Ximena Valero, a Look for the Creative Woman
The Mexican-born designer gives her customers a style that offers 50 options with only one dress. For full story, click here.
Clothing designer Ximena Valero produces looks for the creative woman. She gives her customers a style that offers 50 options with only one dress—a concept that’s not only chic, but economically savvy.
She was born in Mexico City, raised in Tijuana, and trained in the ways of sexy fashion by working with Victoria’s Secret in New York. Valero has made a name for herself in Los Angeles with her iconic and one-of-a-kind “transformable” clothing line.
Getting inspiration from everything in her life, Valero says the original idea of designing her very popular OMG dress (the one that can be worn a number of ways), was born out of necessity. While in NY, she was asked to collaborate on the “Very Sexy”, “Pink”, and “Angels” lines for Victoria’s Secret. “We didn’t have enough clothing for the many models who kept showing up at the studio. So, we needed to make things reversible and changeable.”
Allowing women to be creative with my dresses has been the secret to my success. I fabricate in stretchy fabrics like Lycra, and season to season that doesn’t change.
Valero really found her groove when she was living in NY and asked to dress the “New Faces of Elite” models for the kick-off of New York Fashion Week in 2006. It’s been a great ride since then.
“The move from NY to LA felt exactly right for me. I’m where I want to be in LA. I love driving. In NY, you have to walk everywhere. I hated that. Here, I listen to audio books in the car, and based on the fact that I’ve seen so many people leaving NY and moving to LA, I know I did the right thing by moving here five years ago,” Valero says.
It seems Hollywood has joined the party of dressing ‘Valero-style’ and creating your own look. Actress Jessica Alba, pop stars Katy Perry and Paulina Rubio, singer and songwriter Alicia Keys, and supermodel Janice Dickinson, are all wearing the designer’s clothing.
Gearing her line toward all types of women, from the nature girl, to the more conservative, to the voluptuous, she says the goal is to appeal to women from all continents and accentuate their bodies.
“Allowing women to be creative with my dresses has been the secret to my success. I fabricate in stretchy fabrics like Lycra, and season to season that doesn’t change.”
Valero’s designs have a movement and vibrancy of color that could easily be identified as having “Latin” flair, but the designer says it’s more important that her client feel the clothing fits who they are, as opposed to who she is.
She’s hoping customers will soon be able to shop in large department stores for her line, and though she won’t say which of the stores is now courting her, she admits the next step should be soon.
Women can now shop for Valero at Fred Segal and Planet Blue in LA or around the world using her online shop.
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