Maria Diaz - Bride Boutique

On March 1st, after emails and rescheduling through most of February, Maria Diaz of Bride Boutique and I sat down for a chat and a quick shoot. I’m always a proponent of people doing what they enjoy for a living and for anyone in their 20’s seeking a career in a nonconventional or creative field, it can be quite reassuring, especially when you learn that a wedding dress designer has bachelor’s degree in history.

Maria has had a knack for clothes and sewing for a majority of her life but when college came around, she declared as a history major at UCLA with the intention of going to law school thereafter. However, she found a part-time job at a costume design shop in her freshman year, keeping her interests in her back pocket through college.

In her last year of undergrad, UCLA launched their theater design program and just for kicks, she applied to it. Maria had never taken a design class before and despite history and design seemingly having no correlation, she was able to incorporate the research and analytical skills she accrued through her major and the experience from her job in the shop into creating unique costume for each occasion. This particular skill set would carry on into her post-grad life.

In 2008, Maria graduated with a major in history and a minor in theater design into the middle of the last recession. Jobs were scarce in her field and while grad school was the next step, she decided to take a year off to explore the world of clothing instead. She found work in the fashion industry, eventually venturing into collecting and selling vintage clothes, and designing her own custom dresses. One year off turned into two, and eventually the idea of becoming a lawyer faded, and a career in designing clothes became more and more tangible. Then in 2013, she opened up Bride Boutique in Echo Park and has been flourishing since then. In fact, she recently celebrated four years of business. (Congrats Maria!)

Bride Boutique features stunning, chic dresses from Maria herself and a selection of independent designers from around the world, with each dress handmade and individually tailored to clientele needs. Contrary to the look of an extravagant wedding gown, most of the designer dresses at Bride Boutique enable women to experience their wedding day comfortably and freely. The process of consulting with clients, to making and delivering the dress takes anywhere from 6-8 months. Suffice to say, even the micro-planning that goes into a wedding takes a considerable amount of time.

Maria’s story is relevant to any budding artist questioning whether they should pursue their calling or not. The thing is, you never really know which direction life is going to take you until you’re actually there. Furthermore you don’t necessarily need an art degree, or in this case a fashion degree, to create an exceptional body of work. Many creators, including Maria, can certainly attest to that.

Bride Boutique
1528 1/2 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026
http://brideboutiquela.com/
@brideboutiquela