Alina Villasante on Creating a Brand Set on Bringing Positivity into the World

If one allows it, the negativity within the world could alter our perception of reality. That is why it is so important for people to not only protect their minds, souls, and energy but to also fill the world with positivity and love.

For Cuban fashion designer Alina Villasante, her parent's journey from her native Cuba to the United States helped her understand the true importance of sacrifice, love, and hope, and why one should never give up on the possibility of a better future.

Villasante, who created the brand Peace Love World, tells People Chica, "My parents, my brothers, and myself as an infant lived a beautiful life in Cuba. When we left, my parents left with nothing and had to start life from scratch with our family to feed. It taught me that no job is too small or too big, hard work always pays off, [and] to stay humble and have faith."

In an exclusive interview with People Chica, Villasante details what inspired her to create her feel-good fashion brand and the advice she'd give aspiring fashion designers about establishing their own company.

You are the founder and designer behind the luxury brand Peace Love World. What inspired you to establish your brand? Did you ever see your career going in this direction?

I began an annual tradition of gathering all the women I love in my life for what I called the Love Party. I designed and gifted T-shirts, jewelry, and pajamas incorporating symbols of peace, love, and happiness. The positive response I got from my friends and family inspired me to take my love for fashion to the next level. In 2009, after 17 years in the aviation industry, I started Peace Love World with a huge amount of inventory and no industry knowledge but a lot of passion.

When I look back now, I see I always had fashion and design instilled in me. It was these parties, the love for my friends, my love for fashion, and my innate ability to live in a world surrounded by positivity that inspired me. The daily reminders, amazing silhouettes, and feel-good fabrics of Peace Love World feels like my DNA.

You're the child of Cuban immigrants. How has their journey influenced the decisions you've made in your life and career?

My parents, my brothers, and myself as an infant lived a beautiful life in Cuba. When we left, my parents left with nothing and had to start life from scratch with our family to feed. It taught me that no job is too small or too big, hard work always pays off, [and] to stay humble and have faith. My parents' journey is the epitome of always keeping the light, even in the dark.

Peace Love World creates timeless, beautiful pieces for women and kids. Why was it important for you to fulfill the need for pieces like this within the fashion world?

It is simply the outer expression of what I value and feel for life and I have been blessed to share it with the world. I realized that we are all starving to connect to something bigger than ourselves. People who have love can find peace in their heart. With that, they can find happiness. 

I want to touch, encourage, inspire, and incite appreciation for what truly matters. It goes beyond religion, borders, and personal beliefs. It is the human desire and inner pull we all feel for Peace, Love, and Happiness.

What is advice you'd offer another Latina who wants to establish herself as a fashion entrepreneur?

It's a very tough industry. You must reinvent yourself, listen, and follow what's happening in the industry in order to grow and evolve. Passion, exercise, faith, and believing in what you are doing is everything. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. 

The key to fulfillment, success, and contentment in life is aligning your personality with what your soul came to do and treating people with kindness along the way. When you can use your personality to serve what that thing is, you can be successful.