Today we’d like to introduce you to Yajaira Bautista.
Yajaira, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey started when I realized I loved expressing myself through fashion. I used to work as a stylist at Nordstrom and one question all of my clients asked was, what are the wrongs and rights when it comes to clothes. To me, I had never thought about like that, I always felt confident and comfortable with what I wore because it was me and it described who I was in that time.
Fast forward, I then attended a fashion school in San Francisco, where I graduated with a major in Merchandising & Marketing. I was told I couldn’t major in fashion because I didn’t know how to sketch…. and well to be honest I still don’t but my designs and sketches still get me by. Anyways, after being told this, I put designing to the side and focused on my corporate job once I graduated.
Once covid started, in 2020, I had a lot of time on my hands and that’s when I really explored my creativity, my brand, and Meraki By Yaya was born. I spoke to those closes to me and one thing I really wanted when it came to the name, was something meaningful, something with purpose. My cousin was actually the person who gave me Meraki as the idea. Meraki is a Greek word that means to do something with love, creativity and soul. It was the perfect fit. Yaya is what my family calls me, it comes with so much love and it feels like a warm hug.
When Meraki first came about, it launched as a boutique. I was so excited and eager to launch something that meant so much to me, I didn’t take the time to really reflect on the bigger picture. What I mean by this is, I didn’t think about the type of brand I wanted to be, what were my values? What was my brand identity? I didn’t want to contribute to fast fashion, I didn’t want to sell what other brands were selling ( as it is a wholesale business). I came to the realization that Meraki was a reflection of me, my culture, my roots, and most importantly, my creativity. I instantly thought about rebranding, donating the rest of my inventory to a women’s shelter in my hometown; San Jose, California.
As I thought about my next step, I had an idea, that idea was a hoodie, lined with a paisley bandana. I worked with a close friend, and someone who I admire so much as a creative, Henry. Henry and I worked together on it, this was my first experience with anything sewing related. When I launched this through Meraki, it was a hit, many people liked it and it felt nice to see an idea become something tangible.
Meraki has now been around for five years, it has gone through a lot of changes, tapped into different categories and has experienced a lot of trial and error. As a designer I have explored streetwear, bags, swimwear, women’s fashion, and accessories. Meraki went from a wholesale boutique, to a cut and sew brand, to now me making my own designs from start to finish . Meraki still doesn’t really have a clear direction, as I go back and forth on what exactly I want to focus on, but if I’m being honest, I don’t want to feel limited to what I should be doing. I want to be free when it comes to creating. I know I can find a way to do so, but it will take some time to figure it out, just like everything else.
I always appreciate everyone who supports me and my brand. I feel so much love, and that’s what keep me going, even on the bad days.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Of course challenges come with running a clothing brand. Besides trying to figure out the brand identity, as I want to do everything that I love, and that’s a little bit of everything I guess, I would say is having creative blocks, and dealing with manufactures.
I’ll start with the struggle on finding a reliable manufacture. It’s super hard to come across a good manufacture as a small brand. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great manufactures out there, who deliver great quality. I do believe it’s tough for smaller businesses and rising designers to find one that is small brand friendly. I have been discouraged in the past and it has made me not want to do another collection but I understand that’s part of the process. I do believe however, that this experience pushed me to want to learn more about sewing and pattern making, so I didn’t have to deal with this again. I truly admire designers who do it all, patterns, tech packs, samples, etc.
Another challenge I would say is having to deal with real life problems and try to be creative at the same time . Obviously everyone deals with different things in life and it’s something you can’t ignore but it definitely does take a toll on creativity. I try really hard not to let it consume me and use my creativity as an escape but sometimes you have to stop and take care of yourself, your mental health, then come back and try again. I struggled a lot with feeling guilty when I wasn’t creating, I was always questioning my dedication, but I had to learn that it’s okay to find a balance, and this has actually helped me as an creative.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m really proud of not letting others define my work or my brand. I used to struggle with what I “should” be focusing on. I always felt because I was into high fashion, that I should only be doing women’s wear. However, I love expressing myself through streetwear as well, I believe this is where I really thrive. I love mixing my Mexican culture into my designs. I tend to go fabric shopping on all my trips, no matter the destination. This allows me to see different fabrics that I wouldn’t find at my local fabric store, textiles that come with some personality , and patterns that spark new ideas.
I try to be very intentional with my designs, that definitely starts with the fabrics, the silhouette and the details the just come to me.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am truly lucky to have built a great bond with a previous professor from the fashion school I went to, she is truly an angel and has taught me how to balance my corporate life and brand throughout the years. She has given me the best advice and one that I would like to share is, if you have a 9-5, plan days to be creative, even if it’s 1 or 2 days a week, schedule some creative time, and you decide what that looks like, whether that’s sketching, drawing, coloring, or even building something.
Networking is huge! I have a group of creative friends who I have become close to because we have shared a lot of time together on different projects. When you surround yourself with other creatives, it motivates you, it brings new ideas, and it keeps you creating. A lot of my friends make music, write, design, and are entrepreneurs. I love to see them release something new because it pushes me to also work on my own thing. We have all worked together before and have networked through each other, it has resulted in great opportunities that I think would have taken me longer to get if it wasn’t for them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://merakifashion.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merakiby_yaya/
Image Credits
Frankie Alaniz
Benny
AyeLeon
Glo Salcido
Anthony Del Sol
