We recently connected with Rebecca Cristancho and have shared our conversation below.

Rebecca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I took to crafting/creating at a very young age. Learning to hand sew and making little creatures from clay around the age of seven. Basically any craft kit or project presented to me, I became enamored with. I recall being taught by my mother, grandmother and great aunts. They always encouraged the creative in me and greatly influenced my infatuation with fashion. An intuitive eye for style and the desire to create has been a common thread through my life. There were varying degrees of output but Im not certain there’s anything I could have done to speed this process up. I believe I am exactly where Im supposed to be at exactly the right time.

Studying fashion and earning an art degree was imperative to my foundation as a designer but my ability to be an effective business owner came from two decades working in front facing roles. It’s one thing to create and to be an artist, it is an entirely different thing to understand, to reach and to sell to your consumer. Which is also an art. For me, it’s always about customer service. Valuing this and building a business centered around service is absolutely essential to my success.

The only thing that’s ever stood in the way of learning more is myself.

Rebecca, 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?

Reader’s Digest version of my background: I have been living in Los Angeles for the last 12 years. I grew up in St. Louis county, in Missouri. Small family, Colombian immigrant father, both parents working a lot. I’d say I never wanted for anything but there was also never such a surplus to afford my parents the time to enjoy more of life with us. I didn’t realize how much my parents sacrificed for us until adulthood and I am equally grateful for the things we didn’t have as for the things we did. I was a bit of a punk growing up, creatively frustrated for sure with not enough self discipline to redirect my energies appropriately. So there were several years doing that “rebel without a cause” thing, which I like to think of as aggravated character building. I started working when I was pretty young, I loved the idea of having my own money and creating my own terms so I got my first job in fashion retail at Hot Topic. This was the beginning of my commitment to the consumer and my personal independence. I excelled with people, I loved niche ideas, styles and markets. I became a master at networking over the span of two decades and learned all about business on the ground floor.

I never saw myself as an artist or an entrepreneur until I just decided to become those things a few years back. I let (almost) all of my limiting beliefs go and dove in deeply after losing my last role in event marketing during covid. I figured, if anyone can do this, it’s me. Enough people told me that along the way but this time, I believed it.

I provide an array of products and services in the fashion space – a line of bridge and fine jewelry with a handful of luxury hotel retail partners. Up-cycled clothing, vintage resale and custom shoe embellishing. Couture garment design and fabrication. Personal styling, shopping, closet consultation and tailoring. Wardrobe and set styling. Technically speaking, what sets me a part from a lot of other folks in this space is the number of highly concentrated skillsets I possess. Oftentimes you’ll come across a tailor but they are not a designer, a designer who doesn’t really sew or a stylist who can’t assist in a fitting. Characteristically speaking, what sets me apart from other folks is usually three little words. Please [and] Thank you. Accompanied by a strong relationship with my Google Calendar and the notes section of my rolodex. People feel seen with me. I value my clients as I would a friend, so I take time getting to know them. This allows ideas to naturally unfold so that together we can bring them to fruition. Our time together is ongoing and meaningful to me. There’s incredible joy in knowing I had an impact on their daily outlook/life. Personal style comes through in how you feel not in the labels you wear.

I am very proud of this approach to business and life. Looking back, I now see my “failures” as stepping stones to my success. I wouldn’t be the woman I am today had I not shaped those experiences to clearly articulate my vision for the future and the energy I desired for it.

I also always like to note to future clients and followers that I put myself through college. I will work hard for you, I always have – a true hustler and savvy as they come. I understand everyone’s value system and budget varies. Not all my clients can spend 3K on a custom garment or new wardrobe – its important to me to provide service at all levels.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Perfectionism is bullshit. I spent so many years not creating, not believing, not doing because I was too scared it wouldn’t be JUST right. That people would look at what I created and find it lacking. That I was lacking. It’s just simply not true. This definitely stems from a series of reflections on self worth and my contribution to art and society but for the sake of brevity, let’s say the moral of the story is to encourage coloring outside the lines.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Are people still doing that? I don’t know, I feel like they came in hot, only to fall off and bankrupt those who got in at the wrong time. Sure, there’s some technology I can get behind and am looking to integrate but NFTs seemed like a trend and I’ve never been into trends myself. Like I never owned Ugg boots in college and I feel like those are the same people that bought NFTs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.xo-bex.com
• Instagram: @x.o.bex and @bextique

Image Credits
LET’S BE FRANK MEDIA