Life & Work with Damian Terriquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Damian Terriquez.

Hi Damian, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never thought I would own my own business. I studied marketing at university and danced professionally while in school. I thought that I would go to work at a marketing firm or an ad agency. However, I stumbled on an idea for a final during my junior year- elegant gender neutral clothing made in Downtown LA. The original idea changed several times over the course of the following summer. It went from making one or two pieces for a few friends to developing a capsule collection.

Throughout my senior year, I would tinker away at the numbers, figuring out the budget as I went along. I didn’t really know where to start as I didn’t study fashion or design. So I did what most people in my generation do and took to the internet. After researching different pattern makers, cutters and production houses, I found a company that was able to work with someone at my level. I reached out, told them about my situation and my ideas, and surprisingly they responded with all of the information I needed. Honestly, I expected them to turn me away or tell me that I was being premature – but they didn’t. After I learned how much I would need to get the brand together, I set to work; literally. I don’t come from a family with money so I knew that I would have to find another way of getting funding than asking my parents for a check. I got two part-time jobs that summer and kept one of them during my last two semesters of school.

With the money I saved up, I was able to at least get the samples of the clothes made. From there, I was able to build out my own website and online store (thanks to the internet yet again). After I had something to show, I was able to go to my family and with their help, I got a small business loan for our first round of stock. Currently, we’re a few weeks past launch and I am really proud of where we are. All of this started pre-pandemic and it would have been really easy to let that stop us (me) but instead of stopping all together, I just decided to scale back. Instead of launching the full collection of five pieces, the brand launched with three key garments; a silk blouse, pleated trouser and floor-length cardigan. I’m proud that we are entirely made in Downtown LA and have most of our sourcing contacts within the city as well.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The two biggest challenges so far have been financing and the covid-19 pandemic. I think that financing is a problem that most small/start-up businesses have so I’ll just stick with the pandemic. I’ve been working on Epicoene since March 2019, which means that things were already underway when the pandemic started. The first of many disruptions was our timeline. Initially, we wanted to launch in the summer of 2020, but our factory (and most of the city) closed for a couple of months between May and August. Which meant that our samples weren’t ready until almost September. We’ve moved past it though, and have come out the other side relatively unscathed. Sure, we scaled back our launch but we still launched. So many other small businesses have closed their doors for good, so I just feel unbelievably lucky that we get to continue forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I design gender-neutral clothes and own a brand called Epicoene. The pieces I make are a mix of elegance with nostalgia. The brand is entirely made in Downtown Los Angeles which is one of our biggest sources of pride. Epicoene is different from other gender-neutral brands in that it’s a bit more feminine. A lot of gender-neutral brands pull inspiration from menswear (which is fine) but we take most of our inspiration from womenswear from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Yes! Mainly plan ahead. Of course, no one could have planned for the crisis but I found that it is much easier to adjust a preexisting plan than craft one from scratch during a global pandemic.

Pricing:

• Silk Blouse – $250
• Floor Length Cardigan – $285

Contact Info:

• Email: info@epicoene.com
• Website: www.epicoene.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/epicoene.la
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/epicoene.la
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/epicoene_la
• Other: www.pinterest.com/epicoene.la

Image Credits
Carlina Cruz Damian Terriquez