Student

Entrepreneur Gabriella Castillo Aguirre Participates in Fashion Disruptors Study Tour

Gabriella Castillo Aguirre is a 24-year-old law school graduate from Tijuana, Mexico, and a Merchandising & Marketing Professional Designation student. She founded Haute2Wear and is also a seller on Poshmark. She recently participated in the Fashion Disruptors Study Tour in Los Angeles. 

Tell us about the Fashion Disruptors Study Tour: The Fashion Disruptors tour took us around different businesses that have managed to thrive in a very critical time in the fashion industry. Retail industry giants are closing their doors and customer behavior is changing in an incredible measure. The companies that we visited are all companies that have managed to keep their head above water and stay ahead in the industry. At each stop, we got to hear from all kinds of professionals who work in each company and get advice from them in terms of employment and staying ahead of the market.

What was your favorite moment on the tour? My favorite moment was when the managing director of North America at Farfetch told me that my e-commerce business was going to be successful. I took the tour as an opportunity to learn about successful companies in order to create one. It was an amazing feeling when someone with a world of experience recognized the potential in me and my project.

Tell us something you learned on the tour: If someone asks you to do something, do it and do it fast. This was something one of the designers at Torrid said when asked for advice on making it in the fashion industry. Even if it's not in your job description, do it as best as you can. At companies that are customer driven, it takes a lot of work and a lot of people to meet deadlines and create amazing product. The people who succeed are the ones who go out of their way to make something amazing.

Any advice you intend to follow? We were told so many amazing tips and tidbits. I am going to take everything I learned and apply it at school and also in my business. Something that really spoke to me is that you can't make it a 9 to 5 thing. There are going to be long days in our future and we just have to get through it and come out on top. Fashion never sleeps!

Was there anyone you met on the study tour with whom you plan on networking? I already reached out to all the speakers on LinkedIn, so I'm excited to keep in touch with as many as I can. I still have some questions that I would like to ask, so I would like to keep an open conversation with the people I met. I love being around innovators and learning from entrepreneurs. 

How did you choose your major? I fell in love with making customers happy. Whether you own your own retail mom and pop shop or you are a buyer at a major corporation, you choose what the customer is going to fall in love with. An outfit can make someone feel like a million bucks, and that is all I want to do!

Favorite class? The most challenging but fascinating class was Textiles & Product Analysis. It was a class so out of my comfort zone, that it was sometimes overwhelming! I was fascinated in learning about the pros and cons of fabrics. It was great to learn how to identify fabrics!

What are your career goals? My biggest goal is to continue to work on Haute2Wear and always curate a selection of amazing pieces that are going to make my customers feel and look amazing. 

Categories:  Merchandising & Marketing Student