We were lucky to catch up with Keren Ramos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Keren 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?

The story behind the mission of my fashion brand is personal and inspiring. It all started when I was fifteen years old, my parents gifted me a sewing machine for Christmas. I was immediately hooked. I loved the feeling of creating something new and beautiful from scratch. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a fashion designer.

I was born in Guatemala, and back then, there weren’t as many opportunities for fashion as a career, which motivated me to look for opportunities abroad. I am now working on developing a fashion brand named Somar with a Guatemalan retailer. I want this brand to be a platform for other emerging designers in my home country and Central America, and the mission behind this new brand is to create a platform for emerging creatives to showcase their talent

I am excited to see what the future holds for this project. And more than that, I am excited about the possibility of bringing change to the fashion industry in my country and cultivating this community of creatives!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my career studying fashion design in Milan, Italy. 2011, I attended an international academy in Milan named Style Design College. I was only 18 years old, and living in the cradle of good design motivated me to follow my dreams of becoming a fashion designer.

I had the fantastic opportunity to become close to one of my professors and a fashion designer, Alessia Xoccato, who truly shaped my aesthetic as a designer. Later, with her help, I participated for the first time in the Fashion European Awards 2012. It was a fantastic opportunity, and although I could not win, I dived into pattern-making and sewing garments.
In between my time in Italy and pursuing the possibility of an undergraduate degree, I landed the position of Lead Designer at New Trends Sourcing in Guatemala City, an important fashion retail company in the country. I immediately started working as a Lead designer, and this opportunity shaped my mission and what I believe is my role within the fashion industry. It allowed me to understand clothing manufacturing processes and to witness the harsh reality for some of the workers at clothing and textile factories in my home country.

In 2017, I was still working for New Trends Sourcing. Still, I wanted an undergraduate degree in fashion design and textiles. The Korean government granted me a full scholarship at EWHA Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea. Learning a new language and submerging myself in a new foreign culture broadened my design skills and understanding of trends and the consumer’s psychology, exponentially enhancing my ability to develop unique concepts.

I also had the incredible opportunity to work with Dior for the Fall/Winter Fashion Show 2022 in Seoul, which inspired me to pursue a career related to luxury fashion brands. Today, I am in Savannah pursuing a master’s degree in luxury and brand management at SCAD, which covers all the areas I am interested in learning and perfecting.

On the side, I continue to work for Guatemalan companies, providing visual merchandising consultancy services, creating trend books for retail buyers, and helping other emerging international brands in Mexico and the USA curate their brand identity.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think achieving higher education was indeed a challenge for me. In my journey to prepare myself and attain higher education, I received many nos, which can be truly discouraging. Schools that I dreamt of attending, scholarship opportunities, and sponsorships, It hasn’t been an easy ride. But I think it all helps shape your beliefs and even fuels you to achieve your dreams and find new solutions!

Moving to South Korea is probably one of the hardest things I’ve done. Adapting to a new culture can be difficult, but reaching a particular language proficiency is among the hardest things I had to do. It all worked in the end and even helped in the future because it helped me become a member of the SCAD International Marketing Team, translating documents from English to Korean. And so I think part of resilience is knowing how to use what you thought were disadvantages to your advantage.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Portfolios! A well-curated portfolio has been a key to opening enormous doors for me. So, I have made it my goal that everywhere I go, I want to network and collaborate with other creative minds to create unique projects to showcase in my portfolio. Never be afraid of sending a DM or contacting someone to collaborate. You will be surprised how willing everyone else is to collaborate and create cool things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerenmaryanne/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerenramos/

Image Credits
Photography by Alex Mendiarte Model Abigail Padgett Illustrations by Keren Ramos Fashion Designer Keren Ramos