Where Fashion Meets Family History

Idalia Rodriguez | Writer

On the island where I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, we hold a fashion week from August 30th to September 4th where only the top brands gather and display their best designs to the public while also giving their all to show a year's worth of fashion.

My father comes from a small village north of the island called Villa Los Almácigo. He left his hometown, moved to the city after finishing middle school, and started working at a corner store selling clothes and sneakers. His childhood friend was also in the fashion business but was working for a Turkish fashion company called LTB Jeans.

The brand needed more people to work, so my father's friend recommended that my dad become the sales manager. As the years of hard work went by and LTB Jeans gained more and more recognition, the people who run the fashion shows in DR announced LTB Jeans as one of the top brands that would attend fashion week.

As a young girl amazed at the beautiful pieces and models, my excitement could not be contained as I learned that we had been invited to watch and help with the models on the runway. Even though I loved fashion and everything related to it, growing up overweight always held me back from truly showing how passionate I felt about fashion. While I helped models get ready and prepare for the show, the reality of how much work went into this one week dawned on me. It was a privilege to experience and prove that my dad’s hard work had paid off.