Meet Dulce Robles | Fandom/Fashion Creative & Content Creator

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

Hi Dulce, what inspires you?
I find inspiration in a variety of things including different fandoms, characters, street wear, and the creatives that share the space I am in. I have always enjoyed fashion and have wanted to delve into it from a very young age. I would love examining what the actors were wearing in a film, or the latest styles in a magazine. As a loyal fan to many franchises you dive into these stories and it always leaves you wanting more, or wanting to be part of these worlds. Watching the latest movies at the theater has always been a way to stay tied into those worlds, and fashion for me is an extension of that as well. When I discovered the Disney Community on Instagram, I felt like I had finally stumbled upon a group of people who enjoyed the same things I did and was eager to also partake in DisneyBounding. DisneyBounding revolves around dressing in your regular clothes to resemble a character and is another way to dive into these fandoms and feel like you are part of the stories. I love to see how we can all create an outfit based on the same character, yet our interpretation of that character can be so different based on our styles, I really love it when someone uses a piece in an unexpected way because it then gets you thinking “how else can I incorporate my wardrobe or accessories in an entirely different way?” “how can I resemble this character?” “what would I wear if I was this character?” It turns into a bit of a fun puzzle game. Participating in DisneyBounding then sent me on a journey of discovering my own personal style. You can actually see the change in style if you go back far enough on my account. I don’t like to put myself in a box when it comes to style, because you end up really limiting your creativity, so instead I get inspired to create outfits with many different elements and different styles to create a look that I can feel confident and happy in. I think that is the most important thing when it comes to style, “are you happy in your outfit?”. I am also an artist, I draw and paint, and I’m lucky enough to say art comes pretty easy to me, but I mostly do it on rare occasions now a days. During the height of the pandemic when everyone was staying home, I also partook in creating edits around the outfit I had styled to resemble a character, and had so much fun with it. My Carpal Tunnel has kept me from doing these types of edits recently, but I love that it also allowed me to use my creativity and artistic eye to still hone in on that skillset.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My account is very much centered on seeking what brings you joy. My hope is that by showing up as my authentic, positive, happy self, that I will encourage others to do the same. I am all about expressing yourself through your wardrobe and living a colorful and happy life. I show up as I am to show others that being true to you will bring you happiness. Body and Mind Positivity are a very important foundation to me. So even though at first glance you may think my account is just a fashion account, what I am actually here for is to inspire you to seek your happiness and not hold back because of insecurities. There was a time where I hid because I was very self conscious of my body, my height, not feeling pretty enough to take up space, but I knew that what I did have to offer was a kind heart, a positive outlook on life, and lots of love. I decided that I was the only one holding me back from doing what I wanted, that I was going to show up as I am, in the cute and trendy fashion I like, tummy rolls, double chin, graying hair and all, because this is authentically me. Once I started experimenting with fashion, cultivating my own style, and surrounding myself with like minded creatives, I felt like all the puzzle pieces of my life were finally starting to fall into place. One thing I have learned along the way is how important it is to show up as your authentic self and not hold back for fear of what others will think. I am a very loving and affectionate person, and I know that sharing that affection and love makes a difference in the lives of the people I meet, companies I work with, and the people I become friends with. I highly believe that if I had taken other’s advice about how to approach companies for collaborations with an entitled attitude, I would not have created positive and meaningful relationships with these companies to continue working with them currently. I always express my gratitude at new projects and am thankful for the opportunity to work with these companies again. I highly believe that it has been my positive attitude and show of gratitude that have brought me so many opportunities. I continue working with some of my favorite companies today, including styling outfits around fandom centered Loungefly Bags and accessories for one of my favorite Small Shops; Merch Ventures, as well as continuing to be a Brand Ambassador for Her Universe, which brought me one of the most exciting opportunities to date, a chance to walk the runway during the Her Universe Fashion Show at San Diego Comic Con in 2022. It is still very much a big highlight of my life. Another really cool thing that happened for me this year is I was featured along with other DisneyBound Community members in the May 2023 issue of the Walt Disney World Magazine for the Dapper Dan edition. It was through the encouragement of a friend that suggested my friends and I submit our Dapper Dan looks from the Fall 2022 Dapper Day outing that brought about this magical opportunity! What I would like the world to know is the importance of treating each other with kindness, showing each other lots of love, loving yourself as you are, and showing people what you are all about! Your biggest goal in life should be finding happiness.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in San Diego, CA, which is a highly touristy area, so there are lots of things to do here. The list is long of different places to visit! One place I cannot let you leave without visiting is Balboa Park. There is so much to see, and most of it is free. As a creator who likes to take pictures, I often times find myself heading to Balboa Park as the preferred location to shoot content. There are so many hidden locations, and such a variety of different scenery, and it is all simply steps away from each other! One of my favorite hidden spots in Balboa Park is the Zoro Garden. It is essentially a sunken garden full of beautiful green shrubbery that was originally built as a nudist colony back in 1935, but is currently a butterfly garden! I love spending time there! There is also the Ferry that travels between San Diego Bay and Coronado, its a fun little boat ride that will take you to one of the most beautiful places in town. The Ferry landing has plenty of restaurants and shops, and you can also rent bikes to ride around the area. As far as good food, I can think of 3 places that are high on my list of go to spots: Dao Fu is an Asion Fushion Cuisine Restaurant in Normal Heights that serves delicious Asian & Vegan Food made with fresh ingredients, they have a dual kitchen to ensure that the Vegan dishes remain vegan, and they are known for infusing your meal with heat. The dish that I love to get there is called Mango Chicken (there is a Mock Chicken version as well), it comes with chicken sauteed with fresh mangoes and snap peas or a seasonal green vegetable, a side of rice (your choice of jasmine or grain rice,or a combo of both) and you can select your spiciness level from 0-10 (these levels are not to be played with, the highest I have been able to go is a level 3, and I currently stick to a level 1), and as long as you dine in you get a delicious complimentary salad with tofu to start off with, and a scoop of ice cream at the end of your meal. The Haven is a pizza restaurant in the Kensington Area that serves a range of gourmet pizzas, appetizers and seasonal craft beer. My favorite appetizer to start off with is called the Marinated Shrimp Skewers (comes with 2) it comes with cherry tomatoes and a delicious pesto and balsamic drizzle that I like to keep as a dip for the pizza crust, its soooo delicious! My favorite pizza is called Spicy Hawaiian and is made with spicy pizza sauce, mozzarella, candied bacon, pineapple and jalapenos… sorry not sorry, I am a proud pineapple on my pizza girl! One of our favorite places to go to at least twice a month is called Sushi Deli 1 in Hillcrest. This place is always packed but for a good reason! The sushi is fresh, delicious and a more than reasonable price. They also have non-sushi dishes which means you can dine here even if you don’t love sushi. My current go to is called Island Breeze, I order it as a handroll, it comes with salmon, shrimp tempura, crab surimi, avocado, green onions, spicy mayo, dynamite sauce, mango sauce, sesame seeds, masago, jalapenos, cucumber and cilantro. Its so so good! For you non sushi lovers I recommend the Sesame Chicken Platter, it comes with tempura battered chicken strips and a sweet terriyaki style, a side of rice, a colorful salad with miso dressing, (and a miso soup if you dine in). As far as an interesting spot to visit, there are so many, but Wolfie’s Carousel Bar is by far one of the most unique and beautiful places I have visited in San Diego. It is a French themed restaurant and bar located in the Little Italy side of town, and the bar actually spins, so you end up getting a view of the entire location while sipping on delicious drinks and appetizers if you sit at the bar. The last time my husband and I visited we tried the Oysters, the Fromage Du Jour (a selection of cheese, fruits, bread, honeycomb, jams and candied nuts), I had the Oaxacan Affair cocktail and the hubby had The Last Mezcal! If you can’t tell, I love food!

