We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ivan Quezada Taveras. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ivan below.

Alright, Ivan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission as a Black Dominican fashion designer and entrepreneur is to create clothing articles that express the cultural essence of Black street fashion in New York City especially Harlem. This mission is incredibly meaningful to me because I believe there is not enough representation, inclusion and reverence given to Black stylist, Black artists, and Black designers from NYC especially Harlem. While some may categorize stylist, artists, and designers as very specific professions, I would argue that most people from Harlem NYC, if not all, are fashion artists in some respect. Growing up in Harlem NYC has given me the full breath of what fashion means, how to express yourself through clothing and how to increase self-gratification through clothing. Whether it’s complicated and intricate styles or simple and minimalistic ones, we artists from NYC know how to add some pizazz to what it means to be fashionable.

Ivan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Ivan, I am a Black Dominican entrepreneur and I grew up in Harlem NYC. Here, I learned what being fashionable meant. No matter the style or look you’re going for, I’ve learned how to be my own stylist and designer using the knowledge of artistry I’ve obtained from where I was raised. In NYC, you had to know how to dress well which lead me into various entrepreneurial endeavors involving clothing and fashion. Eventually, I learned more about the fashion industry as well as how to run a business. In combining my knowledge on fashion, the industry, and business I was able to create Ivy Dé Santi. Ivy Dé Santi works to make minimalistic and simplistic styles in order to maximize our customer’s ability to compliment other clothing articles. Our clothing is meant to add complimentary effectiveness to outfits. We are proud and happy to help our customers make fashion easy and fun while ultimately making our customers feel better about how they look and feel in their clothes.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

When I began planning for a marketing campaign I realized there were a few problems I would run into. Most of these problems included the issue of out-sourcing various skills or labor that I may not have had at the time. One such issue was having a photographer. I realized that having a photographer do shoots may be time consuming, in regards to finding a good one, while also being expensive and not cost efficient. While brainstorming to come up with a solution, I got the idea that I should take on this role for myself. How hard could photography be? The obvious answer was incredibly challenging but it would be cost efficient and time efficient as well: take the time of a photographer. So, I began researching and studying the art of photography and before long I did my own photoshoots; saving me money and time. I was able to run my marketing campaign effectively because I was able to take initiative and do what was best for my business.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My business had its early stages long before I was able to conceive of it and put it together. When I was 14, I took a deep dive into buying and selling sneakers. NYC taught me how powerful being an entrepreneur in the fashion world can be and so at an early age I decided to take action with the very little money I had. It all began when I asked my mom for the latest Jordan’s (J’s as we would call them). After buying them, I would get on some sort of social media market place where I would list them and eventually sell them. I continued doing this for years while expanding to other clothing articles that were in popular demand. I was making thousands of dollars as a kid and I began to realize the power of what I was doing but I needed to take it a step further. I wanted to design my very own clothing articles instead of buying from these huge, often none-Black, brands. This lead me to planning for my clothing brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ivydesanti.com
• Instagram: ivydesanti
• Facebook: Ivy De Santi
• Twitter: ivydesanti
• Youtube: Ivy Dé Santi