Today we’d like to introduce you to Sérgio Silva.
Hi Sérgio, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From a young age, I always knew I would be involved in fashion. I grew up knowing my grandfather was an established fashion designer, but I didn’t have the opportunity to have known him. My passion for shoes started with my mother. I would see her get dressed for work every morning and one thing she would put last was the shoes I knew at that moment she was ready to face the world ahead.
The shoes gave her the confidence, the “armor for battle” so to speak. Suddenly, she stood a little taller, looked confident, and went to work. I moved to the United States at a very young age. My love for shoes has always been carried with me. I would always go shoe shopping with my mom, to her my opinion always mattered. I have always felt a need to express my creativity to the world. But how can we do differently in a world so congested with so much information?
I found having value in my brand was the key to bringing my ideas to fruition. I know as an immigrant in a different country opportunities don’t usually land easily. I also believe in the power of making a change. Our goal in life transcends just living day to day. That’s why ÉHONTÉ exists. We are bold, political, and conceptual. I like to say ÉHONTÉ is a state of mind. I mean to be bold, CONCEPT.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road may be smooth for some, but I can’t compare my journey with others. There are always struggles along the way. Imagine moving to a new country and having to start your entire life over. We as immigrants tend to embrace the culture we are living in but more so in a way to become part of it.
But what happens when that culture isn’t reciprocal? I believe that’s the struggle for a lot of immigrant families in their first generation. There isn’t any generational wealth just the dream. I believe I still have a long road with lots of holes and detours to go through but that’s what makes us who we are.
We show our character in chaos. ÉHONTÉ is exactly that it’s a daily reminder to myself (and I hope for others) to be bold and continue to move. Everyone’s timing is different and we can spend time trying to catch up, but that’s not the end goal. In a race, everyone makes it to the finish line if I run or if I walk I will eventually make it to the finish line.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I believe what I am most proud of is being a queer Latino and making a difference. I come from a mindset that nothing is deserved but it’s earned. Throughout my career in fashion, I’ve learned all aspects of the business from stylist, and fashion buyer, to visual merchandising, to sales associate but I believe the job that gave me all my integrity to be who I am today was of a janitor when I was sixteen years old.
It helped shape my character and prepare me for all the other positions I would one day be. It also helped me understand as cliche as it may sound that hard work pays off. Recently I was chosen as the emerging designer in Italy for one of the world-renowned footwear fairs in the world. When I started to piece all pieces of my puzzle I go back to the young Sérgio during fashion school who would take his sewing machine to sew dresses overnight at work during breaks.
I normally let others tell me what sets me apart because as we all know we live with our inner saboteur, I believe what sets me apart is understanding the zeitgeist in today’s world focusing on the innovation I bring to ÉHONTÉ from a business perspective as well as the entity of what ÉHONTÉ is.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Do you know when people take a village? I always felt the power of a creative community is what moves the world. I honestly believe the only competitor I have is within myself. My mom and my husband are definitely on top of that list, I wouldn’t be where I am today without giving credit to the factory I work with.
They have taken my brand under their wings and to even believe in my designs and ideas I wouldn’t be able to showcase my work to our community if it wasn’t for them. I have friends who have collaborated on many projects where we both shared each others’ talents to elevate our works. You know who you are, you know how grateful I am to have shared our knowledge.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ehonte.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/ehonte
- Other: tiktok.com/ehonte
Image Credits
Bruna Cohenes, Sérgio Silva Styling, Sérgio Silva Beauty, Thiago Pioli, and May Couto
