SOMEWHERE STAGE SPOTLIGHT:
SAUCERRA DESIGNS NEXT STEPS
Street Couture fashion designer Jay Saucerra and his Coats
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Jay Saucerra, like many artists, showed promise from a very young age. He went to an arts school and has found himself in art scenes in New York and LA. His tastes as a fashion designer at the moment are a mix of city, street, and club wear in tune with the chicano excellence of designers like Willy Chavarria and Rio Uribe. One of his latest shows featured a variety of faux fur coats. We asked the artist about his current stage in his artistic journey and he had a lot to say that is very much in line with the new wave of mental health awareness that maintains self care as a counterbalance to life’s various pursuits. Years ago, the rugged relentless drive towards a goal at all costs was often viewed as a necessary, normal, and often glorious pillar of becoming successful. However, the new generation of cultural architects, entrepreneurs, and world movers are more in tune with the need to thrive holistically during the process of “making it”.
“I’m looking forward to the next season of fashion designer that I’m going to become. I’m trying to invent myself and I’ve been trying to do that for the last three years. Trynna be more polished, more professional as a brand.” Jay’s outlook was definitely positive overall throughout the interview while also acknowledging a few growing points for the designer he is today. He mentioned that “the sales [he] did this past year are amazing but [he] wants to make sure that moving forward if [he’s] getting orders for 20 fur coats”, that the order is not out of his capacity to handle. A difficult step for any artist and young business is learning to manage production at higher and higher scales. “At that time I said that I wished I blew up. That way I can hire more assistants and stuff but it’s like that saying goes, “if you are praying to be successful make sure you can handle it.”…at the time I wasn’t ready.”. He says that he is focusing on his mental health and also working a 9-5 job for a cushion of stability. He expressed that it has been nice to have the support of a dependable income because it removed the stress of having to rely on his craft for his living expenses which was also damaging his creativity.
The young designer recently relocated outside of LA county and discussed the challenges of living outside of the city. Jay expressed that opportunities that are available are also of a lesser quality than those which he feels are merited by his level of skill. In fashion, “it’s all about the name. Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein. I wanna be that name.” Jay said. To become the name requires so many things however. For the young designer, a core ingredient to actualization is having community and individuals that believe in him and essentially say, “go do it.” It’s a trend among so called “dreamers”; this idea that I know I can, I know I will, I’m just waiting for someone to say go do the thing. Some call this imposter syndrome. “Slowly I’m getting over it, no one is going to save me and I’m going to be the one to break down those barriers. [I’m] realizing I may need a team. I do have to make those connections. Finding those people. I feel ready. Here (the area he relocated to) who do I tell that to? One person is going to laugh at me, one person is going to tell me that my shit sucks, one person is going to say I “could” do it, another will say their uncle tried it and he failed.” Perhaps a creative vision is near sighted, a mere apparition, if you are not surrounded by people who can also see it. It would appear that even in the age of AI and TikTok, that being in the right space -geographically- is still important. Jay Saucerra mentioned that despite limited resources in his new city, that he felt safe. He can’t fail because he is not actively working on anything big he expressed, but he is regrouping and getting ready for his next big move.
He was also reached out to recently by the elusive Los Angeles Fashion and Community Initiative which may provide that push that he is looking for. This October sees the up and coming designer recentering and creating Halloween costumes for himself and his niece.