Middle America has never been seen as a fashion hub of the United States. Menswear brand companies are years behind other areas, but Norman resident Alejandro Vaca is hoping his new men’s line will send Oklahoma into the future.
Vaca comes from Ecaudor, where accessories and ensembles are critical parts of the culture’s everyday attire for both men and women. America’s “renaissance of makers” will help them grab the attention of the manliest of men in Oklahoma. Vaca commented:
“We’re focused on marketing to women who are choosing clothes and accessories for their husbands, spouses, fathers, or who are making suggestions about what looks good and what they like on a man. I grew up in a matriarchal community, one where the role of women and their contribution was respected, and that’s what we’re trying to do with our brand, to respect a woman’s contribution and to help reshape the typical macho man’s way of thinking about women and about fashion.”
Vaca, 35, is the fourth-generation fashion man following all the men before him up to his great-grandfather.
“I used to sneak in as a kid and have the employees teach me how to use the machines before I was really old enough,” Vaca said. “I have a memory from when I was really young of being in this room that was filled with hundreds of rolls of leather and that smell, it has always felt homey to me.”
“The big goal is to open a boutique here in Norman,” Vaca said in December. “I’m hoping to do that next year, but it could still be a couple years. We’ll see how things go.”
Vaca displays some of his collection at Stash, a local shop in Norman, but also goes to the University of Oklahoma’s Innovation Hub.
“The Hub exists to support entrepreneurs among the campus community and the Oklahoma community at large,” Fabrication Lab Director Brandt Smith said. “Our goal is not that he would continue using the Hub forever, but we want to help him get to point when he is successful and eventually can sustain without us.”
“People here have been so welcoming and warm, and I want to contribute to that and to give back to the place that helped me start this,” Vaca said.
