Damaris Flores knows that in order to make it as an up-and-coming stylist in the fashion industry, there’s a lot of hustle involved. When the Guatemalan-American creator moved to LA to try to get her inclusive and boundary-pushing brand off the ground, she was faced with a lot of people telling her “no.” But now armed with an unstoppable drive and portfolio of groundbreaking projects, Flores has one goal in mind: to prove naysayers wrong.
Ever since she was a young girl playing around with clothes in her mom’s closet, Flores has created her own unique style. She would cut up her favorite pieces and create unconventional looks while appeasing her inner “wild child.” She may have been bullied for her eccentric style growing up, but Flores now knows that peoples’ closed-mindedness was a symptom of a homogeneous fashion industry — and that’s where her own work comes in.
For Uproxx’s New Normalists series presented by Instagram, Flores explains how she aims to foster greater inclusivity when it comes to beauty and fashion. “Fashion has always been for European women. I’m tired of seeing that, I’m tired of that being a beauty standard,” she said, continuing: “I want to show women who look like me that you can make something out of nothing. ‘Style is in you’ is my philosophy and it represents all colors, all sizes, [and] being your true self.”
Now that she’s put together stunning red carpet looks and styled cover artwork for some of today’s hottest musicians, Flores has learned the importance of putting herself and her art out there. But more than anything, the stylist values her own authenticity. “Own who you are because, at the end of the day, I think that’s what people will remember,” Flores said.
Watch Flores share her passion for style above and find more of Uproxx’s New Normalists series here.