At age fourteen, vegan fashion designer Noel Veloz, founder of HEMINCUFF, made his first bag. “It was just terrible,” he laughs. “Nothing came out right. I had this big, glorious vision for it in my mind, but somewhere along the way between cutting the fabric and putting in the last stitch, something got off track. Thankfully, I have learned a lot since then.”
A lot of Noel’s knowledge comes from his father. “My father was an incredible designer and was always making bags and small accessories when I was a little kid. He was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, and he had a sewing machine. I used to hang around, watching him create clutches, backpacks, card holders – anything his clients wanted. The fun part was their reaction – when they saw my dad’s work, their faces really lit up. I was always really proud of him, and I picked up a lot from him.”
Noel was so affected by his dad’s impact on people that he wanted to do the same thing. “I tried to make my own duffel bag when I was fourteen, but that didn’t turn out too well,” he laughs. “I still had a few things to learn. Eventually, I had to get a job, so I tried being a physical therapist and even a librarian, but that just didn’t do it for me.”
The answer to his doubts about his career came when he began working in retail and interning in fashion. “It all immediately clicked. I was learning the business, and I was ecstatic. I knew I had found what I was meant to do because it never felt like work. On my way home from work every night, I used to walk alone from 51st Street to 72nd Street and study every luxury boutique store window. I learned so much about visual merchandising just by doing this. I also watched documentaries about luxury bags and designers on YouTube. It was all I wanted to do.”
Noel may have found his dream job, but it came with a lot of obstacles to overcome, which discouraged him at times. Noel is grateful for the advice he received from industry professionals. “Rebecca Minkoff assured me that if I persevered like she had, I would make it. Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston told me basically the same thing, so I took it as a sign that I needed to just gut it out and keep going.”
Noel did indeed continue on his journey to becoming an in-demand designer. Starting his company, HEMINCUFF, was thrilling, and he’s committed to its mission: to empower creative, adventurous professionals who aim high, focus on achieving the unachievable, and look elegant while doing it. “Our clients are at the top of their professions, either in the business or the creative world. One thing they really like about HEMINCUFF is that the work I produce is meticulous. Nothing that I make is rushed. I am setting the tone for the vegan luxe market and have plans to elevate it even more.”
Noel is passionate about HEMINCUFF’s focus on vegan products. “I saw videos of major luxury brands harming animals so that they could use their skins for their products. This is intolerable. I want HEMINCUFF to lead by example and create luxury products without harming any animals. We also help nature by putting greenery in the background of every production shot and by donating to onetreeplanted.org with every bag we sell.”
Noel has a clear vision for HEMINCUFF. “Picture this: HEMINCUFF’s entire line will be made-to-order. That’s cool enough as it is, but what really will take this over the top is that every client will receive a video of their bag being made. What that means is that everyone will have a luxury experience on my website. I’m also in the process of expanding and am interviewing craftsmen to be on my team.”
Noel wishes his father could see where he is today. “He would be proud of what I am doing with HEMINCUFF,” he says. “He would understand my passion for it and support me. He really has been a big reason for its success since he is the one who got me started in design. It’s why I plan to include his photo in these trunks I am creating. They will be the first-ever luxury vegan trunks, and you can think of them as being like the ones people used to travel with back in the 1800s. I think including my dad’s photo in each one will be a good way to honor what he did for me and the role he had in creating HEMINCUFF.”
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