We had the good fortune of connecting with Arturo D. Chavez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arturo D., what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My wife and I started The Foliage Fanatic as a creative outlet to merge my love of plants and highlight my knowledge of the fashion industry. My wife is the savvy businesswoman and I bring the artistic side of things – it’s a perfect balance. The goal of our business is to create items that emphasize the beauty of plants along with sustainability, style and comfort. Our apparel and accessories are unisex items using fabric partially made of recycled bottles and organic cotton when possible.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
During the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to work from home and struggled with limited access to the outdoors. I had a few indoor plants but wanted to grow our collection and started doing a ton of research on plants. I learned which plants grow better in a west-facing window, which plants provide more oxygen and which plants help purifier the air.

As a way to stay creative, I started documenting the details of my new plants and sharing fun facts I learned. This led to the idea of starting a new business to incorporate these photos in a wearable fashion. Each item features an original image I have taken of plants from my family’s personal plant collection, boldly allowing our love of plants to be front and center.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my wife Jacqueline M. Chavez. She is my support, my inspiration and my best friend. Together we can accomplish anything!

Website: www.TheFoliageFanatic.com

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

Twitter: @ArturoDChavez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFoliageFanatic

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