Latina Leader Spotlight: Posh Palma Styles
Meet Valerie and Gelsandra of Posh Palma Styles!
Q: What is your ethnicity, where have you lived, where do you currently live?
A: Valerie and I, Co-Founders of Posh Palma Styles are from the beautiful Caribbean Island of Dominican Republic. Gelsandra was born in Providence, RI and raised there. Once she realized Fashion was "IT" for her she moved to the Big Apple, and took over NYC, lived there for 9 years and currently lives in the tropical city of Miami, where her heart lives! Valerie was born in Providence, RI. Due to unconventional circumstances and family challenges, which became part of her success story, she was raised in the motherland, Salcedo, Dominican Republic, near and dear to her heart. Valerie has lived between DR, Providence and NY. Valerie was awarded a very prestigious Fulbright Scholarship last year upon graduation and she moved to Mexico City. Due to Covid her program ended earlier than expected and she now resides in the city that drives her wild - IN a good way - Miami, FL.
Q: Tell us about your business!
A: Posh Palma Styles is our LIFE!!!! It is a true representation of the both of us - the best of our worlds and we couldn't be more proud of our launch!! Posh Palma Styles is an e-commerce fashion lifestyle brand featuring all things Boho -Caribbean including a collection of apparel ranging from beautiful blouses, bottoms, dresses, and resort-wear to unique fashion accessories curated by your favorite imperfectly perfect Jefa's. Posh Palma Styles also has a blog component called #SPOKENJEFAS which is a space designated to uplift the voices of Jefas, walk you through the reality of the hustle, expose with true transparency your inner soul and strive to empower women collectively. Every month we aim to highlight a #SPOKENJEFA. We are also working on a program where we partner with women-owned brands, designers and artisans in return to offer visibility and recognition by having their own personalized shop with a "Meet the JEFA" bio and an awesome marketing bundle put together by our own Valerie Diaz. We definitely are out here loving the everyday hustle, passionate about changing the narrative and disrupting the industry in terms of equality and recognition for us WOMEN!
Q: Tell us about your business!
Posh Palma Styles is our LIFE!!!! It is a true representation of the both of us - the best of our worlds and we couldn't be more proud of our launch!! Posh Palma Styles is an e-commerce fashion lifestyle brand featuring all things Boho -Caribbean including a collection of apparel ranging from beautiful blouses, bottoms, dresses, and resort-wear to unique fashion accessories curated by your favorite imperfectly perfect Jefa's. Posh Palma Styles also has a blog component called #SPOKENJEFAS which is a space designated to uplift the voices of Jefas, walk you through the reality of the hustle, expose with true transparency your inner soul and strive to empower women collectively. Every month we aim to highlight a #SPOKENJEFA. We are also working on a program where we partner with women-owned brands, designers and artisans in return to offer visibility and recognition by having their own personalized shop with a "Meet the JEFA" bio and an awesome marketing bundle put together by our own Valerie Diaz. We definitely are out here loving the everyday hustle, passionate about changing the narrative and disrupting the industry in terms of equality and recognition for us WOMEN!
Q: What inspired you to start?
A: We are both entrepreneurs at heart!! It was mainly the hunger to do what we love with no constraints and flexibility. We both live for creating impact and generating exposure in gender lens investing. Also, we are very passionate about feeling confident in our own skin which was what drove us to start in fashion. But at Posh Palma Styles we were about community before anything, listening to our audience, being authentic and transparent while having fun and being US - this was key to us and will always continue to represent who we are. We are happy to have visitors on our site, people watching us on social media and if they decide to place their purchasing power on Posh Palma Styles then its a success!
Q: Who is your Latina inspiration?
A: For us it would be Carolina Contreras de Miss Rizos. Carolina represents the pinnacle example of a woman who fights with hunger for what she wants, who stands strong to her voice, who takes up space and shows up DAILY for her community. And the fact that she started the first curly hair salon in the Dominican Republic makes her soooo much more cool!!! She taught us Latinas that we are most beautiful in our natural state - curly hair and all!! Carolina gracias por existir, gracias por ser determinada, por ser humilde y genuina throughout your journey. We love YOU!!!
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Latina entrepreneur?
A. Wow - what a bomb question!! For us it means VICTORY! Throughout our ancestral generations and upbringings we were taught that the women in the household were meant to have babies, be stay-at-home moms, stay quiet and never voice our opinions. This was all due to machismo, which sadly enough still exists in many countries including the Dominican Republic. So when you ask - What does it mean to us to be a Latina entrepreneur, we say WE DID IT!! We outgrew what we so long lived and realized we could be offered a better future, we could have kids and be independent, we could kickass doing what we love, we DO have a voice and people DO care about what we think and what we have to say. We are the change, we are the impact, we are the gender rapidly growing, al igual muy astutas y BELLAS que somos. (Which helps LOL).
Q: What advice do you have for someone looking to do what you do?
A: To start, we all look for the perfect moment to start that project, to lead with our hearts and to launch that product/service. Believe in you! Stay authentic. Identify your why and always hold it close to your heart, there will be tough, long days but if you love what you do it will only make the journey that much more worth it, because it will come with a stronger story behind it. And as Latina's we are always told "the struggle is real" and that we must work so hard to achieve what we want, but why must it be like that? Why if we love what we do should we call it work? It's an opportunity knocking at us - it's outlets and platforms to get our voice out there, to shine - so if you are looking to follow your heart - do it- there is no perfect time - now is the time. And we got your back JEFA!!!
Q: How can people keep up with / support you?
A: Our main store account is @poshpalmastyles we love to hear from our community- Follow us on FB and IG, check out our site https://poshpalmastyles.com/ spread the love within your own tribes and feel free to DM, email or contact us at letschat@poshpalmastyles.com <3
On an individual matter - Valerie Diaz, our digital JEFA, the one who stands for uplifting women digitally can be found on IG as @thejefacreator
Gelsandra Guzman, our fashion JEFA, the one who is all about styling and creating that space for women to feel confident in their own skin can be found on IG as @gelsandra_guzman.
We love to hear from all of you - whether it's professional or personal, let's connect and create MAGIC!!!
EXTRA: What inspires us as a brand - a community?
Posh Palma Styles is CULTURA y HERENCIA - We represent our country, the beautiful culture, vibrant music, art, and of course our fav FOOD!!! All things Bachata y Merengue, Platano con Salami, Beaches, Amazing Vibes - this is what we are about - enjoying the NOW, curating those pieces for our JEFAS and building our community while listening to our Lolita Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FOUunTPWGamqrkLmimnaV?si=JkXTq4S6RzKyEkRtiICvfQ
