Amaira Cedrés Rodríguez, from Lanzarote, originally from Femés, has turned her passion for fashion into a profession. The entrepreneur, who started her journey in the online store business two years ago, combines her work in a shipping company with her taste for accessories such as hats, the specialty on which the website where she advertises her products focuses most. "I started a few years ago leaving hats in stores and doing fashion shows on the island," she revealed to La Voz. As time has passed, her business has been consolidating throughout the volcanic island. "I started with a low level, but I am getting more and more customers, little by little people are getting to know me," she added.
In addition to her online sales, there are purchases made by Lanzarote residents in some local shops where she places her products, such as in Haría and Villa de Teguise, among others. "Word of mouth is what helps me sell them," she revealed to the newspaper. This is how she made the decision to start in the business world. "I decided to start because there was nothing like it in Lanzarote." She pointed out that she does not have a particular physical store, but she does not rule out opening her own establishment in the future. "I don't have a physical store, but my products are in several stores in Lanzarote," she revealed.
Her hats, wicker bags, headbands, clutches, etc. are products designed to be worn for weddings, communions or events that require something more daring and elegant. She highlighted that more daring fashions such as hats are being introduced on the island, a product that more and more customers are demanding. "In Lanzarote, people are not very daring when it comes to large hats, but they are wearing them more and more," the woman commented about the most special garment in her business.
"In Lanzarote, people are not very daring when it comes to large hats, but they are wearing them more and more"
The details in the personalized designs that Cedrés creates are "imagined" and shaped by her. Some are very characteristic and are directly related to the traditional works of the island. "I pay tribute to the field workers to convey the essence of Lanzarote," she added. According to what she confessed to the newspaper, she does not rule out starting to design clothes and even opening a physical store with her own designs in the not too distant future. "I have always liked the world of fashion, I am not closed to designing clothes," she revealed.
The Internet has been a fundamental part of giving life to her business. "Social networks have boosted it," she said. A website where she sells her designs and develops it together with her daughter, a fundamental pillar to keep the store afloat. "My daughter runs the website and social networks," she highlighted. Instagram has been the main tool for exposure to the public, with which she has had to learn to use and advertise. Thus, social networks have increased sales outside the Canary Islands. "People from the island buy from me, but also from the Peninsula," she acknowledged.
Customers who usually buy in her online store decide to opt for her hats. "It's what people ask me for the most," she revealed. In addition, making personalized orders is also one of the most demanded services by Lanzarote residents. "Some want the accessories adapted to the clothes they are going to wear to special events", she pointed out. For that reason, she decides to use her imagination and add personalized details to some of her products. "I buy the hats finished, but I end up decorating them."
