Meet Houston Based Fashion Designer, Luis Villareal.
I know it's been a very long time since I published a new article but honestly I've been in somewhat of a creative rut and the individuals that I spoke to and sent questionnaires to never responded to them and kept me waiting. I had some other ideas for articles that I was working on but a guy from Houston named Luis personally hit me up last week and wanted me to do an article on him so I sent the questionnaire and got to learn about him. I apologize for the extreme inconsistency but I'm still working on some other articles but I'm doing a lot of research to make sure I don't give wrong information on anything. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this article.
1. Could you tell us about yourself?
My name is Luis Villareal, I'm a 17 year old Houston designer attempting to reach the highest quality of design. Honestly, I'm really passionate about fashion design. I'm not after the money and fame, I just want to be able to express myself to people who want to understand me more.
2. How did you get into Fashion?
I was put into the design class on accident for my freshman year at high school but I ended up enjoying it and I became good at designing. After that I fell in love with the art of design.
3. At what age did you develop your love for fashion?
I developed a love for fashion at the age of 16. I became more involved with art and design and I frequently attend fashion shows and art galleries to meet and talk to people so I could learn and see things from multiple perspectives.
4. Do you have your brand yet?
Yes, it's called Petrastellam which means rock star in latin but the style of clothes is simplistic and always of a high quality. I may not have a huge fan base for the brand as yet but there is a lot of potential for the company to build.
5. Are you inspired by any fashion designers or brands?
I am inspired by Acne Studios, Vetements and Off White. Each individual company has their own unique styles of product development but the art and quality put into each product simply urges me to keep designing and push myself.
6. If you could work with anyone who would it be?
If I could work with anyone it would have to either be Demna Gvasalia who is the creative director of Balenciaga and head designer of Vetements, Virgil Abloh, the owner and creator of Off White and Val Kristopher. Each designer puts so much work into everything they create and they innovate the world of fashion with every garment they create. I also like the fact that they work with a lot of denim.
7. Are you planning to study fashion design at university? If so, what schools are you looking at?
Even though I do want to become a designer I would like to get a degree in business due to the fact that I don't think a fashion degree may not be as helpful. I will apply my creativity and design skills with my business sense because school can't help me become more creative. Creativity is something a person must develop on their own. The schools I'm looking at are FIDM, PRATT or Parsons.
8. What are your plans for the rest of the year with regards to fashion?
For the rest of the year in high school I plan on dropping all the science and english classes and taking business management and photography. However, outside of school I will continue to work on my company and continue to meet new people and attend fashion events.
9. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself either in California or New York going to college and also building my company. I also would like to be able to do collaborations with people.
10. Do you plan on doing this on your own or do you have some sort of support system?
My family doesn't really support me a whole lot or see the effort I put into my work but I do have my best friends that I can come to for a second opinion when I am having second thoughts about something but on the other hand a designer should always have faith in their own work.
