Meet Vanessa Acosta, The One Woman Show Behind Wasi Clothing
Photograph courtesy of Vanessa Acosta (@fromabolivian)
I met Vanessa Acosta three and a half years ago when I first moved to Los Angeles at a picnic down by the Echo Park Lake (thank you Facebook and Girls Love Travel for making this happen). I don't know if it's because we're both Libras who have a shared love of travel, or if we just float on the same wavelength, but we soon collaborated on photoshoots for Wasi Clothing, went camping in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree to fall deeper in love with Mother Earth, attended marches to support human rights, and many a more.
Through this short period of time, we've both pushed forward in our dreams, with Vanessa shooting dozens on dozens of beautiful campaigns and women across Los Angeles and propelling Wasi Clothing into the next phase with things continuing to push onward and upward.
I am so grateful to know her and to inspired by her daily, and I am so excited to see how she spreads her wings and flies.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your brand so we can get to know you better?
Wasi Clothing is a Bolivian-American run clothing brand. All things handmade by one woman in Los Angeles. Materials are all sourced ethically and made sustainably. It's a brand for fellow Bolivians, POC, and allies.
What’s the inspiration behind Wasi Clothing, and what aspirations do you have for your company moving forward?
Wasi Clothing is heavily inspired by my ancestral land, Bolivia. This brand has been me and just me for the past 2 years, and in those years it's grown to a level where it is getting harder and harder to run as one person – that is a blessing I am grateful to say.
So, in the near future, the Wasi team will grow as well as the production process, quantities and outlets on where Wasi will sell. There are a lot of steps coming along for Wasi in matters of growth for the new year.
Do you practice a sustainable/low impact/zero-waste lifestyle? If so, how do you practice it and what are your motivators?
Yes, I do. It's been even more this year. I reuse containers, cups, and bags as much as I can. I also eat little to no meat now. More and more each day we have less meat, dairy or any animal products in the house. Whenever I can I take public transportation and also not buying fast fashion and only shopping sustainable brands or secondhand clothing. Friends are my motivators, we all help each other out with tips and tricks on this new lifestyle. A lot of people are trying to be better given the current state of where the world is, so being surrounded by people who are making these changes as well is a huge help and motivator.
What’s one small change humans can do to show a little love Mother Earth that they may not realize?
I think planting more trees is becoming a louder voice in some of these simpler solutions to help our Mother Earth. It's a simple thing to do, and if you gather enough people, so many trees can be planted. It's staring at us right in the face. One tree can provide enough oxygen for 4 people and absorbs harmful gases and turns it into oxygen. We need to place more importance and value on nature. And since we've tragically lost so much in the amazon, we really need to think about replanting. Ethiopia planted 353 million trees in 12 hours. It can be done, in a very short span of time, with enough people. It has been done!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? What’s the greatest piece of encouragement?
This is a hard one for me. I have received so much advice throughout the years that I can't pinpoint a single one as the best. I think the thing that always sticks with me when I'm just neck-deep in work is, "work hard then play hard later".
I have these pockets of just intense work for weeks upon weeks, and I'm stressed and tired but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, I always give myself a break after a long time frame of work, give myself time to breathe, live and enjoy life.
Encouragement comes from my customers, the ones who continue to support me, or I wouldn't be doing all of this. They keep me going.
What are you excited about? Is there anything fun coming up for you?
I'm just excited for the new year and what it will bring. There are so many moving parts right now in my life, so much transition and decisions to be made, and even though some of it may be a little scary, I know that in the end, it will pay off. I'm excited for the growth and for more traveling of course.