Meet Diana Rosario | Owner & Creator of Relax + Restore Loungewear

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

Hi Diana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I decided to start my own business during the covid-19 pandemic and the idea came to me at a time where coping with my anxiety and depression was becoming a daily challenge. In that year, the company I was working for had announced that they were closing their doors, due to the covid surge and I would be laid off, putting me in a tough financial situation. I found fulfillment investing my time into building my business because for me this meant finally having the freedom to create a life that I can live on my own terms. Growing up, I aspired to be many different things, a Fashion Designer for starters but, I have always had a creative mind. For me, being able to express my creativity through cricut projects and my all time favorite, tie-dye projects allowed me to escape the reality around me and the world I was facing at that moment. The name of my business Relax + Restore Loungewear was inspired by my mental health illness in efforts to continue to raise awareness. It means exactly that, to relax and restore yourself from anything and everything, even if it’s not mental health related. Relax + Restore Loungewear is more than just a brand as I also like to use my Instagram platform to discuss topics about faith, mental health, offer daily motivational inspiration and self-care tips. Through my Instagram stories, I have also expressed my desire to donate and I have already made contributions to three organizations that support mental health, homelessness and animal cruelty. It’s because of the amount of positive feedback that I feel so happy with the type of business I have created. I always strive to put a smile on my customers’ faces and I feel proud to say that so far I have gone above and beyond with my level of service. I look forward to continuing to create new projects that this community and other individuals continue to enjoy. I definitely see myself donating to more organizations with hopes to make a difference in the lives of others. Overall, I’m excited for the future of my brand as I enjoy the present of all of it now with all the great things currently happening.

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.
Relax + Restore Loungewear is a tie-dye shop set apart from other tie-dye businesses because we like to create fun, colorful pieces for every season that also include messages our customers/audiences can agree with displayed on the apparel. These messages include raising awareness for causes like mental health and also creating inspirational slogans for business owners, amongst others designs. All of our items are uniquely designed and well thought out. Each piece is created with a unique inspiration behind it. Very few of our pieces are made in bulk amounts, so it’s nice to say that the piece you’ll be buying is specially crafted for you. I am proud of all the designs I have created so far. But, definitely one of my favorites that received a lot of buzz from the small business community has been our GIRL BOSS crewneck sweatshirts. A lot of female entrepreneurs set their eyes on it, making the launch and relaunch a success! Getting to where I am today has definitely had a lot of challenges, it has not been easy at all. But, great things in life do not come easy, so this is a journey I would gladly do over, if that meant living my dream over again. I overcame all the challenges I faced by continuously persevering and most importantly keeping my faith in check because giving up when situations get hard for me is never an option and is not worth throwing all the hard work away for a temporary moment of difficulty. I would say any business owner thinking of starting their business, go for it but, make sure to prepare for all the crazy roller coasters that come with it, not just the glitz and glam part of it. Stay committed entirely, if it’s really what you want out of life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Luckily, me and my gal friend live in the same state, which is New Jersey, just not the same city. But, that’s okay because we live only a few minutes away from one another, which is great! If she were in the area visiting, we would definitely go out to an early lunch to talk and catch up at one of our favorite spots, Kafe Neo is a cute little breakfast place which we love because who doesn’t love having the option of breakfast and lunch or even better both. After that, we would go do some shopping for clothes at the Willowbrook mall, which is close to the area from the cafe, we like to stay within the area a lot of times when we go out not too far from home. After that, we would make our way back home but, definitely still be at home texting one another or facetiming as if we just hadn’t seen each other hours ago, haha! What I love about my gal friend is that we are both so open minded to try just about anything so it’s always a fun time when we catch up.

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?
First, I want to thank God for giving me the wisdom and creative vision I needed to start my business and carry through all of my ideas. Being a business owner is not always easy and there will be many times of difficulty. But, God always reminds us that Here is Holy and we should never forget why we started. To have faith that we can overcome all obstacles because they’re temporary and he has a special plan for our lives. Lastly, I want to thank anyone and everyone who has supported my journey so far. Whether you comment on my posts, like my pictures, save my content for later or share it, follow me on my Instagram, have bought an item from me or have referred others to shop from my website. I am beyond appreciative of all the support! It makes me feel overwhelmingly happy with how much support and great feedback I have received since starting this business. I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world.

Website: www.rrloungewear.com

Instagram: @rrloungewear

Other: TikTok: @rrloungewear