ISLEÑAS

Isleñas is a design studio currently designing footwear and accessories manufactured with a social conscience in Puerto Rico and Latin America

Our mission is to create a positive social change in Puerto Rico by building our own slow fashion manufacturing system. Isleñas manufacturing is divided into three main categories; manual, industrial, and digital. This allows us to partner with different organizations and offer opportunities to people with diverse backgrounds. We manufacture a portion of our offering in-house and train our team members from scratch as well as partner with non-profit organizations who use sewing as a tool for economic autonomy in underserved areas.

I received a grant in 2018 to start Isleñas and launched with espadrilles in 2019. After the most intense parts of the pandemic, in 2023 we started expanding our products to offer other shoe categories and accessories. We also partnered with a small family run factory in neighboring Colombia to manufacture Isleñas rubber sole styles and went to our first trade show, Coterie in Miami.

We remain mostly an e-comm brand but in-person events and wholesale channels remain an essential part of our growth strategy. In 2023, we participated in 17 in-person events increasing the in-person sales channel by 62%.

As of the first quarter of 2024 we are present in 4 retail stores in PR and US.

Isleñas goal is to remain a small design studio exploring and testing conscientious processes.