In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, Hunts Point native and Puerto Rican blooded fashion designer Edwin Reyes launched a beauty campaign that spotlights growing up as a Latina woman in the Bronx.
For his campaign, Reyes produced a three-minute video, interviewing four different Latina women from four different walks of life, talking about their heritage and Bronx upbringings.
“This video talks about the struggles of a Latina Women growing up in this borough,” Reyes said. “I wanted to feature Latina women in different businesses and career paths to talk about the pro and cons of being a Latin person in their industries,” the 19-year-old designer added.
Reyes interviewed: Rosa Garcia, the owner of Mott Haven Bar and Grill, Yelia Lluberes, a producer and journalist both locally and citywide, Lisa Diaz a public relations major at Iona College, and Amarige Salvador who studies early childhood education at borough of Manhattan Community College.
All four women boasted the pride that comes with being a Latina woman, but Garcia and Salvador also talked about the difficulties of being raised by single mothers as well.
“My mom had five kids, she did it all alone, she provided everything for us,” Salvador said. “The hardest part was her telling us that we had to achieve more than she did,” the Dominican woman added.
For Garcia, she also talked about the difficulties of having to teach herself through life and the independence that comes along with that.
Reyes debuted the campaign at Garcia’s Mott Haven Bar and Grill in a private event of 30 fellow fashionistas on Wednesday, October 17.
His brand ‘FINE by Edwin Reyes,’ has been about female empowerment since it was unveilled just some months ago.
“I want my brand to represent things that are important to me,” Reyes said.
He went on to mention how he uses women of color to model his clothing, which according to Edwin is something not widely seen or done in the fashion industry.
Another passion for Reyes is contributing to relief efforts for Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria’s devastation, dedicating all of his show’s proceeds to the island.
Over the summer, Reyes had been looking into designing jackets that would call attention to relief efforts as well.
“I think what Edwin is doing is great and wonderful,” Lluberes said.
Her own journalism endeavors have brought Lluberes to doing production work with both New York 1 as well as Bronxnet.
“I love to tell stories no matter how that may be, whether I’m in front of or behind the camera, I am a journalist and a proud Latina woman,” she said.
Lluberes continued on to talking about how much she’s learned and understood about the Bronx since moving from the Dominican Republic.
“Once you get to know them they really do become your family, I feel so at home in the Bronx,” the passionate journalist said.
Next up for Reyes is a fashion presentation at the restaurant Empanology underneath the Third Avenue Bridge on Saturday, November 17.
