We recently connected with Yoan Dominguez Gonzalez and have shared our conversation below.
Yoan, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The most significant project that I have worked on is my clothing brand, Casamanu. Making clothes and apparel accessories earned its importance early in my life in its necessity for my family to survive. Growing up in Cuba came with the challenges of the economy and communist government. As a child, I watched each family member make clothes to sell in order to earn a living. They all had different professions and careers, yet they all needed to do more to survive. The part-time clothing businesses they all created gave me hope that I could not articulate at such a young age. During this time, I naturally was able to develop skills in sewing and trading by assisting my family. As you could imagine, clothing in Cuba serves as a scarce need given the low supply of fabric. I don’t think I was fully aware as a child to know how impactful each fabric sown together brought me security, knowing my family would survive; not to mention the example my family established through their perservence and inventions that would eventually fuel my passion. As I began to study at The University of Holguin in Cuba, I became exposed to other cultures outside of Cuba that shared the importance of sown thread but in a way that transcended from basic need into hope, art and identity. Given my major at the university in financing and marketing, I entered the world of fashion to inspire others through the power of thread.
Although the circumstances in Cuba had created significant challenges to be able to have an official private business and to find resources, my passion always found a way to continue my pursuit of world change through fabric. When I was able to escape Cuba and relocated to the United States, I finally was able to start my business without all the previous restraints. I’m ready to share my story with the world.
Yoan, 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?
I started my journey with marketing with social media when I lived in Havana,Cuba. Due to the communist regime, commercialism and ability to live your dreams is limited. When access to social media was allowed by the government, I took advantage of the opportunity to use my skills from my studies at the university with a degree in marketing to learn from others on instagram to maximize followers and learn how to create meaningful content. I was able to start a business selling handmade bags, clothes and accessories. I created a separate account on social media just for my business. I enjoyed my business up until I moved to the United States to live and marry my spouse. Since December 2023, I have been living in the Tampa Bay area looking for opportunities to grow my social media and business. I am looking to develop my business to extend throughout all of Florida.
Casamanu is an entrepreneurship based on sustainable fashion made with nature materials and fabrics. I am the sole owner, designer, publicist and organizer of my business. I am unique in that I produce my own design based on my deep cultural background coupled with todays demand of international design and fashion. I am proud of the success I was able to cultivate while starting from nothing in Havana, Cuba all the while promoting planet sustainability with fair trade policies. I want my clients to know the dense story and thought put into each product and to sense the significance of the brand name, the commitment to the art, culture and the planet. I’m wanting to change the way we treat the planet and each other one fabric at a time.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I first arrived to the United States, I did not realize that I came with a mindset that I was an immigrant who had very little options. After quickly gaining residency in the states, I began to look for a job that would provide a means to living and some money to establish capital for my business. I sought jobs with the mentality of being “only an immigrant”. I walked into each situation with a limited mindset of what others saw in me. Although I always took pride in whatever work I did, I found myself feeling stuck without having the courage to pursue some other job opportunities.
While I felt this way on the inside, it never stopped me from posting content on my social media pages. My work sparked interest from my followers and after a short time, I was asked by multiple online magazines to share my story. This has empowered me to pursue my career with boldness and to defy the limited mindset. I have more potential for success because of my unique story and background. My immigration is my strength, not my weakness. I learned to never allow circumstances to never be ashamed of where you came from. Leverage every unique trait you possess to amply your greatness.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In Cuba, when I graduated from the Univerisity of Holguin in Marketing, I was not legally allowed to take my passion for fashion and to create a business. I needed to work with what I had. I had no way of knowing at the time how I would start my business so I began to work in the government-owned business to gain experience. My experience did not come in vain. I learned how to strategies when there are limited resources. In some cases, the inventions that come from those situations create a product more unique than the supplies that are prominent in any given industry.
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