Modern Fashion: Caterine Lopez of Way Forward On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today
An Interview With Candice Georgiadice
One aspect that is integral to leading a successful fashion brand is having a social awareness and consciousness of what consumers are being influenced by. This is important because by understanding the values of consumers, and what influences them, a company is able to reflect their customers values, uphold a standard of transparency and communication and ensure that the products being made will make customers happy and confident.
Many in the fashion industry have been making huge pivots in their business models. Many have turned away from the fast fashion trend. Many have been focusing on fashion that also makes a social impact. Many have turned to sustainable and ethical sourcing. Many have turned to hi tech manufacturing. Many have turned to subscription models. What are the other trends that we will see in the fashion industry? What does it take to lead a successful fashion brand today?
In our series called, “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today” we are talking to successful leaders of fashion brands who can talk about the Future of Fashion and the 5 things it takes to lead a successful fashion brand in our “new normal.”
As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Caterine Lopez.
Originally trained as a lawyer, López worked at one of the largest private infrastructure funds in her native Colombia before transitioning from finance to fashion. After some internal introspection, López came to the conclusion that her love for fashion was more than a hobby, and instead, became her career path. Therefore, she transferred to New York City to study at Parsons University. It was at Parsons where she came to know a Professor and Brooklyn-Based artist that became her first collaborator on the debut collection of premium limited-edition clothing featuring hand-woven, one-of-a-kind textiles.
As the Founder of Way Forward, Caterine López creates products that inspire individuals to never settle for the status quo. She also contributes to making the fashion industry more sustainable and transparent, valuing the time, skillset, and work of the individual artisans that make magic happen with their hands. All products are handmade in the U.S. using the finest, sustainable, authentic materials. The current collection includes hoodies and hats with the second collection set to launch this fall.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
Since long before I can remember I have been passionate about fashion and design. I have many fond memories with my mother visiting dress shops and other clothing stores. I used to look in the mirror and envision myself as a leader who is creative and dynamic, always busy and engaged in my work. While I did pursue a successful career in law, my experiences as a youth, particularly with my mother and the integral role she played in my life, built the foundation for my interest in a career in fashion.
Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
After working as a lawyer for 6 years at Colombia’s largest infrastructure private fund I came to the conclusion that my love for fashion could be not only a hobby but a viable career path that would fulfill me in ways that my career in law could not. I bravely decided to move to NYC to study fashion marketing at Parsons School of Design. While the journey from Parsons to launching my own company WAY FORWARD wasn’t easy, I learned from my mistakes and was able to overcome obstacles that helped shape me into the person I am today.
I launched WAY FORWARD in 2021, inspired by my desire to design products that push people to never settle for the status quo and contribute to the emerging movement of sustainability and transparency within the fashion industry. Additionally, the concept of WAY FORWARD supports the value of time and effort that individuals put into crafting unique products.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I moved to New York City to study Fashion Marketing at Parsons School of Design I divorced my first love, which vanished all the joy that I was enjoying in my new career. However, one night, I watched “The Cruise,” where the main character, Timothy Levitch, a witty tour guide who exudes a passion for NYC, stated “I am equally in love with every aspect of my life and all the ingredients that have caused me turmoil and all the ingredients that have caused me glory.” This really struck a chord with me. Unlike Timothy, I had not embraced, let alone accepted, the bad “ingredients that caused me turmoil” like my divorce. So proceeded to make an effort to adopt his outlook. I began valuing every bitter and sweet moment equally because both the positive and negative events in my life were integral to who I am and who I can become. Without placing value on all aspects of my life, especially the setbacks and challenges, I can’t learn from my mistakes and evolve as a person. I learned how to pave the way forward and pursue a career in fashion despite obstacles that I knew I had to overcome.
