EMERGING DESIGNER

Alicia Sanchez

IN THIS FEATURE: Meet Alicia Fashion Focus

licia Sanchez hits the fashion scene with her new line, Favala. Her line is fresh and hip with many inspirations taken from all spectrums of fashion- from funk to street to Caribbean flavors. Favala allows you to bring out your own personal style without breaking the bank.

Alicia Sanchez was born in Lynn, Massachusetts and has lived in Florida, New York, and Connecticut. She has traveled to many countries and cities that have influenced her designs such as London, Puerto Rico, Paris, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, and of course her native country, the beautiful Dominican Republic. When asked what age did her interest in fashion begin she states, "Honestly , I don’t know at what age because I have always been in the arts. And at age ten, I was involved with the arts and with dance theatre and my mom also influenced me a lot. I am the only girl of three boys and money was very tight growing up so my mom was very creative in making me clothes. And she also used to make drapes and pillow coverings. She was the Dominican Martha Stewart in my eyes." As a young child, Alicia would always help her mother and she had an itch to get on the sewing machine especially if her mother wasn’t looking . "It wasn’t about making clothes it was about the creation of letting my mind be free and mixing looks and colors", Alicia recalls.

"As a teen I was not the girl with the latest clothing. We did not have money growing up!! I did wear a lot of color and I tried my best to make a statement with patterns that I knew others would wear. I didn’t really care too much what others thought. I was in my own world. Although I got ridiculed, I still did my own thing. I never had the designer 'ANYTHING'! But I didn’t miss out because I was creative in my own way."

Alicia attended college and decided to major in business. She chose this area of study because her parents did not approve of ‘the arts’ as a viable career. Alicia took the academic route to appease her family, but never gave up on her dream of working in the fashion arena. While in college she made a small living making and selling clothing from her dorm room. Alicia states: “In college I got involved a lot with my design skills. I made clothes for my dance team and I really enjoyed the love. So, I decided to take one of my scholarship refund checks and get started…little by little…a fashion show here a showcase there, etc.”