We were lucky to catch up with Eduardo Rutilo Barrita recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eduardo, thanks for joining us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

We officially launched in November 2019, three months before the pandemic started so from there we had a hard start. Our plan was to participate in pop-up shows and art fairs, but everything started to cancel at that time. We shifted our focus to online, which also had challenges, when buying clothes and accessories a lot of people like to do it in person, so they can try on the garments and see how they look on them. It has been a hustle as a new brand. I think the biggest challenge has been get our brand known, capturing different targets in the market. We initially started as a clothing brand only, and later, we started learning about the market and we decided to add the accessories as part of the brand as well. Since the beginning it has been a learning curve, we have tried different color schemes, sizes, materials and designs. We have curated our products based on what we have learned and specific customer profiles that we want to capture. Participating in events, pop-up shows, and art fairs has given us the opportunity to tell our story, connect with new and old customers, and build a relationship with them, and position our brand in the market.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Corazon means heart in Spanish. We are a Latino-owned business, our designs incorporate the vibrancy of Latin cultures with local influence in clothing that could be worn with pride and stood for something. The idea for our brand originated in 2018. Our accessories are handcrafted in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I am originally from, and each different material is a different family that we support. From the beginning, we have built a brand to be something more to our artists, customers, and community we live in. Our clothing and accessories give artists from Mexico and other Latino countries, an outlet to express their work and earn money from it in ways they may not otherwise be able to. For customers, our mission is to provide quality clothing and accessories with exclusive and unique designs, exceptional service at a fair price, and a brand experience like no other. We invite customers to experience Corazon in person through our free events such as pop up shops, fashion shows, create your own shirt, and new collection parties. Corazon is so much more than just clothes, it is about the unity of artist, customer, and community to create something different.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I am a full time Special Education Teacher in St Paul public school district. I have been a teacher for around 8 years already, I have taught English in Mexico, and Spanish and preschool in EUA. I was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico and I have 2 bachelor’s degree, English Teaching Language and Tourism Business Administration. I decided to get my master’s degree in Special Education in 2019 at St. Thomas University in order to get a teaching license in Minnesota, since my degrees are from Mexico, this has been one of my biggest achievements, which I never thought I was going to do it. The school system in the US is very different and being able to do it in a second language was a challenge. I enjoy working with kids and especially with kids with disabilities, I am able to get connect with them and build a relationship. I feel that I can make a positive impact by supporting them and meeting their needs. I work at a Spanish Immersion School and 90% of the student population are Latino and black/African-American, and being a Latino myself, gives me the amazing opportunity to connect with students in a deeper way since we share cultural similarities, which I really like and take advantage of it to plan, develop. and delivering my lessons. This is also something that I want to reflect with my brand, that I am a proud Mexican/Latino, and at the same time I am very happy and thankful of living in Minnesota.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I started by designing the graphics on the garments, and after I added handcrafted accessories from Oaxaca, Mexico handmade by people that I personally know such as family member and friends. I recently added a line of handmade clothing garments from Oaxaca as well which it has been very successful at my store.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mycorazon.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/corazonclothing
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/corazonclothingstore