We recently connected with Stefany Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Stefany, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I have worked on is ESTILO LATAM (formally ESTILO-X) which is a fashion platform that provides opportunities to emerging Latin talent globally. The project was born in Napa Valley in 2023, which debuted as the first Latinx fashion show in Napa Valley. This project is most meaningful to me for so many reasons. One of them because we made history in the valley. Secondly, it was a full circle moment for me as a former professional makeup artist who worked behind the scenes at several fashions shows through the years. It felt like every experience I had gained thus far prepared me to co-found and produce the project. Last but not least, the outpouring support we have received from the community has been an honor. For once, everyone felt represented in some way, shape or form at our production. The production included a primarily Latin team, however, the models were of all shapes, ages, races and sizes. It’s important to feel represented in mainstream media, as it inspires the community to dream and know that your dreams are possible with hard work and consistency. This project is still growing as our ESTILO LATAM platform is going global. Soon we’ll be hosting presentations around the globe and at key cities like NY, Barcelona and San Diego.

Stefany, 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 Stefany Hernandez also known as “Wandering Stefany” on socials. I’m a San Francisco Native with roots from El Salvador. I currently still reside in the Bay Area. I’m an avid world traveler, a wife, a dog mom to 3 pugs, and a full time hustler. I work on so many different projects, all of them leading to my two passions: travel and fashion. “Todo con amor pa’ la cultura” (everything with love for the culture).

I’m the Co-Founder of ESTILO LATAM, Chief Operating Officer for the Latinx Travel Club, Contributor to Maison Latam Digital Magazine and Global Fashion Week host and producer of Latina Fashion Week. I forgot to mention, I’m also a Content Creator/Influencer that focuses on Luxury Travel and Curvy Fashion as “Wandering Stefany”.

Back in college, I stumbled upon my passion for makeup artistry, and boy, did it light a fire in me! Those early days were spent hustling backstage at fashion shows, dishing out glam for models and soaking in every bit of the buzz. I worked for MAC Cosmetics during its peak in the market. Working at MAC Cosmetics was a special chapter in my life. I met the most incredible creatives, who I still call my friends and colleagues. Working at MAC taught me so many valuable lessons: branding, punctuality, exploring creativity, and community. Special events I did on my own as a professional MUA became my playground, where I got to unleash my creativity and push boundaries.

After graduating college in 2015, I left MAC Cosmetics and pivoted to a 9-5 job in the public sector. During the pandemic, I realized that I was craving ways to share my creativity.

In 2021, I focused all of my energy on Content Creation. All is history after that. I made the effort of trying to attend about every networking event I could find, connect with other visionaries and eventually make them my business partners. That’s literally how I’ve gotten to where I am today, through the power of in person networking.

What makes me stand out as a creative entrepreneur is my unwavering passion and drive to innovate, uplift and inspire my Latin community. I’m not afraid to think outside the box, constantly pushing boundaries to authentically capture the beauty of my cultura. I always joke that “I’m a full time hustler” and what I mean by that is that I’m willing to work as hard as I need to do so in order to uplift my comunidad(community).

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

What drives my mission and goals is the problem that I see in the market, the lack of authentic representation of my Latin community. My goal is to highlight all of the talent and achievements that my community is built of. There’s way too much talent that isn’t being highlighted. Everyone has a story, and our stories deserve to be heard and celebrated.
I’ve also found that as I travel the world, I find more and more inspiration for the goals and mission I live for. The more people I meet, the more I realize how much incredible talent lives all around the world that is yet to be shared!
The culture: food, art, experiences are what ignite me. I find a lot of inspiration in colors, patterns, doors and florals.
When I travel, I always look around and realize that the people that are broadcasted on mainstream media (billboards/ads) do not look like and reflect me. I know there’s Latinos out there that look like me traveling and setting trends. I know this because I visually see so many people that look like me while I’m traveling for leisure or fashion. The urgency to change that keeps me focused on my goals.

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

My biggest piece of advice to build an audience on social media is being vulnerable. What I mean by that is creating the content that you enjoy watching and feel connected to. And most of the time, the content you feel connected to is in those times of vulnerability. For example, talking about topics and issues that you wish you received help and/or some kind of value from. I have built my audience by listening to what my community needs and posting helpful tips that you wish “someone would have told me that”.

Also, learning from other creators. I always encourage everyone to reach out to people that inspire them. Ask your inspiration if they would be willing to answer a few questions you have for them, and seek advice. You’d be surprised to learn that most of the people you look up to are always happy to help and give you some great advice.
As I always like to say “shoot your shot!” Or you’ll never know where the conversation could have taken you.

“20 years from now you will be more disappointed with the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wanderingstefany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingstefany
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefany-hernandez-97567450?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Other: https://www.estilolatam.com

Image Credits

Danna Cabrera
Liliya