Inspirations

My grandfather, who I referred to as “Papito” (Faustino Herrera). Moved to Santa Fe with my father (Michael Herrera) when my dad was just around 2 years old. Living all around the historic downtown area, my grandfather began his hair salon business where he would use every inch of the wall to promote and sell his art. He would paint churches mostly, traveling all over New Mexico to paint a new church to add to his collection. When done, he would encase these painting in the most unique, hand made, wood frames. I knew my grandpa for about 14 years of my life. He was so creative and stylish even in his later years. I remember my dad taking me and my brother to wherever his salon was set up at the time (there was always a new location), walking around the shop seeing all that he had created. T-shirts, big paintings, small paintings, paintings on tiles, magnets, bags, all laid out on tables and walls for his lucky customers to see. This man inspires me to this day. I wish I had spent more time with him, and I am so incredibly grateful to be part of his bloodline. Such a creative individual. I never realized how cool my grandpa was until after he had passed away.”

Inspirations

My father, my best friend, my role model and teacher. My dad is the most unique person I have ever known. Growing up without a mother, Michael started his young life born in Salt Lake City, moving to Santa Fe with his father. As him an I would walk around town getting breakfast somewhere, he would point out places that he used to live, which are now major storefronts in the heart of the downtown area. Telling me where he used to sell newspapers as a little boy to make a couple coins for the day. Showing me his first auto body shop location where he was following his passion of working on / restoring cars. My dad retired as a major in the Army, instilling an undeniable “get the job done" mentality. He built his own home for his family to grow up in, works on the most beautiful classic vehicles, hunts, fishes, farms, fixes just about anything, and so much more, I couldn’t even fit everything in this description if I tried. My dad has taught me to think for myself, not always taking the path that is laid out for us to take. Taking risks with confidence and keeping our head high throughout it all. A problem solving, do it yourself mentality which has rarely led him to failure. My father has taught me a million things in my life. All that I will value until the day that I die. He truly is everything that I hope to be.

Personal Story

In my late teenage years, I came to the realization that life is a playground full of infinite possibilities to choose from. A place where you are the player of your own unique game. Some people choose to go along with the path laid out for the average American, a simple life that consists of working for someone else’s company, and returning home to hopefully get a bit of personal time for themselves. Others choose to create their life around the passions and experiences that bring them joy. Throughout the entirety of my life, I have found joy in creation. Music, Video, Art, Clothing. Bringing ideas to life and presenting them to the world. Doing so has given me a feeling of bliss that I cannot find anywhere else. I find that through creation I am able to tell my own story without directly explaining it.

I started making clothes in high school, simply using a heat press to put a design I had made onto a cheap t-shirt. Filling my locker with clothes to sell, rather than storing my textbooks. Doing this for a year or two I then expanded to screen printing, remembering old screens laying around my grandfathers shops. “If he could figure out how to do it, then i’m sure I could too”, I told myself. Learning screen printing took much more effort and attempts to get the result I wanted. Not giving up, I finally got the perfect outcome I was searching for. Repeating the process time and time again only made me faster and more precise. But in order to truly be the creative I wanted to be. I knew I could no longer use other peoples garments to print on. So I found my mothers old sewing machine and told myself I would figure out how to work this thing. I started out with trying to modify my jeans, a simple task that would teach me the fundamentals of how to sew. I then began taking apart articles of clothing I really liked, sacrificing a piece, knowing if I couldn’t put it back together I would lose something meaningful to me. This added a sense of a “I can’t mess this up”, mentality. Forcing myself to learn, I don’t even think about the process anymore, It is just second nature.

What I hope to achieve from this store, Is not only a place to buy my own hand crafted clothing. But to give individuals the belief in themselves to pursue the ideas they have in their mind. I create everything seen on this website from a single mobile home in Santa Fe. I have no big budget, no team helping me create anything, only the ideas in my head and the few tools I have gathered over the years. If you find joy in something, anything, I encourage you to take a risk, and surround yourself with the necessary tools and information to achieve the desired outcome. Create your own experience. The world truly is yours. Enjoy my website.

• Fabian Herrera