Therefore, WAY FORWARD was born. A premium casualwear brand that combines street style with the magic touch of artisan hands to create unique, durable and multifunctional products.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
This is going to sound very cliche, but I strongly believe that passion is key. My passion for style and design is what drove me to leave my successful career in law, take a huge risk and move to the US in hopes of creating a long lasting and fulfilling career in fashion. Another key trait instrumental to my success would be persistence. Creating and launching my own brand has been very challenging, and it can be especially hard when you are new to the industry and are trying to form important connections which are integral to growing a brand and gaining potential customers. My persistence has allowed me to overcome obstacles and work to fulfill goals that I have created for myself and my company. The last trait key to my success is self-awareness. By understanding my own strengths and weaknesses, I have been able to put pen to paper and turn my ideas into products that I love and hope others can connect to. I understand my setbacks and welcome assistance and guidance from experts in the industry. By accepting that there are some aspects of the industry that I know less about, I use my connections to work with photographers, models and editors to help me grow and strengthen my brand in ways that I wouldn’t be able to do by myself.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
WAY FORWARD’s commitment to showcasing unique and unconventional designs from artisan collaborators, whose hand-crafted pieces provide a glimpse into their stories and memories allows the company to stand out from numerous other companies. Along with WAY FORWARD’s commitment to representing unique stories is the importance of sustainability amidst an emerging movement within the fashion industry to take care of our planet and respect the time and effort put into each garment.
We call our first drop, CHAPTER # 1 — Forever & a Day- because it is the beginning of an infinite jourday. In this chapter, we worked with a Brooklyn based artist who is passionate about the beauty of the looms and their feel. She mainly uses recycled thread from materials she already used in her installations, as well as threads she spins and dyes by hand.
Another one of our collections, Amor Fati, which can be translated as “love of one’s fate”, is a collaboration with Colombian-born artist Natalia Swarz. The concept of the collection revolves around the human’s exploration of the concept of fate.
Our newest collection set to be released within the coming weeks focuses on handmade crochet designs that feature different messages or images of animals. A new feature we are implementing is creating customizable products in which individuals can alter and design their own products and create their own crochet designs.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that was relevant to you in your life?
This is not exactly a quote but is a phrase that I try to remind myself of everyday which is Amor Fati. As the title of one of our most prominent collections, Amor Fati revolves around the idea of fate and accepting the good and bad parts of life equally. This is relevant to my life because I have experienced many obstacles and challenges throughout my life and it can be easy to lose sight of your accomplishments and successes when you focus on what is not working. I embrace both the challenges and successes because they both have shaped me into the person I am today. I have learned from my mistakes and have grown throughout many of life’s challenges.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Do you see any fascinating developments emerging over the next few years in the fashion industry that you are excited about? Can you tell us about that?
The most prominent development in the fashion industry that I am excited about is the emerging movement and focus on sustainability and transparency. For too long the fashion industry has been culpable for contributing in a significant way to climate change, especially given the focus on fast fashion and mass production. In the last 10 years there has been a significant shift in which numerous companies have made significant changes to their manufacturing processes in order to reuse materials, reduce the amount of water being used and create products that are far more durable. Amidst these positive changes in the fashion industry, during the creation of Way Forward I have followed in the footsteps of many brands and have made a significant effort to ensure that sustainability and transparency are at the forefront of my company and its mission.
Can you share how your brand is helping to bring goodness to the world?
Way Forward is helping to bring goodness to the world by giving a spotlight to artists and their creative designs that reflect their unique stories and perspectives. The products at Way Forward place value on artist’s handcrafted creations. Moreover, the products help to inspire people to never settle for the status quo, and ensure that people are helping to contribute to make the fashion industry more sustainable and transparent. It pushes customers to value the time, effort and work of individuals who make these projects possible.
Can you share with our readers about the ethical standards you use when you choose where to source materials?
First of all I just use natural fibers which are more responsible for the environment because when you dispose of them they naturally decompose. Additionally, natural fibers are more durable and help maximize the breathability of the garments. Additionally, I make sure to help represent unique textiles and fabrics of high quality that represent the artist’s stories and memories.
Fast fashion has an advantage, that it is affordable for most people, but it also has the drawback that it does not last very long and is therefore not very sustainable. What are your thoughts about this? How does your company address this question?
While fast fashion is far more affordable than higher end products, therefore making it much more accessible to the majority of customers, the environmental costs of fast fashion are impossible to ignore, not to mention the poor quality of products made under inhumane working conditions that ensure that most of its products can only be worn a few times. Thus, I strongly stand against fast fashion and believe that it is much more important to place an emphasis on sustainability, reusing textiles and handcrafting creations. Not only is this more sustainable and eco friendly, but it ensures that each product is unique and tells a story. Additionally, each product is of higher quality and can last a long time. The only disadvantage so to speak about higher end products are their prices which are more expensive but given their durability, in the long run customers can end up saving money. Way Forward reflects my ideas on sustainability and transparency, and while the products do come at a higher cost, they are sustainably made and of a very high quality.
Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand”. Please share a story or example for each.
One aspect that is integral to leading a successful fashion brand is having a social awareness and consciousness of what consumers are being influenced by. This is important because by understanding the values of consumers, and what influences them, a company is able to reflect their customers values, uphold a standard of transparency and communication and ensure that the products being made will make customers happy and confident.
Collaboration is another aspect of creating a successful fashion brand and is especially integral with regard to Way Forward. It’s very important to be able to work with other people and help bring exposure to their creative ideas, perspectives and experiences. At Way Forward, our collaborations with artists allow customers to learn about new artists, engage with their designs and understand more about their personal journeys and philosophies.
Another aspect of leading a successful fashion brand is envisioning the identity of your brand and its primary purpose or effect on consumers. The purpose behind WAY FORWARD is that consumers are inspired to push beyond expectations and the status quo and forge their own unique path. It’s about acceptance and originality. The identity of the brand comes through not only the name of the company, but the original designs which reflect these ideas.
Another aspect of leading a successful fashion company is responding to feedback and listening to key voices. At WAY FORWARD we place a significant emphasis on customer engagement and try to take in which products customers feel particularly connected to. By embracing their opinions, we ensure that first and foremost we are listening to customers and serving their needs and wishes.
Lastly, addressing challenges and other faults is key to creating a successful fashion business. For example, the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the fashion industry and has heavily slowed down many of the processes to obtain garments and manufacturing products which has made it far more challenging to release products when I want to. Additionally, given that I am the only person at WAY FORWARD who is essentially responsible for completing all of the necessary tasks and responsibilities, there has been a lot of pressure to uphold the standards that I represent and follow through with many of my ideas. When I do find myself in a situation of great challenge, I try my best to address the problem or to set new expectations to customers or anyone that I collaborate with to ensure that they are aware of my latest thinking and to honor my commitments.
Every industry constantly evolves and seeks improvement. How do you think the fashion industry can improve itself? Can you give an example?
Aside from the emerging movement of sustainability and transparency within the fashion industry, one key way that the fashion industry can improve itself is by prioritizing representation and inclusivity. For so long only one type of model was represented on the runway, and in campaigns and magazines. This has a detrimental effect on the mental health of young people, particularly young girls who compare themselves to models and feel insecure or less than. By being more inclusive in sizing as well as background and ethnicity, more people can feel seen and represented which makes a huge difference. It allows everyone to feel welcomed and seen. There have been significant improvements to increasing representation and diversity in the fashion industry but there is still a long way to go.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Through my experience being a lawyer for 6 years and the transition that I made when I decided to move from Colombia to America in order to pursue a career in the fashion industry I was able to learn many things and take away a new philosophy about life that would leave me more fulfilled and happy in the long term. First and foremost, I came to a realization that we live in a world that constantly convinces people that they are lacking, that they need to get a good job, make money and find a very finite version of success to truly be happy. Practically every industry, whether it be the beauty industry, fashion industry or even the financial industry indirectly convinces people that they need to buy products and focus on maximizing their own economic growth to find fulfillment in life. The key aspect that is left behind is true happiness, which is necessary to find fulfillment in life. I didn’t come to this realization until after I realized that despite making a good amount of money, and reaching a certain level of success as a lawyer, I still felt unfulfilled and happy, all because I was not pursuing what I was truly passionate about. By following my dreams and taking risks, especially through the creation of WAY FORWARD, I have learned to never take anything for granted, to always appreciate the failures and successes, and to stay positive above all.
Thus, the movement that I would start to bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people would to educate people on how my life’s experiences have allowed me to come to this realization, in hopes that people will also abandon the incessant desire to fulfill someone else’s version of success and fulfillment, and rather find their own success and happiness by pursuing their passions, staying humble and treating others with respect and kindness. This is harder than it sounds, but given the transformational effect that this realization has had on me, it is clear that it too would be transformational for others.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find us at Instagram @wayfrwrd email caterine@wayfrwrd.com and website www.wayfrwrd.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Modern Fashion: Caterine Lopez of Way Forward On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.