By Belclem Namegabe
Getting to know the faces behind the garments.
Welcome to Beyond the Stitch where you get to know the faces behind the garments. Through an interview, I’m going to be bringing light to Santiago Salas’s origin story, highlighting his clothing brand Suave, and the message he hopes to bring with it.
Santiago Salas is a Young Mexican American entrepreneur who has made a name for himself in his hometown area of Southeast California. Salas is a student at McPherson College in Kansas while simultaneously pursuing his career as an athlete.
Now I know what you’re wondering, What is Suave? What does it mean, what does it stand for? When asked this question, it was almost slightly comical. Santiago gave insight on the name stemming from his childhood, referencing his grandparents. “Growing up, my grandparents always used to call me ““Suave,”” it means to be smooth.” Santiago bringing confidence in your clothes when you wear something. Stating when you wear something, you want to be smooth and feel fly.
Being from California, Salas is no stranger to the streetwear scene. He accredits his upbringing from Southeast California and how it influences his clothing brand. Claiming the way people dress and the different types of wear brought him into his passion for street wear.
Santiago hopes to leave a positive influence on his community with his clothing. When asked about the impact he wants to bring with his clothing to his community of Southeastern California, he states, “The impact I want to give is just to show kids that they can wear anything that they want to wear, even if it’s not a designer brand”. Santiago hopes to bring value with his brand to all spectrums of society. From high class rappers and celebrities to local faces in their community, he wants to allow kids to draw a sense of community from the clothing, knowing that they can afford what the celebrities are wearing.
Santiago is new to the McPherson College campus and hopes to spread his culture and mission with his brand, ultimately hoping to bring the Bay Area to McPherson, Kansas.
Being from a less fortunate community, Suave sees being a young entrepreneur as a blessing. Having the ability to afford to manufacture his clothing, even dealing with the ups and downs, he believes you just have to keep pushing through it, just like anything in life; take all the lessons learned and just keep running with it, and he is very grateful for it.
Suave is a very humble man, however, he still has hopes to compete with the best. He claims he aims to be a “Top Dog,” envisioning rappers, influencers and everybody alike rocking his gear.
Clothes are normally made by people we don’t know, so it is very meaningful for Santiago to see people wearing his clothing, especially for the athletes, people that run track, play football, play soccer or any other sport. When asked how it exactly makes him feel, he said, “The feeling is like scoring a touchdown,” to see someone rocking his merchandise, it brings him a sense of fulfillment.
Balancing sports, academics, and a business all in one while being a young entrepreneur in college isn’t the easiest. However, Santiago stays dedicated because these are the things that drive him.
Salas wakes up at 5:30 a.m. for football practice and work before continuing with his day. “You got to be dedicated to what you want, and find time to put time into” when asked where Santiago sees his brand in the future. He explains that he plans to open a barbershop back in his hometown named Suave. Putting a staple to Suave as a lifestyle. “I want to live smooth, I want to have a smooth lifestyle and be fly.”
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