On the Fashion Radar
Stacy Rodriguez, the woman behind Eustacia, has dedicated her life to making clothes that have been part of many people’s milestones
Designer Stacy Rodriguez is fast gaining ground in the fashion industry with her brand Eustacia
A brand born out of Stacy Rodriguez’s passion for fashion, Eustacia was conceived in 2016 and now enjoys the support of its 7,000 active followers on Instagram. Rodriguez, who got her fashion degree from Parsons School of Design in New York City, had always known that she wanted to dedicate her life to designing clothes. “I have always wanted to be in the fashion industry most of my life; it was almost like I did not really know what else I would do if not make clothes. I mean that in the best way,” she tells Tatler.
What excites her most about fashion is the chance it gives her to be part of people’s lives through her artistry. “You can easily be part of someone else’s life. I really love that in fashion,” she explains.
The designer is deeply grateful to belong to a rewarding industry. “I think it is a beautiful thing to create pieces that people decorate and express themselves with. In a way, fashion is a language of its own, and to be in the forefront of this is really a gift.”
According to Rodriguez, her creativity stems from her love for music, food, art and even the less interesting things. “I like to find inspiration everywhere—while I’m listening to music, eating, looking at an artwork or doing the most mundane things,” she shares. “I feel like I am the type of person who loves to constantly create things in my head. Not everything becomes a reality, but I really just like to keep my imagination going even if there is not necessarily an end goal in mind.”
While Eustacia comes off as an identifiable brand because of its unique patterns and silhouettes, its designer remains humble and says she would rather let the people
decide how her designs stand out from all the other fashion lines. “Personally, I do not like speaking comparatively about my work. In the end, it is all very personal so ‘edge’ is not something I pay attention to at all,” she says.
Rodriguez admits that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected her brand in ways she could no longer control; however, the young designer has also found pleasure and hope in seeing many brands survive through innovative measures.
“I think everyone, in a way or another, has been affected by this horrible pandemic. But it has also been a pleasure to see how different companies and industries used innovation to survive,” she shares. “The truth is that the fashion industry has always been surrounded by survivors, hasn’t it? Often, we are motivated the most during our most challenging days.”
Today, Eustacia has switched to an online-based, pre-order ready-towear system. It has also embraced and valued slow fashion which considers the process, resources and time to produce better-quality garments. “It has worked so well for our team. It eased the pressure on our expenses and has very much lessened the risk and wastage of our production line. It is not only good for the environment, but it made us more size-inclusive” she explains.
For lovers of Eustacia, Rodriguez promises to continue coming up with new designs more often. “I would love to produce small and quick releases to avoid the pressure of selling a big collection for a longer amount of time,” she discloses. “Initially, I thought that I would be overwhelmed by having to create so often but the challenge has even helped me get through this pandemic with a little more ease. This has definitely made things a little more exciting.”
As her piece of advice to fashion designers who are also planning to put up their own brands: “Be yourself and never stop creating.”
I think it is a beautiful thing to create pieces that people decorate and express themselves with