We had the good fortune of connecting with Angie Contreras Gorrias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Since I was a little girl I have been surrounded by art and design, my grandfather was a shoe designer and my mother an interior designer and fashion designer, so I feel like they passed me that passion for creating and exploring art.

On the other side, I am an environmental health bachelor, and thanks to this I developed a large awareness regarding environmental issues, and one that caught my attention was the impact of fashion on the planet and the human health.

Based on this ideas I wanted to create a brand that joint this both worlds: fashion and sustainability.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
To me what has defined the path of the brand and what makes it unique is the correct blending between a fashion designer and a environmental health professional, this let us keep our core values but also our objectives will prevail in time.

Starting your own business will always present challenges but the results will always be worth it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Costa Rica is a small country, so we’ll take advantage of this.
First, in San José we’ll have brunch in Barrio Escalante at Bacano Latinamerican cuisine, walk around the neighborhood and at noon head to a rooftop called Selvatica in the center of the city, watch the sunset, have a drink and listen to an amazing selection of Djs.

Next day, we’ll head to the pacific coast straight to Santa Teresa Beach, an amazing place. On the days here we will walk on the beach, visit The Bakery for great food, watch the surfers along the coast and visit Aloe Boutique for amazing selection of local designers.

After spending a few days at Santa Teresa, we’ll head to the Caribbean, specifically to Puerto Viejo.
Here you will find a great selection of local food like the famous Rice ‘n’ Beans, hit Calipso coffee shop, ride a bike to the beach and visit Aloe Boutique for another round of great local designer products.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give praises to all the people that has been part of this journey starting with my family and all the way to the models, photographers, suppliers and all the people that has become a friend of the brand, without then none of this would be possible.

Website: https://luacostarica.com

Instagram: lua_costarica

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angiecontrerasg/

Image Credits
VC Photography
Lau S Webb
DANUSE

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