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

Maximiliano, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

At an early age, i’ve strived to make it as a creative, artist, designer and entrepreneur. Within my upbringing, i’ve always encountered challenges within my ideas and visions for the future. Not only did i consistently run into barriers within resources, but a social push-back in seeing creativity and creative pursuits as a viable way of business. I started my creative entrepreneurial career at the age of 18 in 2013 as a fashion designer through my brand ‘RAIZ’. Founded in original ideas, cut-and-sew and up-cycling; RAIZ evolved into a brand with a global reach through the early years of social media.

Today, i’m the Founder & Director of La Rosa Collective; an organization that bridges the gap between creatives and entrepreneurship through dedicated resources, community and support. We work with creatives and small businesses in their aspirations within their ideas and work. From developing and hosting marketplaces, to empowering them with educational programming, resources and business “know-how”; our mission is to create economic development and uplifting ambitions through an innovative approach.

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

At the age of 7 years old, i immigrated from Salta, Argentina to the Little Rock, AR in the USA. I grew up watching my family working incredibly hard in better a future for all of us by creating their own paths through entrepreneurship. I started my creative entrepreneurial career at the age of 18 in 2013 as a fashion designer through my brand ‘RAIZ’.

I was always inspired by fashion and it was a creative outlet since i was in middle school. I was fortunate enough to have a mother that supported me in exploring this outlet.

Founded in original ideas, cut-and-sew and up-cycling; RAIZ evolved into a brand with a global reach through the early years of social media. This became the start of a career and a multitude of experiences that lead me to where i am today.

RAIZ was very much a “DIY”, grassroots fashion brand; inspired through skateboarding and underground music culture. This was around a time where small fashion brands were just beginning to create a footprint in the small business culture across the world.

What started as a sewing project, naturally evolved into new ways of producing original fashion through my ideas. This is when i became aware of screen-printing and the industry of textile production. Wicked Rose Printing Co. was born.

RAIZ being such niche brand, naturally came with challenges in scaling. I learned the notions of branding, social marketing, pop-up markets & design through RAIZ. When i decided to go into merch design within the brand, i scouted support and a local print shop to help facilitate these ideas. I was met with backlash due to creative needs as a designer and local shops not being able to support them.

As a means to an end, i decided to invest into my own screen-printing tools and began to teach myself the trade and craft. Through the recognition i gained developing my own original designs through RAIZ, i was locally referenced for local screen printing needs. Mostly by those who had ideas they wanted to bring to life or small local bands looking for accessible Merch. I took these principals and decided to launch my second business; but this time as a service.

Wicked Rose Printing Co. evolved into not only a creative print shop, but also a secondary business model that allowed me to sustain my entrepreneurial career. Having a service business rather than a niche market business were polar opposites and allowed me to create a sustainable model between the two. This is when my career began to evolve rapidly.

For many years, i supported my own creative endeavors and others through both my own brand and my print shop. I eventually stepped into other industries such as graphic design and photography; trades that i learned through both of these businesses and brands.

My career then took a change and evolved when i was offered an opportunity to work with a local non-profit in developing an educational program that traveled across the state, serving youth and adults in rural communities. I took my skillsets over the years and formatted curriculum and engaged with hundreds of community members and not only shared my story, but provided them resources to assist in realizing their own ideas. I spent over 2 years traveling the state learning about social organizing, education and how to further support those who faced social inequities. My journey helped me understand the challenges that a lot of these communities faced, and my experiences allowed me to foster a sense of first-hand support that most aren’t able to do; as a creative entrepreneur.

In 2020, the global pandemic hit. The non-profit i worked with could no longer run our programming and throughout my time i began to develop a concept for supporting creative entrepreneurs and a new fashion project ; what is now know as La Rosa Collective.

Fashion has always played an important role in my creativity, and around 2018, i became inspired by the vintage and the sustainable fashion movement. I began collecting thrifted goods since then with the intent of one day launching my own vintage shop and brand.

La Rosa Antigua is a fashion brand and project under the La Rosa Collective umbrella. It’s our vintage store and project where we offer curated collections of vintage fashion along with original designs we create in house. La Rosa Antigua is representation of how the collective seeks to support the ideas of others. Today, we travel across the country doing agenda shows and have our first storefront in the heart of downtown Little Rock, AR.

Since 2020; we began through La Rosa Collective our own educational and social organizing. We partner with other institutions and non-profits in an effort to expand the scope of access and skillsets. Everything from screenprinting workshops to how emerging entrepreneurship workshops; our mission is to foster and realize the ambitions of others, primarily those who go underserved within BIPOC and creative communities.

In 2022, we debuted one of our most successful projects; Forever Thrifted Swap Meet. Forever Thrifted is a monthly marketplace and community initiative that incubates small businesses, many who are sustainably driven into a local marketplace in an effort to support their businesses. It also blends local culture by creating a platform for artists, performers and other people to partake through their creativity. Our mantra “Where sustainability and creativity meet.” is perfectly represented within this project. Since our debut in March, we’ve supported over 135 different businesses within Arkansas and surrounding states and have played a role in debuted over 30 new businesses within the local economy.

La Rosa Collective will continue to support creatives, small businesses and the ideas of those who go underserved.

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

Social Media has and will always play a large role in our success within our endeavors. I highly encourage many to consider and find ways in further incorporating their social media into their businesses and ambitions. We live in a time where social media is a standard in everyday life, and the reality is that it has its drawbacks as much as opportunity.

Authenticity is key. More than ever, we’re all looking to related with others and engage in a raw way. People want to be a part of a journey, the good and the bad. I often see business owners and creatives get stuck in trying to perfect narrative and media within social media without realizing its not what most are looking for. Learning to shift into a new mindset with social media is critical, and it will always build into an audience with higher impact and retention.

Live your brand!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest lesson i’ve taken away from my career is to always be open minded, innovative and open to opportunity. My early ambition was to have a thriving fashion brand and just that. Sustaining that was very difficult, and if i hadn’t allowed myself to explore new ideas through screen printing, i would have never opened up my print shop. If i hadn’t met other artists and creatives through my services, i wouldn’t have understood the social challenges that existed for my community peers. If i wouldn’t have taken an opportunity in education, i wouldn’t have developed La Rosa Collective with a focus in education and access to resources.

It’s critical to pivot in new spaces and be innovative with our experiences. Exploration is what allows us to grow in the ways that we need to, and allows us to learn more about our hidden ambitions that are yet to be unlocked. When we take ownership of this ideology, an exciting journey awaits!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.larosacollective.com
• Instagram: @larosa.maximiliano , @larosa.antigua , @larosa.collective, @raizforever , @wickedrose.co
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/maximiliano-dominguez-a6a0a51b0

Image Credits
Jenn Terrell Photography, La Rosa Photography, Jason Masters Photography