Catherine and Linda recently started FOUND by C&L, a partnership with department store Nordstrom to have so-called pop-in stores.
SAN DIEGO — feel good, luxury fashion. That’s what a fashion influencer in San Diego is calling the designs at a pop-up shop at the Nordstrom in the UTC Mall this weekend when you get a chance to see luxury fashion made in Mexico.
Linda Waisboard started her fashion career more than a decade ago as a Nordstrom stylist. Today she has a cult following of loyal customers who want her style.
She and her business partner Catherine Bachelier founded The C&L experience. They call it a California-based wardrobe styling and fashion promotion company.
“Fashion is art. Fashion is self-expression. Fashion is creativity. Fashion is fun,” said Linda.
Catherine and Linda recently started FOUND by C&L, a partnership with department store Nordstrom to have so-called pop-in stores. They travel the world in search of one-of-a-kind pieces and now bring them to pop-up stores in Nordstrom on special weekends throughout the year.
“We look for very innovative, special pieces because we know what’s on the floor at Nordstrom, these brands need to be able to compete with the best of the best. We really try to have brands with heart, with a story behind them that make you feel special. We want something special, because that means luxury,” said Linda.
Linda and Catherine say they find incredible designers and fashion in Mexico. On a trip there, they met Mora Ruiz, a small fashion designer from Merida, Yucatan.
“First I saw the quality, I know what quality is. The design behind it. It blends wonderfully into the craftsmanship with modern design Linda.
Mora was a seamstress for years, making clothes for other shops and brands. She started eight years ago her own fashion brand. She says it has been her dream all her life. Mora hand dyes linen and lace. Each design is individually tailored to the wearer. She showed us a dress that she painted, designed and made into a print. A machine in the Yucatan then stamps it onto a natural linen material. Some designs are intricate due to the rich colors Mora creates on the fabrics.
Mora hires women in Mexico who can sew to handcraft her designs. She gives them the fabric and their design patterns and lets them take them home, sew them, and then bring them back to her.
“Sometimes it takes them hours and weeks. She has the ability to employ those families, support their families, and bring these unique pieces to the United States,” Catherine said.
This weekend, this dressmaker-turned-fashion designer hung her pieces in one of America’s most popular department stores. Prices range from $200 to $800. She says her inspiration comes from her daughter, other women and life. She wants women to feel like royalty when wearing her clothes.
How hard would it have been for Mora to get into Nordstrom? She says impossible for herself. She says she is so grateful to Linda and Catherine. Linda says these pop-ins give designers who discover them an opportunity to bridge the gap to the US market. For Mora, that starts this weekend at the UTC Mall.
“We want people to know that when they walk into a Nordstrom and buy something, they can really make a difference. You can feel something special,” added Linda.
The FOUND by C&L Pop-In Shop will be on the 2nd floor of UTC Mall Nordstrom November 10-12.
Watch Related: Fashion Pop-Up Connects Mexican, Latin American Designers With US Clients (June 6, 2022)
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