We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Frankie Rivera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Frankie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I would say what my parents did right was raising me on love and encouraging me to always express myself. When I was a little kid, I loved to draw fashion designs and also play dress up. As a little boy, I was never really into playing sports like the others or into more of the “manly” activities. Despite being different than the other guys my age, my parents continued to love and support me and encouraged me to express myself. Since I was into fashion, I remember to support me they gifted me with my own sewing machine and also would let me play dress up. If my parents did not let me explore creatively, I feel as though I would not be the person I am today. With their constant love and support, I grew into a person that is not afraid to wear what they want and a person who uses creativity to have fun and express ideas.

Frankie, 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?

Currently I am a college student at the University of The Incarnate Word majoring in fashion design and getting ready to graduate in spring. Fashion has always been a favorite of mine so about a year ago I decided to use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to post style content and videos of me putting together outfits I have. In the process of this journey, I have been grateful to collaborate with small businesses and brands to post fashion content. I had the chance to collaborate with ThreadedTingz (a small embroidered shirt business), TIJN Official, and recently Vitaly which sells a lot of trendy jewelry. What sets me apart from others is that I am not afraid to explore different styles whether it is masculine or feminine. I am still growing but I am proud of the progress I have made and getting to collaborate with different brands has been amazing. I really want people to know that I want to build a brand that is full of love and acceptance. I think society has a way of telling people what they should and should not wear because of gender norms. For me, I want to create content that shows that it is fun and okay to go against those beliefs. Fashion should be fun and is for everyone.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is always the end product whether that is a video, photo, or product. Whenever I wear what I want and post pictures/videos in it, it makes me feel good and proud because I am not afraid of what people think. At the end of the day, I am dressing for myself because it makes me happy and showing others that on social media makes me feel proud.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first started, I was a bit discouraged because I really wanted to blow up on TikTok somehow. I looked up to all the fashion creators and the other content creators that had a huge following. However, one day I kept posting and one of my videos got thousands of likes and from there I started to gain more followers. I feel like now I still have not made it just yet but that is okay because continuing to create content makes me happy. The best advice I can give those just starting out on social media is do not be afraid to show your personality and create content that makes you happy. Also, continue to post even if you do not get a lot of views or likes. I am still trying to learn and grow as a creator but consistency is the key. Do not be afraid to post what you want and to stand out. I feel like nowadays we all look up to those with a huge following and try to copy their content, but I believe true content creating is expressing your own ideas and having fun instead of trying to blend in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://frankiexrivera.wixsite.com/website-2
• Instagram: Instagram.com/frankiexrivera
• Other: Tiktok.com/@frankiexrivera

Image Credits
Fany Castro, Toni Kennedy, Nysha King