Meet Jesse W Soriano Jr.

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jesse W Soriano Jr.. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jesse W below.

Jesse W, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

As a child of the 80’s, with the emergence of so many trends, fads and icons, the notion of being something different was widely accepted. This was true in both social circles as well as career options. It was the age of excess; to show your style, wealth, social status, talent or brain power was common. It was the exclusionist policy of the Reagan era that largely dictated and brought about nationalism, the view we had about being the most powerful nation on earth. Though some policies excluded this notion and seemed out of touch with mainstream lower class Americans, the 80s proved to be a time in history of radical social change. Wealth went up, music was of every genre those days, the fashion world was rejoicing in the concept of couture being turned into ready-to-wear, now being found at your local department stores for half the price it originally sold for. The media portrayed the fashion world as a small social circle of party-going designers. The ability to be a part of that was largely based on concepts not of “what you know” but of “who you know”.
Having gone to a private school in the big city, I knew that fashion was always poking my interest. The amount of wealth in that school sparked my constant inquiry about fashion. We wore ties all through kindergarten to the 8th grade, and that also continued into high school. I think because of these uniforms, the formal style of that forced me to always pay attention to fashion & style, and more to pride myself in developing my gown sense of fashion as a useful tool for self confidence, and a style I could call my own. Part of it was indeed, the trend of Polo & Topsiders; every student wanted to fit in, but also showtheir own way of doing that preppy look with their own selected pieces of fashion. For example: loafers instead of Topsiders, Vans instead of Jordans, Dior instead of Polo, Penguin instead of Esprit. Social activities for me were limited back then because we lived 55 miles out of San Francisco, so while others played school sports on the weekend, I tagged along with Mum, and we’d spend all weekend at the discount stores, combing the racks for good fashion, for events or social engagements we had for the next week. Both my parents believed that neatness, style, and good shoes were the hallmark of raising an educated child. It wasn’t until high school that I realized that my sense of fashion was becoming a notable and applauded effort amongst the student body. As I continued my education at a coed prep school, and hauled all my prized formal wear to school, both guys and girls would often borrow my clothes for school events or dances. It spoke to my freedom of expression and certainly played into my sense of building self confidence, as I matured. It was fashion that helped me build self confidence. As long as I was confident in what I wore that day, I could command anything or anyone, or a whole group of folks if need be. This became my most powerful form of self expression, later in life, when I translated that fashion sense of style into my own designer collections for others to wear. At LAFashionWeek (LAFW) 2020, I knew that my differences and nuances in fashion design had be different from the trends other designers were following. Just as I did in grade school, I had to feel like the outcast, and rely on my sense of difference and innovation, to earn the recognition, to be asked to back. Mission accomplished. We just completed our 4th season at LAFW 2024. I often say, it’s good to be different. You don’t have to look like the rest to be the best.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

