Estefania Lacayo, co-founder of the Latin American Fashion Summit, was born in Nicaragua and is now based in Miami where she spends most of her time advocating and empowering Latin American entrepreneurs, designers, and creatives within the fashion industry.

The CFDA spoke with Lacayo in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. She shared insights into the mission of LAFS and how it [LAFS] highlights the talent of the global Latin American community, the importance of diversity in her business, and why she loves celebrating Latinx Heritage Month.

What is the mission behind Latin American Fashion Summit? What purpose does it serve?

LAFS was created to elevate and enrich the Latin American fashion and design industries, aiming to make them more relevant than ever, both regionally and in the U.S. It all began when we noticed a lack of opportunities within a region that was receiving growing international interest.

How do you continue to discover and highlight Latin American talent/brands?

When LAFS was just an idea, we knew that the best way to cater to the fashion community was to travel all over Latin America and visit the U.S. cities where many Hispanics reside. Our mission was to connect with its professionals’ real challenges and necessities. LAFS Tour has allowed us to create an international community of fashion designers, stylists, content creators, and entrepreneurs in response to their eagerness to network and expand their businesses.

How do you empower Latinx individuals both personally and professionally?

At LAFS, we collaborate with universities, non-governmental organizations, and marginalized communities in Latin America and the U.S. Through our platform, we create educational content and real opportunities to access industry leaders that could inspire emerging entrepreneurs from our community, or help them their businesses. We designed The LAFS Podcast to feature Latin talents and host monthly webinars for our TRIBU Members, the online digital platform we created to keep in touch and connect our global community.

On a personal level, I spend a few hours a week mentoring Latin American entrepreneurs from our community.

How has diversity played a role in the success of your business?

Timing has a lot to do with the success of LAFS. If we would have launched it 10 years ago, it wouldn’t have had the same response as it did in 2018 as, fortunately, the industry has become more inclusive. Diversity and inclusivity were the factors that inspired us to create our platform. These two are just what is missing for our community to succeed in the international global landscape.

Why is Latinx Heritage Month important to you?

Growing up in Central America, September 15th has always been a magnificent celebration of independence. Since I moved to the U.S. 25 years ago, it has become a beautiful month to remind myself how proud I am to be a Latina!