Meet Nestor Hernandez: Creative Director & Actor

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

Hi Nestor, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I Think of risk as an opportunity for growth and millions of possibilities. From migrating from my home country at five, taking risks has gotten me to where I am right now. Before age 17, I knew that I wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue my creative career. Moving to LA at such a young age was one of the biggest decisions I took in my career and teen life. I found myself in very dark places at the beginning and would question myself hundreds of times. Fast forward almost four years later, my collection for KoKo Brand Co, which was inspired by the culture in Los Angeles, has been my most successful launch. Moving to LA got me to the school of my dreams and opened hundreds of creative opportunities that I don’t think I would have In my home state. Risk-taking has been something I’ve been practicing as a young kid, working under the table at places because I was undocumented. Risk-taking has been the best attribute that my parents taught me at a young age.

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.

KoKo Brand Co. was born out of the idea of expanding my social media brand in a way in which I can express myself creatively through creating design concepts, looking at the fabric colors, creative directing the photoshoot, and creating video campaigns. Creating and executing was the most challenging part of the process; all of the collection was designed and made during Covid-19. Covid affected my family and me and had many bumps along the road. My collection went seven months past the launch date because of the struggles I faced during the begging of the pandemic. This latest collection taught me many lessons, from not trusting close people to making myself and my brand a priority and not listening to others’ opinions. I think that if I had listened to many peoples’ opinions during the start of my latest collection, I would not have as much success as I’m currently receiving. KoKo has become my clothing brand’s name, but it’s also my name, my personality’s name. My Brand is KoKo, and in the future, I plan to keep growing my following and clothing brand and keep adding layers to an empire, an empire I always dreamt of.

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.
Places to eat – Rincon Hondureno
– Montys
– Portos
– Home
– Blu Jam
– Honduras Kitchen
– Paradise Cove Cafe
– Undergrind Cafe
Places to visit
– Griffith Park
– Malibu
– Echo Park
– Los Callejones
– LACMA
– Catalina Island
Places to drink
– Kalaveras
– Plate 38
– La Descarga Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this feature to my supportive and hardworking parents, Wendy & Melvin. Growing up, they were the most supportive parents and still are. They embraced my creative ideas and fully supported my brand and I. They both trusted me enough to let me move to a whole new city by myself at 17 and were rooting for me and my success every step of the way. I also want to dedicate this recognition to my younger brother Angel Hernandez, who inspires me every day and pushes me to be the best version of myself. And to the Angel guiding from up above, my Grandma Bertha.

Website: kokobrandco.com

Instagram: @kokobrandco @Kiing_koko

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

Image Credits
Jair Sanvicente