-CHANGING THE TIDES OF FASHION

Our primary focus is in design/ manufacturing one of a kind pieces for event dressing, The other part of what Aquatico Clothing Company deals with is media/entertainment production aspects within the industry.. Originally founded as an Event Coordination company, over our 25 years of operations, our growth as traditional event designers has provided us with an in-depth lens into fostering new subsidiaries under the Aquatico brand, such as: Vallmorough Headwear & Accessories, and the Simona Max Charles productions.
Through research we found in order to better serve our continued global success it was necessary to separate our efforts into 3 divisions, to reach our maximum growth potential. As subsidiaries of Aquatico, we were able to focus the balances of all industry applications rather than to have them all under one brand.
Vallmorough, our accessory manufacturing company, is a key tool in diversification on world runway tours in establishing both difference, trends & diversity. Vallmorough greatly contributes to maintaining Aquatico’s signature coastal, Pan-Pacific look. Our hats, bags, and shoes are meant to highlight a complete look, rather than just the average ready-to-wear, daily concept of style. More importantly, with such a great amount of emerging competitive designers and other luxury brands touring the circuit, Vallmorough continues to enhance a make-or-break successful collection, For example, what a collection might lack, Vallmorough will enhance. Or vice versa.
More to our business processes, Simona Max Charles productions, the second subsidiary of Aquatico, has been key in keeping the entertainment/ business aspect of our collections to runway development & marketing shows. They help with looking for sponsorship, accounting, logistics and themes, all business related elements that are required to operate a global fashion house.
We found in the beginning that tackling all these business related issues was often a distraction from the primary focus of designing a successful collection, show, and sales. By successfully dividing the primary focuses of our operations into three separate subsidiaries, sales, revenue, and exposure have created a growth spurt of just under 50% percent annually on all performance platforms. So long as there is growth, we see Aquatico’s potential, as a new model business concept, for other industry start ups to follow.
Profit: Of course fashion relies largely on profit, sales, and revenue, but it is the business of operations that is it’s biggest expense, in order to produce any designer’s vision. The revenue of the majority of luxury brands, or contemporary well known brands, goes to those who own the brand. Some see it as corporate capitalism, but in the bigger concept of this industry, the worker loses out on less pay, while those in charge profit all the gain. Aquatico’s business model refutes this notion, by authenticating work on a volunteer, stewardship, participation motive, where there is no monetary attachment, or contract of employment required. You come because you enjoy fashion, or you wish to learn how it’s done. It develops both integrity and a sense of ownership, that you are truly learning what you love, and can incorporate your personal experiences or lifestyle to better suit you, rather than the ordinary required work model. The reward = A family of more than just co-workers. You develop deep, meaningful, friendships that generate ideas that are heard, with respect and value, with some of those ideas even being potentially developed, because nobody gets paid, and everyone’s input is valued. We are here to help build and learn from our daily lives, rather than work into a class status where equality cannot exist. Some work 1-2 hours. Some work 10 hours. What you put into it, is what you get out of it. It’s an Aquatico experience, unlike no other. A responsibility, a sense of worth and character development you can call your own, devoted to a concept of collaboration, community, and the true reality of a peoples’ company.
It’s called the Aquatico Clothing Company. Changing how we think and frame fashion, one step at a time.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the most important thing necessary for success in this industry is passion. The passion to stay connected to it when it doesn’t go your way. The passion to always be committed to it 24 hours a day. The passion to challenge yourself, when others arent able to do it for you.
After passion, discipline would be a close runner up. I learned this early on while on tour. Set deadlines. Commit to them. Never procrastinate. Keep ahead of those, because just when you think one project has ended, another begins. Don’t let others do the work for you. Take time to edit your work and theirs. You can’t shortcut the details in this business. Give the buyer, consumer, or audience what they expect. Discipline yourself to understand that this is a never-ending job. It’s long hours, with little sleep, and personal sacrifices must be made, to be good at what you do.
Third would probably be tolerance. First andforemost, the tolerance to accept, submit, and be proud of your work. When you apply self confidence to any body of work, you understand it’s not about winning or losing, or failed sales, but rather about understanding, you putting your best foot forward, in attempting to complete the job to the best of your ability. Fashion is full of eccentric folks, with a wide array of personalities and perceptions. Some are great, some are just so-so. You must absolutely be one hundred percent mindful of that and tolerant of these mindsets, because they may be trying to teach you something that you may have problems with. In other words, what you see as arrogant or pompous may actually be their way of helping you improve the solution.
Fashion is never just the designer doing it all by him- or herself. Enormous teams, or small teams, are used to fine tune that assignment. Though every team is different and never stays the same, you must learn to work with a diverse set of personalities and differences to meet each team goal.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents constantly instilled in me the belief that my art was the pathway to my ultimate success. Even when we disagreed, they would always say, “Focus on your art. Not the little stuff.”
On a daily basis, in grade school and into high school, my parents preached to me the importance of being an artist. It was their way of saying, if we tell him often enough, he will he will begin to believe it. I think it was also there way of saying we love you enough, to support you in getting you there. That came with an education suitable to foster and develop my talent.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aquaticoclothingcompany.com
• Instagram: @aquaticoclothingcompany
• Facebook: #Aquatico Clothing Company

Image Credits

Timothy Earl Reynolds
@dltabrzphotography)

Jesse Soriano personal photos