We recently connected with Maria Kamila Severiche and have shared our conversation below.

Maria Kamila, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Growing up in Colombia, South America, I was surrounded by art, talent, creativity, resourcefulness and people that put passion into everything they did; modern technology, big machines, or standardization, were not common practices, and even though processes were not the most efficient, quality was undeniable. The magic that our artisans create has been the representation of history, culture, and traditions, all in the shape of apparel, furniture, home décor, and more.
When I moved to the US, I had access to everything, but I was missing the uniqueness of those pieces that get passed down through generations and that tell a story, the type of goods that gets immediate attention and create conversations.
After I got questions like where did you get that from? Or where did you buy it? Many compliments regarding the things that I was wearing (things that I thought were too much or that nobody will ever like them because of being so different) I decided to bring my brand to the US, which at that point it was just clothing and even from the beginning I made sure that quality was thoroughly tested, materials were ergonomic, and designs were vibrant and colorful representing the flora and fauna of Colombia. And now our goal is to enlarge our portfolio to different categories besides apparel expand our horizons and add new territories, countries, regions to support the mission that drives us: be the platform that showcases international talent and works to preserve cultural heritage.

Maria Kamila, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After finishing my undergrad in business administration back in Colombia I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I had no idea doing what exactly, I’ve had businesses since I was a kid (formal and informal) all kinds. And it was my mother who actually gave me the idea to start a clothing brand; I told her that I didn’t know how to do that because I went to school for business not for fashion, she showed me a scrapbook that I made when I was a kid and apparently I used to design wedding dresses and swimsuits, she gave it to me and she said that that was all the inspiration that I needed so after that I decided that I wanted to have my own business. I recruited some people and found some investors and that’s how I created my first brand then I left that partnership and created a second brand, that was not just swimwear but also athletic wear during COVID time and we were doing great. Then I moved to the US, I took a pause for two years and by the beginning of 2024 I knew that I wanted element to be more than just a clothing brand and I wanted element to be a platform that could represent the talent not just in designing clothes, and hand making apparel, but also other products made by many talented artisans. I wanted to become the platform that represented those artisans.
We are a two sided market which means that we want to make two type of people happy ,on one side we want to satisfy our clients needs and we also want to support our artisans, so the way it works is that we select artisans that fit a certain profile (in this case from Colombia) but we are trying to expand to other countries. The type of profile that we’re talking about is those artisans that create unique authentic pieces that are good quality, handmade and who follow our own manual to guarantee fair labor and good practices. Then we offer these items to buyers that are looking for goods that they can consider an investment whether it is paintings, home décor, bags, accessories anything, this way we can verify that what we are offering goes against mass production and gives the client a piece that can be treated and perceived as art. They know for sure where the product is coming from who made it, what materials were used, the story behind it, how to take care of it, and finally they can feel that the price they are paying is justified and they can see the value in their purchase.
As an artisan myself I encountered a lot of issues and obstacles that I had to overcome to even make my first sale, there were so many doors that I had to knock on in order to learn what I learned and be where I am today. I had a lot of support in my journey and access to tools as well as technology that helped this process, and this is exactly what I want to provide for our artisans who lack access to global markets and can benefit from our way to understand the demand and the consumer’s need, as well as utilizing my business background to help them improve their operations.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have pivoted my business and my professional path so much that now I’m not afraid of doing it and I am actually starting to like it. Regarding my business I launched my first collection as a solo founder a few months before COVID and sales were doing amazing; however, COVID hit and clearly no one was buying swimsuits, that was definitely not a need, So I ended up having this large inventory of raw material and bills to pay. Yes, I panicked at first but then I realized that I had done so much research to get those materials and worked so hard in my designs that I knew I was not going to lose it just like that and I could do something about it so I came up with an athleticwear collection that was a sold out and I was able to reutilize every single piece of fabric that I had, created a new capsule in about 10 days, produced the products and took it to market in less than a month, making this experience one of my top 5 moments that have proved to myself that I am extremely resourceful and very creative.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My husband and my sister joined me later on and at the perfect time, when I felt lost, tired, confused and about to give up. They have completely different personalities, and I am extremely grateful for that because they definitely balance me out; of course we had to make agreements from the beginning knowing that family always comes first and despite arguments and many disagreements, we have never lost respect for each other. Element has made so much progress since I have them on my team, and I had to let my guard down because clearly working with family is not easy, but the way they open my mind, support me unconditionally and take the weight when I can’t handle it anymore makes it all worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elementclothiers.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooLTJxklH5dlmj0ldfLNfg69CCplrooSGR9_MFYvJauge1lAWdI
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/element.clothiers/