Meet Mariana Robledo-segura | Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariana Robledo-segura and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariana, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
My inspiration deeply comes from my heritage, coming from San Luis Potosí, Mexico I was always inspired by the things that surrounded me such as the music, historic buildings, art, dance, to mention a few. But most importantly as I’ve grown up into an artistic career, looking back I think I gained most of my inspiration from my aunt Magdalena (Maguis). She’s an amazing seamstress, and aunt of course, and I’ve always looked up to her ever since I was little. Her ability to create designs and costumes really set it off for me to want to become a designer. Not only do I consider her as one of my biggest inspirations, I also look at the way I grew up in both Mexico and the U.S, the differences that make up my identity take a big part into how I design.
Other than my heritage, my inspirations are mostly based on feelings; something that can’t be put into imagery or even a sentence.
I’ve always found it hard to describe what I’m creating because there isn’t much reference to put into words, so I just go with the flow and find what best fits with my emotions at the moment.
What defines the aesthetic of my designs comes deeply from Surrealist Artists! Leonora Carrington, a British Surrealist, who was among many talented surrealists like Max Ernst, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí just to name a few. Leonora Carrington’s aesthetic comes from what we know about Surrealists to be the unconscious and dream-like imagery. Though Carrington was British, she lived in Mexico for most of her life and became one of the most influential surrealists in Mexico! Her aesthetic and maybe her purpose in her paintings inspired me to create work and designs that challenge what is comfortable for the eye and to create something different from what we see on the runways now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art really expresses all of the sides of my identity that I’ve always wanted to explore, from finding if streetwear or couture is something I want to achieve later in my career to a certain topic such as the unconscious or even futurism. The way I approach different topics really depends on what I want to talk about. But after digging through different topics and feelings I truly found what I want to say with my art and maybe what my purpose at the moment is.
And that is to tell stories.
Growing up I used to always love stories that my grandmother would read to me and even stories my dad would tell me about him growing up. I grew up around all kinds of stories- even if it meant scary myths like La Llorona.
I want my designs to express nostalgia and evoke some sort of emotion, not a specific emotion but whatever the viewer wants to make out of it.
I am really excited about my Senior Collection coming together soon! It is putting all of those ideas together of me growing up in Mexico and the different experiences I had, as well as the things I liked to do when I was a kid. Though there isn’t much that I remember from my childhood, I value the time I’ve spent talking to my family about how the times were like back then.
Like I mentioned earlier, I was really inspired by my creative background growing up but that didn’t mean that it would be easy to try to convince myself that I could sustain myself from a creative career for the rest of my life– or at least that’s what my thoughts were like at the rough age of 17.
I always dreamed of being a Fine Artist or a Fashion Designer, but my mentality back then was worrying about whether pursuing this career would give me the quality of life that I wanted. Though I’m still learning, I don’t feel that it’s the case anymore. Once I realized that as long as I do something that I’m very passionate about, the opportunities will come and will help me fulfill my goal and purpose as a designer and as a human being.
Much of this I owe to my parents who were very supportive of me since the very beginning. Much of their support fostered my ability to get better at design and prioritize the experiences and opportunities I gain from my career in the arts.
Much of the obstacles I’ve faced deal with being away from home for the majority of the year and with mental health. And though I’m still figuring out how to deal with this, I’ve learned that the time I spend with my family is more valuable during vacations which gives me the ability to recharge and keep going.
With a goal to see more representation of people who come from the same background as me, I want to encourage people who want to pursue an artistic career to do it, because art has many ways of impacting and shaping a society.

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?
To be quite honest I absolutely love to eat Korean food! It is probably among my top 3 foods to eat along with of course Mexican food. And there’s quite a lot of really good Korean food spots in Georgia in the Duluth area and Doraville.

If my best friend were to come visit me in Atlanta I think I have the best spots to visit, though I haven’t found in my opinion the best breakfast spot near school yet I’d have to give it to Pancake Social in Ponce City Market! It is such a good brunch spot in my opinion! And because I love to shop, Ponce is such a great place to spend your time with a friend or loved one to walk around and look at all the local artists.
I’m very much a homebody but whenever I am outside, my absolute favorite thing to do is walk around, especially in nice chill weather. Walking around Atlantic Station used to be my favorite pastime when I had time outside of school, and there’s just lots to do there.

Another day time place to check out in the Atlanta area is Little Five Points. You can find the best thrifting and vintage shops! If you listen to music there’s really good Record stores to visit along with good food places, ice cream shops and overall just a great place to get inspiration from if you’re ever suffering from a creative block.
But whenever it comes to night time, Karaoke night is the best way to spend your time either alone or with a group of friends. My favorite place to go is Do Re Mi Karaoke Bar! Absolutely amazing space to sing, drink, and have fun. A great Korean BBQ place in Doraville is Miss Gogi, great staff, good music, and of course amazing food! At night it’s also nice to walk around the plaza.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are a lot of people in my life who I dedicate a lot of my successes to: my roommates for their never ending emotional support throughout my time at school, to my sister who is always supporting me from far away and emotionally as well, to my creative mentors (my professors) who always give me the feedback I need to be better at what I do.
My roommates: Nashell, Sam, and Ri who are not only amazing at what they do in Graphic Design, Writing, and Fashion Design, they are very knowledgeable in many areas within the arts. We often use what we know from our fields to inspire each other whether it is on a school project or our own personal projects! So I owe a lot of it to them.
My sister Montse is also a creative in Graphic Design, has been one of my biggest inspirations. Like I mentioned earlier, not only does she provide me with emotional support, she’s always thinking of ways to tell my story a little better or how to approach my projects in a more clear and concise way.
My fashion professors from school, especially Kirsty, also give me their biggest support in many ways. Our professors are always available whenever a student needs help. And because they’re professionals in their field, they know best when it comes to how to overcome creative blocks.
Though I mention later on that I L O V E storytelling, that is what I struggle with the most. But because I have people who share their support and feedback in many ways, I’ve learned that not everything has to be justified with words, it can just be an explosion of emotions or feelings, to things that I’m into at the moment, or maybe it doesn’t need to have any meaning at all.

Website: https://marirobledoseg.wixsite.com/marianarobledo

Instagram: Personal: @marianaseg_ Portfolio IG: @marioncue_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-robledo-58bb81253/

Image Credits
Photographer: Rhiannon Shakir
Personal Ig: @rhi444nnon
Photography Ig: @sup3rco0lstuff
Website: rhiannonshakir.com

Model: Jillian Snapp
Personal Ig: @jilliansnapp

Makeup Artist: Samantha Nicklaus
Personal Ig: @sami_nick