Conversations with Marcus Santos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Santos.

Marcus, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started off my brand last December of 2019 with the goal of creating a brand that portrays the uniqueness of each of us as individuals but also is able to bring us together as a collective. 2020 was a very challenging year to be a designer due to COVID-19 as you know, all business were shut down for a few months in the beginning of the year which caused a huge hault in the development of my brand as my income was reduced due to the fact that I became unemployed due to Covid which created a huge challenge as my budget decreased drastically for my brand. But thankfully, my brand was growing at a steady rate and my customer base was steadily growing also which kept my brand afloat to get to where I am currently now.

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?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all as though it may seem that everything has been going my way with my brand this year from the outside, it was very challenging to get to where I’m at now. I faced many obstacles mainly mentally as very often I lose confidence in myself to keep going as at many times it gets very hard to stay productive and motivated to keep designing new and better garments which I push myself to do on a daily basis. Also, another challenge would be having faith in myself and investing in myself as throughout the process, I wasted a lot of money due to trial and error trying to find the best manufacturers possible to create quality garments and also to trust in myself to be able to bring my dreams to life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Apparel Design as I will be graduating with a bachelors of Science in Apparel and Fashion Design this Fall 2021 from California State University Northridge. I take pride in analyzing every littlest detail from the design process, material, weight and, stitch of a garment all meet my requirements. And I would say I am known for making very vibrant and different clothing as most of my designs are different, very loud and conversation starters to say the least. I am most proud of how far I have come with my brand in such a short period of time as I reached all the goals I set out for myself this year. What sets me apart from others, I would say is my work ethic as I put in countless hours a day to continue to perfect my craft everyday.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can work with me in many ways such as being a graphic designer to make me new designs that I cannot create myself, manufacturing my garments, modeling for me, promotional posts (IG Celebrities). People could also support me by following my brand on Instagram @oneofone_la and also shopping with me through my website.

Contact Info:

• Email: Oneofonelosangeles1@gmail,com
• Website: https://oneofonela.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneofone_la/