Meet Ivan Ruiz | Clothier / Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ivan Ruiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ivan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My perception of risk has gone through a lot of interesting changes since I was a kid, the biggest influence being my parents. They took many risks to get to where they are today, but always retained faith that things would work out in the end no matter the outcome. A version of that mindset found its way to me, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve been able to accomplish much more than I thought I was capable of, with every instance of this having a considerable risk that I needed to be aware of and account for. It’s a necessary part of the human experience which has led to a lot of my greatest moments, however taking a risk doesn’t always work out; so of course it’s led to my worst moments as well. There was a lesson to learn with each experience, which eventually started to manifest into my own personal growth. If I’m being completely honest taking risks made me bold in a way that I needed to be, it showed me my flaws, and turned my weaknesses into strengths.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art has always been a pure representation of me to some extent, so in that regard I would say part of the reason I tend to stand out is because I care as much for my craft as I do for the people in my life. My whole thing is upcycling clothing, and I see it as a good approach to life as well; breaking down what we thought was set in stone and building something better in its place. This can be draining on whatever level you’re attempting it, so having that sense of community within your circle can make all the difference when interacting outside of it. Most of the time my biggest challenge was networking with others, ironically while I was good at it my thoughts always seemed to get jumbled which led to confusion and miscommunication, so being able to practice among friends and family without judgement helped tremendously. In any regard support can be an amazing motivator, so whenever things happen to not go according to plan having those you trust to fall back on can also give you the space to recoup and get back into your groove. Each time I was able to accomplish something that initially intimidated me it just added to the wave of momentum which is always a great feeling. My situation is much more fortunate than most, and I’m eternally grateful to be able to focus purely on my art and my brand. I’m trying my best, just like everyone else is. I’m not perfect, my clothes aren’t perfect, nothing’s perfect and that’s okay. It’s pretty obvious but everyone makes mistakes and we tend to forget that sometimes. The biggest lesson I’ve learned though all my experiences this past year is to just be open to everyone, and everything. It took me a really long time to connect with myself, I’m still working on it everyday, but truly connecting with others can also help you not feel so alone. Again this is all pretty obvious, but my creative process has definitely benefited from a quick refresher.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start off by taking them to check out the usual well known city spots, my first one ever being Montrose. We could walk through the neighborhood while stopping at all the classic spot spots like Petty Cash, Lo-fi, Pavement etc. If they’re up for it maybe have a shoot in front of the murals, or anywhere really. There’s so much personality in every corner it’s not hard to get inspired by the whole scene. After that we’d get a bite at Niko Niko’s and order two Gyro Plates with a side of fries and extra sauce. From there its an easy trip to discovery green for some nice leisurely strolling, and hit the museum district if we can but that could be a whole days trip within itself. To truly get the full effect of the city, it’s the people that’ll really make the trip. We’d parade throughout Houston for the week visiting all my friends and getting a taste of the different types of lifestyles, and with an abundance of mom and pop shops and restaurants there’d be no shortage of lowkey good eats and bargain finds.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to Clint Toran, while we met online both of us happened to live close enough to meet up an became instant friends! We’ve been able to help each other other grow as creatives and as people by openly viewing the world through our different lenses. Our creative output as a team has been awesome to see come to life and I’m really glad to have him in my corner!

Instagram: @clinterweb

Website: https://ruiz.clothing/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chinofin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chinofin

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbWVsoYx3CwJmxPeAU_5RA

Image Credits
Retroject (Joshua Jones) Cynthia Marez