Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jose-Noel Rocha. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jose-Noel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.
Work and family have always gone together in my life, my grandfather became an entrepreneur after years of learning skilled crafts, my father became an entrepreneur through adventure, love, and unyielding hard work. I’ve spent more than a decade working in full right on our joint passion: revitalizing the history of our family craft.
J.L. Rocha Collections is more than handcrafted leather goods, it represents the echoes of family. When I turned 16, my dad and I joined forces in a passion project. Our history and love of luxury leather goods combined with our belief in family, quality and legacy. This gave me the opportunity to explore my roots, connect more intimately with my love of menswear, and spend more time with my family it was been an incredible journey.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am Jose-Noel Rocha, I was raised in San Diego California
J.L. Rocha Collections stands for quality, family, and legacy. Our mission is to preserve luxury
leather craft in Leon, Guanajuato through the honoring of our family legacy. Inspired by
generations of artisanry, we craft leather jackets, dress shoes, travel bags and accessories with
the same principles passed down through the generations.
Each item we make is a 1 of 100 limited edition legacy piece, crafted by quality focused master
craftsmen. We work in conjunction with our family network to craft our pieces with traditionally
made leathers for discerning originals.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Concept and craftsmanship are not mutually exclusive. I spent years of my early career with my head in the clouds: believing that spectacle and showmanship was a key component to a successful clothier.
The process of unlearning came from consistent communication and adaptiveness. My fathers eye for detail and our craftsmen care showed me that there are subtle ways to communicate your message. Years of expressing myself through ideas have turned into technical terms through a desire to create items with qualities that matter.
The process of unlearning is a consistent exercise in staying grounded. Today I remain led by a heart of passion, but my understanding keeps me grounded. My hope is that every design imparts a sense of quality, subtlety, and laconic nuance.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
We do everything we do from a place of love for family and individuals. This brand honors my great grandfather, and every man that has come since. Our designs come from a collaboration of two individuals with unique experiences, a father and son with unique perspectives and style, but our message is always the same: family and quality matter.
We hope our reputation is synonymous with men of character, substance, and an appreciation for quality. We feel honored to be worn by a vast community of accomplished men and professionals across a wide array of fields. Whatever reputation we may garner will come from their grace, and our continued commitment to doing what our family has always taught us it the right thing: make something the right way, without harming anyone, and thinking for tomorrow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jlrocha.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlrochashoes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jlrochashoes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/j-l-rocha-colections/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jlrochacollections
Image Credits
Photos by Coco Photography, Elise Desomer