In Mexico, we have a saying that goes like this; “Educa a un niño y educarás a un hombre. Educa a una niña y educarás a una familia.” In English, “If you educate a boy, you educate an individual but if you educate a girl, you educate the whole family.” 

At Shasa, the fashion company I founded and lead with my brother Armando, we believe deeply in the power of empowering women. It has informed our growth and identity over the years, both in terms of how we manage and grow the company, and in terms of how we give back to our communities. As I look back over the last 20 or so years, in fact, I find it hard to separate which came first, our intentional focus on women within Shasa, or our work with a girls’ orphanage we have helped build, Casa Hogar Alegria.