W


hen you step across the threshold of Hillcrest’s newest clothing shop, Oseas Villatoro’s self-titled boutique, you are greeted by a pink neon sign reminding you to “stay wild.” Its iridescent hues


casting their light onto a green plant wall, while a swing sits stationary to its left. In stark contrast to the lively color scheme of the main entrance is a white


wall off to the right with a quote by Villatoro written in black: “Fashion will remain the most astonishing activity of mankind. Born to struggle between wisdom and madness between dream and reality in our edgy mind.” Mannequins stand in for models, adorned in the designer’s fashions, embodying his sentiments about his chosen profession in a display of neon and muted colors, showcasing the juxtaposition of birthing a dream to fruition. A vision that draws inspiration from “emotional and romantic music” that fleshes out his designs, telling stories through couture on the models strutting their stuff down the runway. Villatoro began cutting the path towards achieving his goal of


having his own label, graduating from Fashion Careers College in San Diego. He parlayed that into showing his first collection at Fashion Week San Diego, circa 2013, then Los Angeles Fashion Week the following year, and had the penultimate experience of showcasing his collection at New York Fashion Week in 2015. The Rage Monthly chatted with Villatoro about what


inspired him to open up his little shop of fashions, the difficulties of doing so during COVID-19, and what initially piqued his interest in fashion at a very young age.


“I first became interested in fashion when I was about


12. I remember going to the dentist and there was a Vogue magazine and I started looking through it and I was like, ‘This is walking art’ ... My clothing now that I design after 10 years had evolved from making gowns to ready-to-wear. I still do swimwear, ready-to-wear and gowns, but my focus right now is producing more of one garment to be able to sell.” Villatoro’s wheelhouse is built around designing ready-to- wear designs by combining different fabrics, coupled with


unique patterns and draping techniques, to create “young, chic and edgy” clothing for men and women. Naturally, being headquartered in Hillcrest, his designs are more male-centric. “We are a store that is going to be all ready-to-wear men’s wear. Maybe sometime in the future we will incorporate women’s wear,” he said. “It’s very San Diego, since I’m based in San Diego, it’s very beach town, so it’s never too cold or too hot. We have a lot of T-shirts and tank tops, obviously Speedos, swim trunks, pretty much something you could wear at any time in San Diego.” Villatoro described his store as being “entertaining and edgy” and


elaborated on the visual inspiration for it, one that’s indicative of sowing the seeds of success and requiring care and nurturing in order to grow. “I’ve been getting really into plants lately and greenery brings a welcome


environment to any place you walk into,” he said. “I actually just kind of started leaning towards that. Obviously black and white are two of my favorite colors that I always work with. “And incorporating greenery into the store was something that I always wanted to do,” Villatoro said. “I didn’t know I was going to make it a big influence to the store, but it all just came to life.” He detailed the trials of making his dream a reality during a


period of history when life changed on a dime. “Well, we were actually supposed to open before COVID and all of that went on hold because of the pandemic,” Villatoro said. “It’s been challenging because I couldn’t get a lot of people to come in and work or to help me put up the store. A lot of the materials that I needed weren’t available because of the pandemic, so it has been challenging. But I think that the team that did help me work on it actually


did a really good job.” As for the future of his store going forward, Villatoro said that


“this is pretty much the beginning for more to come,” as he would like to eventually branch out and open multiple stores. “I did start out here, because I’m based in San Diego,” he


said. “But I’d like to open one in L.A. and San Francisco. I’d like to expand to anywhere that would welcome me.


Oseas Villatoro’s boutique is located at 1475 University Avenue in Hillcrest and is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. oseasv.com


JUNE 2021| @theragemonthly 29


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32