MINNEAPOLIS— Minnesota’s growing Latino community is hungry for fashion that combines style with culture, and a number of designers are meeting this need.
For Ivan Martinez, one of the few Latino clothing makers in the Twin Cities, he was introduced to fashion while serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard.
He was an infantry soldier and carrying a .50 caliber weapon was his specialty. Safety was his top priority.
“When we were in Kuwait for the first few months, we were doing border patrol and border crossings, so you’re in a tower,” Martinez explained.
It was in that tower that he picked up and read his very first fashion magazine.
“When I saw GQ magazine, I just opened it out of curiosity, because I was bored. And I became so interested in style that I always liked style, but never classic menswear,” he said.
It stirred something in him. During his deployment he started buying clothes.
“Once I got the suits, the problem was I couldn’t fit everything on the rack,” he said.
Martinez says it was expensive to pay a tailor to fit his suits. He felt the need to design and create suits that not only look great, but also have great functionality.
When he returned to the United States and to Minnesota State University in Mankato, he went to work.
“When I came back and started building a blog and Instagram, I found that other Latinos were really attracted to my content,” Martinez said.
The self-taught artist is building a brand, and many are using his talent as a tailor to look and feel good.
“Because at the end of the day, that’s what they are to me. I really build a one-on-one relationship with my clients,” Martinez said.
Martinez has several local celebrities as clients. His workshop is located in the North Loop and he hopes to bring fashion to anyone who wants to look great and feel great.
Reg Chapman
