Meet Becky Anzaldo | Founder of Playa Yama

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

Hi Becky, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Playa Yama started with the idea of making clothing to comfort people through the highs and lows of life. It has always been a passion of mine to start a clothing brand since I was a young girl, obsessed with reading fashion magazines and shopping with my mom. It wasn’t until working in the fashion industry in New York for contemporary and luxury designers, that I realized the clothing wasn’t being made for people with larger bodies. Once I became a mom, lost my mom, left my career, and moved to California, all within a couple of years, did I understand the feelings of grief and loss. . Losing the identity that I once knew, I was yearning for comfort, and was looking for clothes to fit my new life and body. That’s when I came up with the concept of creating size inclusive cozy checkered sweaters for women. Sweaters that are cozy enough to snuggle up in at home, but cool enough to wear out and about. That’s when I found my purpose in creating Playa Yama. We’re not just selling sweaters; we’re creating a community of women who support and uplift each other through life’s journey. We believe that every woman deserves to feel beautiful, confident, and comfortable in her own skin, and our sweaters are designed to help make that a reality.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The art of creating for Playa Yama is playful and fun, finding beauty in mixing elevated silhouettes with unique color combinations. My greatest gift is my hyperfixation to aesthetic details, whether it is the unusual pleating of a skirt or unique color of furniture, everything is woven into creating Playa Yama. I have always been a visual learner, intuitive and I lead with my heart. If a sample comes back and I don’t love it or see potential in it, I don’t move forward with producing it. The most exciting part of Playa Yama is that the possibilities are endless, I have some new styles I am working on and can’t wait to share with the world.

My fashion career began in New York, working as the assistant to the CEO for a small contemporary brand, Helen Wang. It was a small company, with about 10 employees, with a husband (the CEO) and wife (Helen Wang, the designer) duo running it. This is the position that opened my eyes to all the inner workings of a fashion brand. It was the typical assistant job in the beginning, running errands to the factory, the bank, picking up starbucks and data entry. But it was so much more once I proved my worth, I would ship wholesale orders to the boutique and most of the major department stores across the United States, I got to see more of the design process and sit in on meetings. The office was in the heart of the garment district, and I loved every minute of it. I would chat with the Chinese pattern makers and cutters, and see what they were doing from start to finish. The trade shows were fun to see, and exhausting at the same time, since I did the steaming, packing and unpacking of the trunks full of samples. But this just wet my palette to want to build a brand even more.

Next, I had my eyes set on working at Rebecca Taylor, another contemporary brand when it was still privately owned but much bigger, so again, the company’s back end on a much larger scale than before.. I made a core group of friends here, and worked my way around the company, from wholesale sales to production and product development. All at entry-level jobs, but reporting to the VPs of the departments, which if you can find a job like that I highly suggest, because those are the people that see everything from the top, financially and operationally.

And finally, I wanted to be a cool corporate fashion girly, and didn’t care what it took. I took a finance job at Marc Jacobs just to be a part of a corporate run design house. That was in early 2006, and I had the privilege of seeing Marc Jacobs be the hottest designer and brand thriving in luxury and contemporary categories. The company parties would be celebrity filled and the discounts and sample sales kept me enjoying life, even though it wasn’t a part of the business I enjoyed. But it gave me the opportunity to sit in on financial meetings, and become accustomed to building and reading financial reporting. From the beginning, I just kept telling myself that I wanted to use this experience to build my own brand. Eventually I was able to move departments and work in licensing which was pivotal in seeing how branding was used to create other design specialties by third party manufacturers. It was great to see how the in house designers worked and how the manufacturers were able to execute their vision. I worked under a couple amazing women that had families and it was inspiring to see them balance it all out. But it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, I had my fair share of drama in fashion as one could imagine. But it was around this time, I just had my first baby, I ended up moving back to California to be with my mom at the end of her life.

Life got turned upside down, I moved across the country with my 1 year old. My grandfather and mother passed 10 days apart from each other, I left my career and no longer had my friends to support me. It was the darkest time of my life, and looking back, I know that I probably needed way more therapy and help than I let on. After a few years of raising kids, I started prioritizing my health, and working out. I found myself again, not my old self, but a stronger new version of her.

