Meet Melissa Torres | Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Torres and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Being consistent in telling myself I CAN rather than coming up with excuses of why I couldn’t do something. Reminding myself that I am worthy of success. With the proper mindset I felt like this enabled me to keep pushing and working hard to make my dreams a reality.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I can’t say what sets me apart from others because I intentionally don’t compare myself to others. What I can say about myself as a Designer is that I wholeheartedly love what I do and it shows in the way I interact with my clients and the time I put in to each and every design.

I am most proud of my cover and feature in Gladys Magazine this year. Gladys is a national fashion and inspirational magazine, two things I love; fashion and inspiring others. If there is one thing that I could leave behind as a legacy, my hope is that I have inspired others to live a more fulfilling life by doing what they love and that anything is possible.

There were so many challenges to get to where I am today. My first and biggest challenge, myself. Getting out of my own way and working on believing in me. It took years to retrain my mind to think, “Yes I can” instead of “No, I can’t” or “I’m too scared”. Once I was able to overcome fear all the other challenges like, networking, asking for opportunities and meeting crazy short deadlines was cake….because I knew I could do it.

I took the biggest risk last year, leaving a great paying job, pulling out my 401k, getting rid of all the unnecessary material things I had in order to pursue Fashion Design full time and let me tell you, I feel liberated! I am living a life I truly want to live, doing what I love.

My hope is that I can continue this momentum with new and existing clients who are willing to give me a chance to be a part of their special events. Every time they have an event I want them to think of me and trust that I will come through with a special one-of-a-kind design.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If a friend came to AZ to visit me, the first place we would go to is the Breakfast Club at the Biltmore. We would catch up and talk about anything and everything. Then we’d head over to Sedona for a hike and do some crystal shopping. We would end the night at a woodsy Airbnb in Sedona sitting around a fire telling paranormal stories and then head down the rabbit hole with the question, are we alone in the Universe?

I’m a very laid back person and prefer one on one interactions with people I love. Spending quality time is something I cherish.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to everyone who has shown support! To those who listened to me when I would talk about my future dreams as a Designer and who believed I could make it happen. I love you all so much!

Website: www.melissatorresdesigns.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/melissatorresdesigns?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissatorresdesigns?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Photographer: Roberto Cordero (For all photos)