Meet Sergio Enríquez | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sergio Enríquez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sergio, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I decided to start my own business to promote Día de Muertos (DDM) and encourage other to embrace their inner-rebels all year round. This is because I noticed that many brands sold limited-time-only DDM products. Establishing my own DDM-inspired business would allow people to have access to this Mexican tradition whenever they wanted. Thus, rebelling against the norm and celebrating life on their own terms.

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.
Establishing my first small business was challenging for many reasons. Firstly, because I had to learn how to legally set-up a business on my own. My parents never owned a business so I had no previous knowledge of what the requirements were. Another reason why it was challenging was because it was mostly self funded with the money I earned as a paralegal. Although I did take advantage of the COVID stimulus and reinvest it in my business, I still up-fronted a lot of the initial start-up costs which quickly added up. This is something I wasn’t fully aware of or prepared for, but somehow I made it work. My piece of advice for future entrepreneurs is to do your research and save as much possible well in advance so you are fully prepared to establish your small business.

I may have not sold thousands of hats yet, but I consider myself to be successful because I managed to produced a high quality product whose material and cultural value speak for itself. I did that on my own, which I am proud of.

My hats are different from others on the market as they include a built-in Día de Muertos altar in the under bill, which allows you to put a picture of a loved one inside and carry them on the go. I am most proud of this feature as it adds an additional layer of value to this personal item that already has so many uses. I am excited for others to enjoy the experience of placing a picture of a loved one in the pocket and feeling their loved ones close to them. Because why should we be limited to honoring them only once a year?

I thought outside of the box when developing my hat as I wanted to use every space available to create a unique product. This was a risk as I thought people may consider it to be gimmicky, but I ultimately decided to go for it as you cannot limit creative vision and personal expression. So far, the risk was worth it as I have received positive feedback from my community about my Altar Snapback.

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 wouldn’t have established my brand if it weren’t for my profound appreciation of Mexican cultural heritage. My cultures close relationship with death definitely inspired me to take a take a risk and launch my own brand for I realized that I only have one life to live. I am also inspired by people who are not afraid to be authentically themselves – genuine rebels. In the end, REBELVIS is a love letter to Mexican culture, the vintage aesthetic, and rebel hearts around the world. These sources of inspiration helped shape a line of eclectic products that defy the norm in the most stylish way possible.

Website: www.rebelvis.com

Instagram: @rebelvisofficial

Facebook: @rebelvisofficial