
03:56And soon she sold everything.
03:58She sold everything.
03:59She sold everything.
04:00She sold everything.
04:00She sold everything.
04:00She sold everything.
04:02She sold everything.
04:03When I became a mom in 2016,
04:06Viva La Bonita became a business.
04:09So I feel like I had two babies.
04:11What I love about the next-gen Integra
04:14is how I feel like it was made for my on-the-go life
04:19as a mom, a business owner.
04:23And I also love the space that it has
04:26because I feel like that gives me the functionality
04:29of what I need on a day-to-day basis.
04:32Nene, I need your opinion on something.
04:35This is the final selections for our cardigan.
04:38I just don't know which one to pick.
04:40When I needed to hire help,
04:42I looked to my family first.
04:45I hired my sister.
04:46She was my first employee.
04:47I think that the responsibility of having my family
04:51be a part of the team.
04:53Just the community that we have behind us
04:56that supports Viva La Bonita
04:57has definitely shifted my perspective
05:00where I'm like,
05:01everything is going to be okay eventually.
05:04You just have to really believe in yourself
05:08and believe in the change.
05:10Luxury is being able to have something that
05:13you created out of nothing
05:15and being able to just take care of it every day
05:17and see it grow.
05:18I think that's the most luxurious thing I could own.
05:22One of the moments that proved to me
05:26that Viva La Bonita was successful
05:29was when we landed our retail partnership.
05:33To be able to bring this homegrown brand
05:37into these spaces,
05:38I thought that that was one of the biggest accomplishments
05:41that we have had.
05:43It also proved that we can take up space
05:48in these spaces that we've been made to believe
05:51are not for us.
05:53I always say like I was attracted to fashion,
05:57but I'm in love with making things.
06:00Like I'm in love with the creative process.
06:02So I'm just really thankful that my journey led me
06:05to be able to merge both.
06:07I'll be happy with you.
06:09See you next time.
06:10Bye bye.
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