Fashion designer shows her Puerto Rican pride
María Román's fashion creations reflect her heritage with a mix of fabric and materials.
by Jeannette Rivera-lyles
At her parents' Kissimmee home, designer María Román has turned the garage into a makeshift atelier where she transforms fabric into artistic renditions with a bit of island flair.
Her designs are provocative and romantic, feminine and strong. And they reflect her Puerto Rican heritage.
Román's creations are a mix of classic elements such as silks and chiffons with more mundane materials such as cottons. A recurring element in her designs is the use of mundillo, a handcrafted type of lace that has been made in Puerto Rico for centuries.
"I am very romantic, and I like for women to look feminine," Román said. "What better way to achieve that than with lace? It is quintessentially feminine and never goes out of style."
Román's teacher and mentor, San Juan-based fashion designer Lisa Thon, commended her former student's use of the traditional material. "She's from a generation of young designers that dares to incorporate things from our past into modern work," said Thon, the only Puerto Rican designer that has been featured in New York's Fashion Week. "This is also a great way of incorporating her cultural heritage into her designs. It can become the distinctive element of her pieces, her signature."
Earlier this month, Román was the featured designer of Florida Hospital's annual Celebrity Stroll. She was also featured in March at a fashion show sponsored by the Pan-American Medical Association at Maison & Jardin restaurant in Altamonte Springs.
"María's pieces are impeccably made, she has a great eye for design," said Melixa Carbonell, co-owner of Shouture boutique in Winter Park. "They are great pieces that are very versatile. You can go from flats to heels in them."
Shouture will start carrying Román's Namor clothing line in the summer.
Román didn't always foresee a future in fashion. Originally from Yauco, a coffee-growing town in the central mountain region of Puerto Rico, she earned a degree in business administration and worked in the insurance industry upon graduation.
"But I've always been creative and needed a creative outlet," Román said.
So in 1996 she set out to design jewelry: big, bold pieces accented with Czech and Austrian crystals, natural stones and wood. They were an instant hits in the island's high-end boutiques. Román was so successful with her designs that she was able to quit her day job.
Designing clothes was a natural progression.
"I had never sewn," Román said, laughing. "But somehow I figured I was going into this."
In 2000 she enrolled in Thon's design academy in San Juan, and won accolades as a student. Just as she was starting to get recognition, she had a personal setback. Her son, Esteban, now 6, was born prematurely in 2002. He spent three months in the neo-natal unit. After he was released, the baby required around-the-clock attention. He became his Mom's priority; everything else had to wait.
Overwhelmed with the complications of her new role as a mother, Román packed up her bags and moved to Central Florida to be near her family when her baby was six months old.
"I needed their help and support," said Román, who is divorced. She thought she'd have to kiss her designing dreams goodbye and began to inquire about becoming an architect. But her family did not allow her to forget about fashion, and three years ago she began sketching and sewing again.
"It is always difficult to have a career in this field," Román said. "In Orlando, it's even more difficult because the market is limited. But I have seen subtle changes in the time that I've been here. I believe the local fashion market is growing and evolving, like the city itself."
So far, though, Román is off to a good start.
"In this business you can't wait for the stars to be aligned in your favor," Thon said about her former protégé. "You have to align them yourself by working hard. María is doing that. She's daring, she's talented, and she's driven. She'll make it."