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 am really lucky to have an amazingly encouraging family and circle of friends. My Husband and young Daughter are my two biggest cheerleaders. My husband encourages me the most to seek creative happiness, and is always excited for me when new opportunities arise. My husband takes most of my pictures nowadays, so this hobby has allowed us to be creative together an spend time together. I love getting his ideas on locations to shoot at, I love it when he comes to me with cute or funny ideas for reels, and he will also send me pictures and say “this is a good location to shoot at for (character name)”. For my daughter, watching Mommy dress up is really fun, and she loves guessing what character I have dressed as that day! It is my life mission to bring happiness to those around me wherever I go, and in order to be able to do that you also need to surround yourself with people who share that same mindset, so who you choose to allow in your life is so important. It is very important to me to cultivate authentic friendships built on love, trust, positivity, acceptance and encouragement. I have a tight knit circle of friends who also share in the same creative space, and we love meeting up to have fun and also help each other create content. I know I can count on them, just like they can count on me, and we know we have each other’s best interest at heart. I have been lucky enough to be able to create a very loving, positive and encouraging space through my account on Instagram, and I love being able to interact with my community (who I see as friends) because we boost and encourage each other to continue creating what makes us happy, we hype each other up in our posts, and encourage each other to be our authentic selves. I am also very thankful to all the companies who have taken a chance on me and collaborated on different projects. As a Creative this means so much to us, because it tells us these companies see value in our creativity and it encourages us to do more. If you’ve interacted with me before you know I am not shy about showering people with love, so to all my friends and family: Thank you, I appreciate you, and I LOVE YOU!

Instagram: @positively_dulce

Image Credits
Nick Duarte, Faheema Chadhury