Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Ramos.
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Melissa, I am a 30-year-old creative entrepreneur who owns a creative agency based out of Los Angeles. I grew up in Downey, CA, and then went to university to pursue my dreams of working in politics. I went to school for political science, and I enjoy being politically active. I thought I wanted a job in Washington, D.C., but I was sorely mistaken. I then spent the next 5 years of my career working in finance and business development consulting. In 2020, during the pandemic I started to pursue my true passion, which has always been to work in fashion. I decided to apply the skills I learned in finance and transfer it into a more creative pursuit. At the time, I was so eager to start my own sustainable and size-inclusive clothing line and try many new things, but I soon realized how much capital it takes to really build a sustainable fashion brand from scratch. I definitely went through the ringer learning the fashion industry. It’s very easy to be taken advantage of as a newcomer to the industry. I’ve had product developers and sample makers ghost me (and all their clients) midway through the development process. I felt like I was making every mistake in the book, but no matter how many times I wanted to give up, I still had this unwavering passion and determination to “make it.” I call this my butterfly effect moment, but one day, I couldn’t sleep and decided to google the founders of some of my favorite streetwear brands. One is the iconic Dimepiece Los Angeles. Their designs were all over everyone’s Tumblr feeds back in the day. I soon found Laura Fama and decided to follow her on Instagram because I had admired her work for so long. I remember saving my money in college just to afford a Dimepiece hoodie and sweats, and that’s if they weren’t sold out. Then she DMs me… not really what I expected, and we hopped on a zoom call a few days later, and we clicked instantly. I finally found the mentor I needed to guide me in this crazy fashion space, and it was someone I find inspiring?!? I am still in awe to have someone like her having my back. From there, my career just started moving forward. One thing about me is I am never afraid to pivot and take risks, because that’s how one truly finds their path. I am also on a constant quest of learning, so I was also picking up random jobs working in fashion so I could learn the business side. So many creatives want to start something but fail to realize how important the business aspect is. I soon found myself working at New York Fashion Week for a Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist, Sami Miro Vintage, and it all started with me scrolling on my phone because I couldn’t sleep one night. Being surrounded by such inspiring women of color in the fashion industry has really motivated me as well. You rarely see women of color in leadership roles in fashion industry. I see the paths these women have forged for themselves and am truly honored to work with them. I am very lucky to have a support system of heavy hitters who aren’t afraid to roll their sleeves up and work and give me advice if I need it. Despite going through the ringer, I have met some of the most authentic and inspiring souls working in the fashion and creative space. I put the clothing line on hold to pursue design and sourcing consulting and have turned my design consultancy into a creative agency. At this point, I have quite literally traveled the world to learn about the business of fashion, sustainable sourcing, and supply chain. I have been to Mexico and Morrocco and countless trade shows, networking in the field. I find myself inspired by the stories of the people behind the business of fashion. There are so many amazing stories out there, and that is what my creative agency focuses on. Crafting compelling stories about the people that move our economy. The story of the person sewing your garment matters just as much as the designer presenting a collection. It was then that I realized I enjoy building brands because I am helping these business owners create generational wealth while sharing their stories. I hope to keep scaling my creative agency and I’m looking forward to announcing some cool collaborations I have been working on soon! My agency is Cosmic Cult Studios. My purpose in this life is to empower women to empower themselves to go after their dreams with grit, and tenacity. It takes hard work to break those boundaries and create those opportunities as a female entrepreneur. For this reason, I am also the National Vice President of Marketing of my sorority, Latinas Promoviendo Communidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. I truly believe in serving the members of an organization that poured so much into me and turned me into the leader I am today (I also have a degree in advance leadership theory). So, I wear many hats each day, but I look forward to continue living and walking in my purpose daily, no matter how hard it gets some days.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but you’re only a failure if you give up. There have been soooo many struggles. So many tears have been shed, money lost to shady developers and contractors operating in bad faith. But my biggest obstacle at time has been ME. I think many of us can relate to those feelings of Imposter Syndrome or self-doubt, but I have learned that’s completely normal! You just gotta push through. You also have to set strong boundaries and not let people be manipulative because, at the end of the day, we are here to do business. People will actually respect you more the more upfront you are about your boundaries as a professional. So many struggles, yet so many lessons learned.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a design and creative agency. We were formerly known as Cosmic Cult Designs, but we are not doing business as Cosmic Cult Studios. My agency’s mission is to harness the power of creativity and innovation, backed by data, to provide sustainable and long-term solutions for business owners. You can be as creative as you want, but given the climate of our environment, it’s super important to make conscious choices as business owners, and I help owners navigate through that.
I offer creative strategy consulting service packages depending on the business owner’s needs, which can be anything from design consulting to creative direction to video production. Because of my background in finance and business development, I have been able to transfer many of my skills from the finance world to my consulting practice. Due to this, I have worked with clients from fashion and hospitality to private equity, and I hope to keep building my roster. We help business owners craft compelling stories and create an effective and creative messaging strategy so these business owners can scale to the next level and begin having more time to build out other aspects of their business, and ultimately have more time to spend living their lives with their families.
I will soon be launching a creative community hub that would give creative entrepreneurs access to tools they need to navigate through the fashion and creative space. There really are so many opportunities and career paths people truly aren’t aware of. I truly enjoy teaching and mentoring others.
What sets my brand apart is we aren’t afraid to make a statement, and that is why our tagline is: “Unleash your power, make a statement, own your style.” I also think this is what I am most proud of. Not being afraid to make a statement or shy away from the taboo. Let’s talk about the hard stuff, but also, let’s be silly and enjoy the process.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
YES MANY. My professional mentor, Laura Fama, has really helped me find clarity in my career. Finding clarity really helps you cut out the noise and focus.
My father, Manuel Ramos, has also been a supporter of mine. He came to this country with nothing, and I have seen him hit every milestone he has ever set his mind to, and I am proud to have him as a mentor and supporter. He is breaking barriers himself, as a Mexican man in finance.
My rescue pup, Jimmy Dean, for always comforting me during a mental breakdown.
Janeen Aughenbaugh, the CEO of Sami Miro Vintage. She is one of the most amazing women I have met. It’s important to have people who encourage you to live your most intentional, authentic life, and Janeen is someone who has taught me that. She has also brought me opportunities with people I would have never imagined meeting.
Sami Miro herself is someone is an angel on earth. I remember seeing her speak at a conference and thinking what a powerhouse she was by crafting such an intentional sustainable business. I didn’t get a chance to meet her that day because she was swarmed by the girlies (obviously). Then, two years later, I am at her studio running around for fabrics for her 1st runway show. Working alongside someone with such vision and tenacity is inspiring. She deserves the world. I have learned so much from her and her team. I am forever grateful to them.
Last but not least, my friends who have stuck around and supported this crazy journey, even if they don’t understand what it is I do all the time, LOL, but they mean the world to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopcosmiccult.com
- Instagram: @mellyrinla @cosmiccultstudios
- Other: TikTok @mellyrinla
Image Credits
Marvin Alberto
