Meet Crystal Gonzales | Childrens Clothing Designer

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

Hi Crystal, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I came from a corporate background and I never felt truly fulfilled in the corporate world. When I had my second baby, I had the opportunity to take a break and spend time with my kids and realized that my career, instead of making me happy was just putting me into a state of depression. I felt like it consumed my life and I wanted to re-direct my career life and so I sat down and started to really evaluate what my brought me joy and how could I use that. I knew that I loved my kids and I had gotten into really liking fashion – I loved to pick out fabrics and fun designs for my kids. So that’s how M. & Wally came about! It has allowed me to showcase my creative side while still allowing my kids to be a part of it, as my kids are the inspiration behind a lot of our designs at M. & Wally. They tell me what they would like to see on our clothes and we work with smaller designers and make our vision come alive. Being able to pursue my creative side and see it manifest into something that brings joys to other families and kids has truly been a dream come true!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think anyone being in business – especially a small business – would agree it’s harder than anyone can ever imagine. We’re a year in and still not really seeing much profit. But I continue because I believe in our company and love doing it. I believe a large reason on why we’ve continued to grow and people have come back to buy is because I truly care about our customers. Yes, sales are great but you have to connect with your customers! They are the reason my business is alive and growing at the end of the day. They are the ones who give me feedback and help me make changes, I am still learning.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a huge foodie! So I would take them to maybe some of my favorite coffee shops such as Jesse’s Grind in Winnetka. I would take them to eat Korean BBQ , I love Ayce Gogi! & I might take them on a road trip to some of my favorite beaches such as Malibu or Santa Barbara.

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?
My fiancee and my kids have been my biggest cheerleaders in doing this and starting up M. & Wally. They have never given up on me even when I’ve felt like giving up on myself.

Website: https://www.mandwally.com

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