It was at this point, I was asked by a family member to help launch and run a medical spa. It was a blessing in disguise, I was able to see how capable I was at running the operations of a business. To have a vision for the marketing and creating a community for women to come in and play with laser treatments and injectables like botox. But once covid hit, my kids were out of school, and it was time for me to make my exit from the business. It no longer felt aligned with my conscience to keep marketing to women that they need to “fix” themselves with treatments while the world shut down. But the beauty of it was that I became friends with these women, and saw how vulnerable and uncomfortable they were after aging and having kids. This is when I had the idea to create a cozy sweater that could swaddle the women in comfort and still look good running their busy lives.

All this led me to finding my purpose of creating Playa Yama to comfort women. I have to say it has been a bit therapeutic to write out my career and see how much I have done. There’s a part of me that felt like my career was cut short, and I wasn’t able to climb higher up the corporate ranks in fashion. But looking back at it, all these jobs gave me the foundation to build Playa Yama to what it is today. It isn’t easy, but its sheer determination of making so many little decisions quickly that together created the brand. Don’t give up on your dreams, even if the path to getting there doesn’t look like what you thought it would.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m picturing one of my NYC besties coming to Newport Beach for a visit. The beach is my happy place, followed by good food and the arts. We would have to start out with brunch at the Beachcomber in Crystal Cove for the vibes. Eating on the beach with a bloody mary in hand is sheer bliss for a visitor from the city. We’d obviously take a quick siesta on the beach to digest before going inland to Costa Mesa. At the Camp, we would walk around and shop, ending up at Folk’s Pizza for a late lunch. Their salads and pizza are next level, the crust is like fresh baked bread with an outer crisp, while light and fluffy inside. The night would have to end with a walk along Lido Marina Village and we’d have dinner at Malibu Farm or Nobu overlooking the water.

When the people I love come to visit, I love to host them at my home and get cozy on the couch with a good cocktail. I love to go to Northgate Gonzales market and pick up a bunch of freshly made Mexican food and feast at home with some guacamole and micheladas. I’ve been going to the Mexican supermarkets in Santa Ana forever, but to now have the Mercado Northgate open in Costa Mesa, it is quite a vibe. Especially for visitors that aren’t used to so much Mexican culture, it’s like a Mexican visitors center with all types of food stations. I realize the older I get, it’s not about the scene as much as it is the company. I always prefer good food and good conversation over the scene in Orange County. I had my fair share in New York City, and I love a gritty scene.

After a few days of running around Newport, people watching at Fashion Island and visiting cute restaurants, I would have to head to Irvine. Irvine has some of the best asian restaurants close to me. My favorite meal is Shabu at All That Shabu in Irvine. It’s a comfort meal, no frills, but good broth, meat and add on options.

And on a regular day, when I want to ground myself and find joy, I go to the beach with sushi from Tokyo Central, the Japanese market in Costa Mesa. Don’t sleep on the authentic asian markets with their fresh bentos. Sushi on the beach with a Hawaiian Sun, if you know you know, and watching the sunset is my ultimate date. So obviously I would take a visitor there. And if I end up near Blackies in Newport Beach, there’s always Handel’s ice cream for dessert, yum! I think my life leans towards comfort now, just like my brand Playa Yama, and that includes comfort foods.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is dedicated to my mother Liane, she was a single mother, a lawyer, a business owner, artist, classically trained ballerina and fashionista. She always encouraged me from the time I was a child to start my own business. I used to march around my neighborhood selling homemade bookmarks, it wasn’t fruitful but it was fun! And it wasn’t until I became a mom, did I truly understand the work and dedication it takes to be a mom and business owner. She showed up to every single recital, sports activity and school function with a smile on her face and never complained. To me, that is a true mentor, someone that exhibits the best qualities with a positive attitude, she taught by example and was my biggest cheerleader. She is why I created Playa Yama; when she passed away, I was completely lost and uncomfortable. And I found my purpose creating cozy clothing for those that experience loss and discomfort in life.

I would also like to dedicate this shoutout to my husband, Ahmed. He has let me be free to pursue this business venture, and has stepped up with caring for our family and home. Parenting is a balancing act, and sometimes you get lost in the details, but at the end of the day, he always shows his love and cheers me on daily. Because the days it gets quiet are sometimes the hardest days to continue growing.

Website: https://playayama.com

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

Image Credits
Playa Yama