Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanesa Estrella.
Hi Vanesa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It all started in the summer of 1978 in Los Angeles when my mother-in-law Phyllis Estrella saw a billboard sign advertising the “Zoot Suit” play and had to go see it. She was impressed and fell in love with the Zoot Suit, the official dress of the Pachuco. Had it not been for the play “Zoot Suit”, by Luis Valdez, Phyllis would have never seen a Pachuco wearing a Zoot Suit represented on stage. She felt this sudden urge to purchase a Zoot Suit for her brother because she could imagine him being the center of attention-wearing one.
Finding a zoot suit was challenging. It took months of searching but she was finally able to find a tailor that could make her one. Her struggle to find a zoot suit inspired her to start this business. She was convinced that other people must share the same fascination about the Zoot Suit. With her husband’s help and father’s blessing, JR Estrella and Bert Duran, respectively. She made her dream a reality and that’s how this journey began.
Phyllis decided to name the business “El Pachuco Zoot Suits” after the main character in the “Zoot Suit” play. Phyllis recalls the term Pachuco always being used negatively. She thought that if she used Pachuco in her business name, she could give the term some “dignity.” According to Phyllis, “El Pachuco” was who you became when you put on the Zoot Suit.
Opening its doors for business in 1978, El Pachuco Zoot Suits has always been a family business. In the beginning, the family advertised in Lowrider Magazine sold at the swap meet and rented booths at car shows to promote the business. At that time, the majority of our clientele was Latino. In the 1990s Lindy Hop and swing dancing, two popular dance styles from 1920 to the early 1940’s, made a comeback, which exposed the Anglo community to our Zoot Suits. Before we knew it, we had clients coming in from as far away as Switzerland, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. Zoot suits became quite the fashion statement.
In the 2000s social media and the Internet took El Pachuco Zoot Suits to the next level. Being able to purchase directly from our elpachuco.com online store made our zoot suits available worldwide! Now we sell and ship zoot suits for every event. They are very popular for proms, weddings, graduations, baptisms and company Parties.
It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating forty-five years in business this September 16, 2023. Our Gala event will be a Fundraiser and the proceeds will benefit the Estrella Family Foundation, a 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization that serves the Fullerton community. The Anniversary Gala will take place at the Grand Theater in Anaheim, Ca and tickets are tax deductible.
Today, the store is still in the family and is now run by Phyllis’s daughter-in-law Vanesa Estrella, who has kept the store running strong. We love the culture and the people we meet at the store. We like to say that, “We are not in the zoot suit business. We are in the memory-making business!” It is our wish to continue Phyllis’ legacy for many years to come!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was definitely a challenge from the beginning. Especially trying to find a tailor that could make the actual zoot suit. In the late 1990s, tuxedo shops started carrying suits with longer than usual coats and called them a “Zoot Tux”. They were plain suits with long coats and a chain but that was our “competition.” For those that don’t know what a real Zoot suit looks like, that’s what they get.
There have also been many stores that claim to have authentic Zoot Suits, but to this day, we are the only makers of the original authentic 1940s-style Zoot Suits and accessories.
We’ve been impressed with El Pachuco Zoot Suits, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are El Pachuco Zoot Suits. Home of the original zoot suit since 1978. Located in Fullerton, CA. At the store, we make and sell the most authentic reproduction of 1940s-style Zoot suits and accessories worldwide!
Our El Pachuco brand includes custom-made zoot suits with the long, big shoulder, wide lapel coats and high-waisted, pleated, baggy knee and narrow cuffed pants. We also make our own brands of shoes, chains, necklaces, tie clips, lapel chain pins, 1940s-style dress shirts, belly warmer ties, hats and more. We are a one-stop-shop for anything zoot suit!
Since Zoot suits are our specialty, we have been blessed to be able to work with a lot of people from different parts of the world and media. We dress Pachuco singers like Roko Pachucote from Maldita Vecindad in Mexico, Kid Creole from London in the Uk, the famous Chicano Lalo Guerrero and Brenton Wood here in the USA. Plus, many more! We have also made zoot suits for television and movies. Most recently, we made a zoot suit for the Hot Cheetos movie and created over 100 suits for Show Times Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. Our number one customer baseline is here in the USA but due to the Internet, social media and our elpachuco.com website we are able to sell and ship to customers as far as Japan, Sweden, France, and the UK.
Our customers love the zoot suit style and culture. We have customers that come in because they come from generations of Pachucos. It is what their grandparents wore to their wedding so that’s what they want to wear too. Zoot suits are very popular for Quinceañeras and weddings too. We make people happy, fulfill their dreams and keep the Pachuco culture alive. That is what we do and what we hope to continue to do for years to come!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
For more information on upcoming events and collaborations, people can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube at @elpachucozootsuits
We do sell and ship worldwide. We can be contacted via phone at 714-526-3743, email at elpachucozootsuits@gmail.com or visit our elpachuco.com website.
Contact Info:
- Website: Elpachuco.com
- Instagram: @elpachucozootsuits
- Facebook: @elpachucozootsuits
- Youtube: @elpachucozootsuits
Image Credits
Images by Vanesa Estrella
