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Cassandra Casas Rojas

Fashion Designer

Cassandra Casas Rojas, 27 year old Fashion Designer

Cassandra Casas Rojas, 27 year old fashion designer, born on January 3, 1995 in Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She is the founder of her own brand, CasasRojas, where her work reflects her own origins and implements the world's wonders and natural resources.

Early Life and Education

Cassandra Casas Rojas began with the dream of becoming a doctor or neurosurgeon, as she states, "My story isn't the typical fashion designer story. I haven't dreamt of becoming a fashion designer since I was a little girl..." As she grew older, she took an interest in leadership roles which included being president of her class and captain of her high school cheer team. When she hit her junior year of high school, she wondered, "Where does my clothes come from?" "Who makes my clothes?" which sparked an interest in fashion.

Rojas began to look into universities that had a focus on Fashion Design. She stepped into the career choice blindly, having no background in fashion nor its required skill set. With the lack of experience, skill set, and knowledge, Cassandra endured obstacles and hardships along her journey. Due to years of working towards becoming a doctor throughout high school, she failed to consider the importance of a portfolio, one of the main requirements that helps one stand out in the application process for a Fashion Design school. With a few drawings and paintings, she created her portfolio. As she began touring fashion schools, she showed her portfolio to a professor that discouraged Rojas from becoming a fashion designer and advised her to choose a different career path.

"7 years of pure dedication to my career, slow beginnings, hundreds of critiques (mostly harsh), no after no, in the beginning, second thoughts/self-doubts..." Cassandra Casas Rojas attended Kent State University from August 2013 through May 2018, where she majored in Fashion Design with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. She studied abroad for a semester in Florence, Italy, competed in 4 international fashion competitions, won twice in foreign countries with her fashion designs, and graduated at the top of her class with a GPA of 3.9, receiving a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts.

Experience

When Cassandra Casas Rojas entered the Fashion Design field, she had minimal knowledge and skill set. However, through her dedication and gained experience, she was able to build up her talent. From September 2015 through May 2018, she worked as a supervisor for North Face. She assisted customers in selecting the best technology for their experience and provided knowledge and advice on products to help with the merchandise. From August 2016 through May 2018, she received a Fashion Design Internship at FOUNT, where she handled steps within production from dyeing, cutting, and pattern making. She learned the basics of managing a company and designed new upcoming leather and fur products for further innovation and the brand's aesthetic. From 2018 to present day, she has been a Senior Fashion Designer at TASC Performance, where she forecasts trends and color research, overall vision, and presents the design to the team. These experiences guided her in creating her fashion brand, CasasRojas, where she is the sole designer and vision of the brand.

gLOBAL

Cassandra Casas Rojas explored and created a unique line of fashion, gLOBAL, that she presented in fashion competitions in the United States, Shanghai, Beijing, and New Zealand. She exhibited gLOBAL at the Dunedin New Zealand Fashion Week, where she was awarded the "Free to Be Me" award. The collection comes from the inspiration of global nomadism, which Cassandra states "is the art of traveling for a living." Global nomads are individuals without a permanent job or home that travel to different countries, staying in one area for only a short period (i.e., nine months). Often, they work for independent companies such as IT, writing, teaching, or crafts. Traveling is essential to many individuals' lives, including backpackers, tourists, and exchange students. Within the new generation and the expansion of technology, traveling and taking a chance at trying new things has become a trend in society, which allows individuals to have the confidence to act outside their comfort zone. Essentially, the inspiration behind the theme, Global Nomadism, of Rojas' collection gLOBAL is that it "signifies a steady feeling of uncomfortableness and need to learn more."  She further began her research on the significant impact of Global Nomadism on society. Her collection, gLOBAL, symbolizes transition and focuses on "adding purpose and innovative technology to fashion." It was inspired by the idea of creating essential living necessities needed to survive during a traveling lifestyle within items of clothing that can be worn as everyday attire, such as "a jacket into a tent, a jacket into a sleeping bag, and a jacket into a backpack." "Versatility is a key element of this collection." Cassandra wanted to make a collection where the consumer could wear and pair the items how they pleased.  

CasasRojas Fashion Brand

In December 2020, Cassandra Casas Rojas founded her fashion brand, CasasRojas, where she is the sole designer and vision of the brand. She explains the message behind her brand name is “the evolution of the woman suit made to empower.” Rojas further explains the vision behind her design comes from the idea of women wearing apparel that “will rise to the most prestigious events, without having to sacrifice comfort.” She states, “I want whoever puts my clothes on to feel empowered and to feel like she’s being heard.” She wanted to create unique designer apparel that could be sold at an attainable price for every woman to experience.

Cassandra began with two designs and launched 100 pieces in four different colors, all manufactured by her mother but designed by Cassandra herself. After six months of launching her brand, she transferred everything to her hometown, Monterrey, Mexico, where a team of women are now manufacturing her clothing. In Mexico, it is common for women to work as manufacturers of school uniforms, and it is how they make their income to make a living for themselves and their families. Rojas shares that her mother used to be a seamstress, and she would support her family through her income earned from manufacturing school uniforms. Therefore, Cassandra wanted to pursue seamstresses that worked for schools and build them up to portray that their talents could surpass manufacturing school uniforms. She wanted to empower these women and introduce them to a new brand community to exhibit their skills and talent that deserve to be displayed at another level.

Furthermore, her brand upholds values of diversity, integrity, and empowerment. Her brand is made to “empower one another, uplift each other to reach our true potential, and be there for one another when we can’t be there for ourselves.” Below are a few designs that represent Cassandra's brand, CasasRojas.

Notable Moments

• 2017: International Youth Design Competition - Beijing, China, she was 1 of 34 World Finalists
• 2018: Undergraduate Research Symposium - Ohio, United States, she was awarded 2nd of 400 finalists
• 2018: Fusion IFFTI Student Design Competition - Shanghai, China, she was 1 of 45 World Finalists
• 2018: Alchemy, Kent State University Annual Fashion School Fashion Show - Ohio, United States, she won the "Niche Award - Most Innovative Collection," of 27 senior collections
• 2018: International Youth Design Competition - Beijing, China, she was awarded 4th place of 31 World Finalists
• 2019: New Zealand Emerging Designer Awards - Dunedin, New Zealand, she was awarded "Free to be Award," of 25 World Finalists
• 2019: Kent University article written about Cassandra regarding her win at the Fashion Design Exhibition in New Zealand with her collection "gLOBAL"
• 2021: Fashion Forward Disruption through Design Exhibition - Dunedin, New Zealand - March 2021 through October 2021, she was 1 of 25 World Finalists
• 2018 - present day: Senior Designer at TASC Performance
• December 2020 - present day: Founded CasasRojas Fashion Brand - she is the sole designer and vision of the brand

Platforms

• Website: https://casasrojas.co/
• Social Media [Instagram]: la_casas
• CasasRojas Brand Instagram page: _casasrojas
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cassandra-casas-rojas-59096aba