Three years ago, Stephanie Santana went from being a seller of clothes, to being the one who designs them
Five years ago, Stephanie Santana (a US citizen) left the corporate world to find another path where she would not feel so limited and where she could spend a lot of time with her son, who is now four years old.
He found that path three years ago, when he went from being a person who sells clothes, to being the one who designs them. This was evidenced when materializing and launching her “Stephanie Sunshine” jewelry collection in the Dominican Republic, inspired by the precious stones of the country, amber and larimar; as well as in pearls, corals, steel, metal, rhodium and gold. These pieces have a special mission, and that is to represent the strength, light and resilience of women.
His passion and creative instinct runs through his DNA
The love of business is in Stephanie’s blood. Although she was born in New York, United States, she is the daughter of Dominicans, who brought her to the country every summer to visit her grandparents.
He tells elCaribe that when his grandparents had a franchise of gift shops (gift shop) with which they are 40 years old, on their vacations in the country and with just seven years, he helped them sell various products to tourists in stores that were located in the Colonial Zone and the Mercado Modelo. “With them he learned about all kinds of art, jewelry, paintings, even textiles. That is where my appreciation for local products, Dominican talent and creativity began, and I also noticed how tourists valued this,” Stephanie stressed.
Impressed with the world of jewels and beauties in the Dominican Republic, one day, when she was nine years old, Stephanie told her mother: “I am going to live in the Dominican Republic with my grandparents”, I wish that her parents fulfilled her.
During the years that he lived in the country, he appreciated more the history and culture of Dominicans. He then returned to his native country to continue studying. As she continued to be fascinated by the business world she studied International Business, with a minor in Finance in Philadelphia, which required her to take courses abroad. All these experiences helped her to enter the business world.
Why jewelry to do business?
In addition to the love she developed for local businesses and produce while visiting her grandparents, Stephanie likes to wear jewelry, which was not lost on her friends and acquaintances.
“When people saw me wearing something, they practically took it off me, for example, they told me: “I like that ring, I want it”, so I turned it into a business. I started with a mobile boutique with my mother with whom I learned a lot”, said the young dreamer.
Inspiration
“I was inspired here in the country. It wasn’t planned, but I started to see what jewelers were doing with larimar and amber, and the designers who are putting our metals up high,” Stephanie said.
Last year Stephanie came to stay with her family for two weeks, which turned into seven. “Those weeks I learned about metals and their production, to get the best quality in this collection and please my clients with an avant-garde creation.”
DR, country chosen for the launch of the line
“Stephanie Sunshine” is the materialized dream of Stephanie Santana, a young entrepreneur who changed the course of her career to bring modern women an avant-garde creation, with the aim of pursuing her passion of beautifying the world through jewelry, gems, fashion and art, using their creativity as a weapon of change to empower women. Stephanie Santana chooses the Dominican Republic to launch “Stephanie Sunshine”, her first jewelry collection, which costs Dominicans between 40 dollars (2,224 Dominican pesos) and 75 (4,170 Dominican pesos)… whose prices for the United States are more tall.
