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As you may have noticed, this newsletter is officially transitioning from monthly to bi-monthly. There’s plenty happening, but making it bi-monthly allows me to keep it more concise while still sharing updates in a personal and grounded way.

August and September have been action-packed: I began teaching at Sagrado Corazón, and the Studio officially expanded its sustainability consulting services beyond fashion into interior design. That new direction took us to Colombia for the Feria de Diseño in Medellín. You might remember that last February I was there for the Inexmoda textile fair with fashion design colleagues—this time, I went alongside architects and interior designers. Let’s catch up.

This might turn into a whole series of newsletters, but let’s start here: Colombia is a country that produces and manufactures at every level. When it comes to fashion and design, I’m truly in awe. This is especially striking because neither Puerto Rico nor the United States have the same depth of manufacturing in these sectors—and seeing it so deeply integrated into a country’s culture is inspiring. I have been visiting the fairs with my partner in crime, Ruby, who has been acting as a bridge between the two countries for a while now.

The Feria de Diseño, powered by IMM Cologne—the world-renowned B2B interior design fair—has its Latin American headquarters in Medellín. And what a fair it is! Enormous in scale, it brings together more than 80 Colombian suppliers and hundreds more from around the world, all packed into Medellín’s Plaza Mayor.

I was in Medellín with the team behind Konti Design, who are developing Elefante—Puerto Rico’s first self-sufficient container hotel. Naturally, the interiors must be just as sustainable as the exteriors and that sourcing is what Ruby and I are going to help them with.

Carla, Konti’s CEO, and I go way back—we were both part of Pre18 Gen 1 during my Retazo days. We recently reconnected through our mutual friend, the wonderful Erika Medina from La Comuna Art, and now we’re working together toward a shared goal: building a more sustainable Puerto Rico.

Elefante is still in the fundraising stage, so if you know anyone looking for a sound investment, please reach out to Carla.

Have a project in mind? Let’s talk about it.

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón –Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Management and Design

This is the 4th year of the newly created Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design and Management. I have the honor of teaching seven of the graduating seniors, while my colleague and fellow designer, Nasheli Ortiz, is guiding the other half. This is their final Fashion Design Studio course—the class where they will develop and execute their senior collections and thesis projects before stepping out into the world as professionals.

Alongside this, I’m also teaching Sustainable Fashion and Circular Economy to 24 students from diverse fields—fashion, journalism, communications, and business. I’m inspired by their curiosity and eagerness to engage with the pressing issues our industry faces today.

It’s a long game—one that requires patience and strategy—but we will get there. For me, the greatest success is seeing how aware my students are that, in order to thrive in Puerto Rico, they will need to organize and collaborate with one another. That mindset alone is a victory.

The School Continues, in Spanish of course.