WOMEN WHO EMPOWER: Meet Natalia

Transforming the Fashion Industry one Garment at a Time

Every now and then I encounter women who inspire me through their work. A couple months ago, I had the privilege of getting to know Natalia, an individual who stands for what she believes in – even in an industry that doesn’t always agree with her.

At age 10, Natalia Montero had already found her true passion in this world: creating beautiful garments. What she was perhaps unaware of was how her love for fashion would not only shape her future career, but it would also ultimately determine her role in the industry as a designer.
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Currently receiving a formal education in the fundamentals of fashion and business, Natalia strives to emphasize the importance of implementing eco-friendly fabrics into the fashion industry. She is currently developing a streetwear collection for men and women using eco-friendly fabrics and hopes to educate her customers on fashion sustainability through her work.​

@nataliagemontero

“Ethical fashion and sustainability are important subjects, and people could make better shopping decisions by becoming educated on these subjects.” - Natalia

At a young age Natalia recognized that fashion is “wearable art that conveys messages about ourselves.” Soon after Natalia’s parents saw her potential, they found a local fashion school for her to attend alongside her normal secondary-school.  “I loved fashion so much that I was driven to learn despite the rough schedule” Natalia says. 

Born and raised in Mexico, at age 13, Natalia moved to the States to attend a boarding school. While she discovered her passion for fashion in Mexico, she found her entrepreneurial spirit in the US.  

While pursuing her education in fashion, it did not take long for Natalia to realize how polluted the industry really is. “The industry totally clashes with my values on being eco-friendly and my love for nature.” Natalia particularly criticizes the unethical working conditions in sweatshops and the distorted beauty standards that are set forth in the industry, stating, “In order to see positive change, it is up to every designer, brand and individual customer to work together to restructure the business operations of the fashion industry.”

@nataliagemontero

Rather than focusing on how her personal morals clash with the industry that she so desperately wants to [and deserves to] play a part in, Natalia saw an opportunity to improve the fashion industry by bringing ethics into the game. Natalia seeks to focus on fair workers compensation, replacing the highly-polluting textiles with eco-friendly fabrics, and changing the industry’s beauty standards. 
But that’s not to say she hasn’t encountered obstacles along the way. “Some people (actually, the majority) will try to squash you down with their negative comments. They will try to put off the light within you, especially if you shine bright!” But her response to those wearing her down is: “Take their efforts to put you down as a compliment, smile, and keep on shining.”

Natalia is the exemplification of how young people in this generation can contribute to the improvement of society all whilst pursuing something they love doing. We as individuals hold a responsibility to put ethics in the forefront of what we do, whether its politics or fashion – everyone can make a positive contribution to their communities and to leave this world a little better than we found it. 

With Love,