Meet Lia Cohen | Fashion Designer

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

Hi Lia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I wanted to create a Guatemalan fashion brand that could create dignified jobs and embrace femininity in the designs and prints for women to remind them that they are magnificent. For me, fashion is not just about clothes, it is a tool for women to construct their identity or express the message they give themselves. Why themselves? Because the only opinion that matters regarding what you wear is yours. When women feel magnificent, confident, and truly authentic they shine in amazing ways and attract their intentions in life.

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 God blessed me with creativity. I believe that life is better when you surround yourself with beauty, so I am driven to create and use my creative talent to enhance spaces, moments, and my own brand of beauty. By this motto, I start every collection with a written manifesto that always focuses on positive messages and feelings that I want women to experience throughout the season. After that, I translate the feelings into pictures and create a mood board. A key element is nature, which is always present, and of course, the beauty of femininity. During this step-by-step process, everything we put into the collection has a special message that will accompany every woman wearing LIA COHEN, and most importantly encourage them to remember that they are magnificent.

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?
As you may not know, I am from Guatemala City. I was born in “The land beneath the trees,” so if you come visit, I will wake you up early for a day in the city. I will definitely take you to one of my dearest friends’ restaurants, DIACA, where you can experience our culture with your taste buds. It is a truly amazing experience. I love Chef Debora Fadul who knows all of her producers, and makes you experiment with the different flavors. What I love the most is that she is in sync with the harvest seasons in agriculture — it is the way we all need to collate with Mother Nature. Don’t miss the center of the city, where you can travel in time to the Art Deco era where most of the buildings were constructed until you reach our National Palace of Culture. And of course, never forget to visit our main store in Zone 15 where you can experience the world of LIA COHEN.

Afterwards, I would love to take you to Antigua, Guatemala. It is a colonial city about 45 min from Guatemala City, where my favorite hotel called Villa Bokéh, is located. Antigua has a clash of cultural restaurants, but you can’t miss out on breakfast here, lunch at Fridas, and dinner at Tartines, and if you are a coffee lover — don’t forget to get one at FATCAT. And a shopping tip: don’t miss the Mercado Central of Antigua where you can experience meeting wonderful Guatemalan people, and see the diverse culture and languages. The other shopping place you can’t miss is WAKAMI store, they have a lovely social story behind what they do.

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 shout out to my son, nieces, and nephews. I recognize them because they fuel my passions, and I am building a legacy for them. I want to show them that dreams come true. Also, for my nieces to learn to be the directors of their life, and to speak their voices in a lovely manner. At this point in time I feel it is important to embrace your femininity, learn to love your essence, and to see yourself as pure as you came into this world. Therefore, I dedicate my drive, fuel, and dreams to them, specifically to my son Noah, the best son I could have ever asked for.

Website: https://www.liacohen.com

Instagram: Liacohenoficial

Linkedin: LIACOHEN

Facebook: LIACOHEN

Youtube: LIACOHENOFICIAL

Image Credits
PHOTOGRAPHY, CARMEN MALDONADO / AREA STUDIO
MODEL, ALESSANDRA BREGNI
H&M, PAOLA VALVERDE
STYLING, LADY TEAM
PLACE, LAKE ATITLAN, GUATEMALA