Meet Angie & Marisol Samayoa | Founders & Sisters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angie & Marisol Samayoa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angie & Marisol, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Angie- It has taught me to appreciate the migration of our mother. She left her family behind to come to America for a better opportunity for her and her family–for us. This journey has definitely taught me to appreciate my family, especially my business partner who is my sister. Whenever I think about giving up on our dream she is always there to motivate me and never lets me give up. Marisol – Self Affirmations. Growing up I was the kid at school (and even at work) that thrived from positive affirmations. The more a teacher or employer said I was doing good, the harder I worked. Working in Sales and ultimately having your own business there is no boss to tell you you are doing a good job. You might get that from friends and family when you do a pop-up, website launch, or something grand. But there is no one there when you are up at 4 am researching the difference between an LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, etc. People might think your crazy, so you have to be the one telling yourself “Good job,” “you did good today,” “you are amazing at this!” “You got this!” etc. I had to learn to be kind to myself, celebrate the small victories, and encourage myself just as any other employer would.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are two sisters who strive to provide classic, beautiful handbags that will last a lifetime and can be used in various settings in life. They also have unmistakenly Mexican designs, are 100% leather, & beautifully handcrafted by Mexican Artisans. Importing directly from Guadalajara, Jalisco to guarantee authenticity. We do not feel the need to show our authenticity through stereotypical designs like the Zarapes, sombreros, paper picado, etc. We want our pieces to have that deep culture, that is undeniably Mexican, yet wearable on a daily basis. It all started by shopping – one of my favorite talents (Angie) lol. We met our {first} vendor in 2013 and shopped for ourselves because we LOVED the work she did. Every year we would go to Mexico and get purses for ourselves, which we still do to this day. Then our friends started asking us to bring them some, to the point we had a whole suitcase filled with handbags alone. And we constantly get compliments from strangers on the streets. So it dawned on us that our friends were not the only ones who would love one of our handbags. Then, companies like Anthropologie & Zara affirmed that when they began selling items “inspired” by our culture, charging hundreds of dollars, and not giving any credit to our community. So we decided to take our savings, buy directly from our favorite Mexican vendor and bring authentic Mexican culture to Los Angeles. Then we realized that the handbags that we sourced, although beautiful and classic, couldn’t be worn EVERYWHERE. So we decided to design our professional line of handbags and totes. We wanted to have bags that could be carried into a courtroom, political office, or sales pitch meeting. Piel Morena was created with the intention to see artisanal designs that capture our culture in every lifestyle that we could be represented. Our elegant bags can be carried by everyone from happy hour with the girls to badass politicians like AOC and more.
It most definitely has not been easy, our 9-5 jobs limit us to only being available for Piel Morena for a few hours of the day. Our lack of funding also limits us to a very small inventory. And 1st generation business owners who are learning as we go and have realized we have very limited resources. But we know that we have a beautiful product and our mom has most definitely taught us perseverance.
We also got the opportunity to join an accelerator program with Cal State LA (LEEAF) that was focused on helping BIPOC businesses in South LA – that changed our whole mentality. LEEAF gave us the opportunity to meet other small business owners and hear about their mentality, their story, their struggles & fears. Then we realized, THAT was us! They encouraged us to push harder and see how we can grow. The program also thought us the fundamentals of running a business – from licensing, taxes, funding, etc. – and help set our foundation. Being surrounded by other entrepreneurs that started where we were allowed us to embrace the big dreams we had for ourselves and Piel Morena. Iron sharpens iron, and we were BLESSED to be accepted into a community that has helped our dream become a reality.
We want Piel Morena to be a symbol of pride and confidence in roots, yourself, your “piel morena.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of us (Marisol) loves the beach, so a day at the beach is a must! Plus, we live on the west coast & there is no better place for Golden Hour than at the beach. Sunday Funday is a must and no one does drag queen brunch better than Hamburger Marys! Then bar hopping in Long Beach is always a good way to spend the day.
Other than that LA is known for hiking, and we love the Old LA Zoo. You can get in the old zoo exhibits, take cute pictures, go on different hikes (the Beehive has great views), then relax in the park afterward.

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?
The LEEAF accelerator program with Cal State LA. They focus on helping BIPOC businesses in South LA. Joining them changed our whole mentality. It gave us the opportunity to meet other small business owners and hear their mentality, their story, their struggles & fears. Then we realized, THAT was us! They encouraged us to push harder and see how we can grow. The program also thought us the fundamentals of running a business – from licensing, taxes, funding, etc. – and help set our foundation. After joining the LEEAD Cohort, we made a commitment to make Piel Morena a legitimate business & work hard to make it a strong staple in the community. Being surrounded by other entrepreneurs that started where we were allowed us to embrace the big dreams we had for ourselves and Piel Morena. Iron sharpens iron, and we were BLESSED to be accepted into a community that has helped our dream become a reality. Now, although we are still part of the LEEAF cohort, we know that it won’t be forever, but we know we have to stay connected to other like-minded people in order to stay sharp. The community alone has catapulted Piel Morena further than what we could imagine in such a short time.

Also, our mom and older sister Skarleht, who have encouraged, supported, and believed in us from the beginning! Las queremos un chingo!

Website: pielmorena.shop

Instagram: @piel.morena_ams

Image Credits
Deysi (@eyecapturevida)