MEET LA MUZA: Maru
Tell us about what inspired you to create Hola Aida, where does the name come from and when?
Aida was my paternal grandmother. She was the inspiration for the name and the instagram handle. Aida was taken on the web and on instagram so I tried to think of what reminded me of her as well and hola came to mind. Whenever we would visit her she had stacks of ¡HOLA! magazines in her porch which she would pass to my mom after she had read them. I was closer to my maternal grandmother but there were so many images of abuelita Aida and her idiosyncrasies that were etched in my memory that just connected the dots for me. As far as what inspired me to create Aida, I think it was honestly cumulative experiences between my personal love for vintage, having been an apparel designer for so long and seeing the wastefulness of the industry and wanting to tie it all back to Puerto Rico somehow. This all happened gradually but I can say it’s definitely an expression of my life, experiences and honestly where I think the industry should be moving towards.
What has been the most challenging part of your work?
Discipline. I worked very structured jobs in the sense that for 14 years I had to be somewhere for over 8 hours a day, five days a week. There was a routine (even if it changed slightly as I moved jobs) that has made managing my time as my own boss very hard. You’d think it would have helped me but since my schedule is not just Monday -Friday anymore and not 9-5 it has thrown me out of orbit. It’s something I continue to work on to get better at but also trying not to beat myself up about.
What does your influence on other women mean to you?
Wow. Good question. I think that what I’d love to influence in any way is an alternative to the current fashion business model. There are so many brands big and small still pushing hustle culture, fast turnarounds, mediocre quality and low prices. That just contributes towards burnout, fast fashion(some indie brands do it too), and high consumption. At the end of the day for me (and I do have to sell to live) it’s about promoting quality, uniqueness, community, consumer education and longevity.
Who is your current Muse?
I don’t have a current muse but I do have people I think about when I source. My ideal muse is someone who loves classic wardrobe staples and doesn’t really follow trends. Someone who knows what looks best on their body (regardless of size) and purchases more consciously. Someone who can see beauty in everything and also isn’t the traditional standard of beauty especially in our culture. I think that is because I’ve never considered myself to fit into those standards of beauty from a young age. The model I use most Karla Rodríguez has one of the most interesting faces to me. We’ve developed a friendship at this point and she has been the original muse from the beginning but I am drawn to a lot of faces and personalities as well.
What is your life motto?
Personally, I’ve never had one. I think what I’ve learned to be the most relevant advice is to surround yourself with people that elevate you and vice versa. Being around people that are supportive, engaging, humble, driven and loving makes such a difference. Surround yourself with people that encourage you to be your best. If you leave from hanging out with someone feeling better than you did earlier that’s a great sign but that also let you feel your feelings and not berate you when you are having off days.
What is the song you most relate to?
Ha! Depends on the day. This is a very hard question to answer.
What does sustainable and ethical mean to you?
Sustainability is very tricky because it’s nearly impossible to achieve. That being said I think it’s about taking steps towards reducing your impact on the environment. What does that look like? Not perfect. I think reusing, recycling, upcycling, renting, mending are super important but also small gestures in your day to day like refusing straws, plastic bags, to go cutlery, reducing meat intake and just extending the life of what you own can make a difference. For Aida it means hopefully getting to source vintage closer to home, not using plastic packaging whenever possible, promoting ways to care for your garments, etc.
Ethical to me means transparency of sourcing and labor practices. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to factories in Asia and seen first hand what production is like. There’s a lot of misinformation out there and generalizations made of what comes from Asia. I think as consumers the best thing you can do is ask where things were made and what guidelines brands use when selecting factories. There’s a lot of great factories in Asia and it’s not just sweatshops; but brands should be more transparent about where they do business. Consumers are expecting it.
What about Casa Muza inspires you?
Casa Muza inspires me to create community, to engage with people more, to connect with my culture, and to have fun while doing it. I love seeing the behind the scenes at Casa Muza. It feels like a family and great work space environment while building a great brand with soul. That feeling is hard to achieve.
What is your legacy or message that you wish to give to the world?
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
-Ferris Bueller
My current message because I think we all evolve with time is: connections matter. Engage with people (not just the ones that agree with everything you say), slow down(note to self), breathe, stop comparing yourself to others, stop scrolling, and to live in the present. All things I’m currently working on.