Daily Inspiration: Meet Leidy Castaño

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leidy Castaño.

Hi Leidy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Leidy Castaño. I wanted to be a fashion designer since I was eight years old. Volotea Fashion started at my university in Colombia. A year before graduating, Volotea had been identified as the name of my fashion brand after a teacher referenced the meaning in relation to the way a butterfly flutters its wings. The name felt significant to me and I connected authentically. I began designing pieces, grew to design collections, opened several stores in the Medellin region of Colombia, and have expanded to the Wear the Future Showroom in Los Angeles. Volotea Fashion is an eco-fashion brand that uses all natural fabrics, organic pigments for dyeing, and has created elegant pieces for both women and men. Volotea is not a fast fashion brand but instead focuses on connecting with nature in sustainable ways to hand make every item uniquely delivering clothing where no two pieces are the same. Our brand has participated in runway shows in Medellin, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, and was featured at the Coachella festival Sonic Desert. Today, Volotea Fashion has products in four locations in Colombia including my own El Retiro Showroom, expanded to the United States, and continue to grow our international opportunities.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road in fashion has not always been easy. It starting with my four hour commute to complete University nearly every day for three years, overcoming the constraints of being a female artist, and has grown to navigating the current economic business climate across South and North America,

Over the years, I have learned from the challenges of starting physical retail stores, grew skills in sales and business, and authentically selected reliable, eco-friendly partners passionate about sustainable fashion.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m the CEO and Fashion Designer at Volotea Fashion. I lead all creative collection design and business operations for our company.

I specialize in creating art by hand, connecting to earth’s natural ingredients, and matching elegant fabric to a stainable manufacturing process. We combine natural dyes with organic fabric using one-of-a-kind artisanal techniques. I have designed custom pieces, eco-print collections, and fashion as art.

I am product to be a business owner from Colombia, overcoming the many challenges artists from our region face. I have devoted my early career to a lifestyle committed to my work. I have really appreciated the journey I have been blessed with as I discover new opportunities, materials, pigments, or techniques that can be applied for customers globally.

I work quickly to prototype pieces, engage my team, and gather feedback. I enjoy teaching both formally and informally within my industry to give back and provide chances for others. I have also tried to avoid distractions, stay authentic, and be my own true self.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I am curious and love to learn. I also do not stop when I have a goal and have been very persistent along my fashion journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.voloteafashion.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voloteafashion
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/voloteafashion/

Image Credits
Car photo – Photographer: @natashawilson.co, Model: @camillenighthorse
Volotea Fashion Model – Desert Shot – Photographer: @sklae_photographer
All other photos – Photographer: @voloteafashion