From sweatshops to the runway, this queen of 'hoochie makeovers' is dominating the fashion world
Veronica Kerzner, Founder and President of Style Fashion Week, discusses her upcoming show in Palm Springs. (October 2016)
Zoe Meyers/Palm Springs
A Glaudi bridal gown designed by Johana Hernandez who will present her collection at Style Fashion Week in Palm Springs in April 2018.(Photo: Courtesy)
Johana Hernandez grew up in a happy but humble home surrounded by sewers.
Her parents, immigrants from El Salvador, made ends meet by working in garment factories in Los Angeles sewing denim for all types of jean makers from Tommy Hilfiger and Guess to the Gap. They would take her with them to work and she would watch them.
“They were both always working together and very happy even though they made a little bit of money. I remember just being around it and being very curious and asking my mom “what are you doing” and my dad “what are you doing” and I learned the sewing machine and what they did and they would talk me through it,” said Hernandez recalling the beginning of her passion for fashion.
And then as she got older, in high school, inspired by such shows as “The Ricki Lake Show” and “The Jenny Jones Show” where extreme make-overs were popular, she started doing her own makeover’s on all her friends and earned a sassy nickname.
“I would look at women and see the potential. And my brothers gave me a name, they said ‘Oh you’re the hoochie maker’ because every time you give a girl a makeover she gets a boyfriend,” said Hernandez.
More than a decade later, Hernandez is still making ladies beautiful, but by dressing them in her sexy and sophisticated bridal and couture gowns.
Her fashion label, GLAUDI – derived from the name Gladis, which is her middle name and her mother’s name – will be on display for all to see at part of Style Fashion Week Palm Springs at the Palm Springs Air Museum April 6-8.
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She’s participated in Style Fashion Week in New York and Los Angeles and is excited to bring a couture collection and part of a bridal collection inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding to Palm Springs for the first time. She knows lots of people get married in the desert and hopes to inspire soon-to-be brides.
“This collection is really exciting, it’s very new to what I do because usually for the runway show I don’t bring bridal, but bridal is like a big, big part of my collection that people love. Women fly from everywhere to look for bridal because I design bridal for the runway, but it’s made for all sizes. I make to measure,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez is only 31, but she’s been working in the industry since she was almost 19 landing her first job as a head designer while enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Marketing. Since then she has been lead designer at Seven7 Jeans, and has designed for Isaac Mizrahi Jeans, Eli Tahari, and Hannah Montana and Disney licenses. Her many designs have also been sold at retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Lane Bryant, Kohl’s and Target.
A Glaudi couture gown designed by Johana Hernandez who will present her collection at Style Fashion Week in Palm Springs in April 2018. (Photo: Omi Chowdhury)
She finally launched her Glaudi brand in 2011 when she was 24 and has been the go-to designer for lots of Latina pop stars and actors such as Paulina Rubio, Lucero, Gloria Trevi, Gina Rodriguez and Roselyn Sanchez.
Hernandez has also starred on her share of reality fashion shows.
In 2013 she was one of 13 designers competing on NBC’s “Fashion Star” led by mentors Jessica Simpson, Nichole Richie and John Varvatos. Hernandez’ mentor was Richie. She finished in 6th place and as part of the show was able to get her designs sold to Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Express. She also won one challenge earning a Fiat 500 Gucci edition.
Hernandez can currently be seen as one of the judges on Amazon Prime’s “Fashion Hero” hosted by Brooke Hogan. The show is essentially a model contest for everyday people who have wanted to be models but were told they are not the right height or size.
“What I love about it — it’s all body positive so we’re taking everyday models that have been told they can’t be models because they’re not tall enough, skinny enough, so forth – but they can. So people can love their bodies the way they are and be body positive,” she said.
Her fashion runway shows are similar in that she uses women of all shapes and sizes and ethnicities because she knows all different types of people will be wearing her designs and wants them to be able to see themselves in those dresses.
“Every girl on the runway you’re gonna see is very stunning, but she’ll be very different. When I’m casting my models I’m always trying to show diversity. They’re all still models, just different shapes and sizes,” said Hernandez.
Woman of all shapes and sizes, whether a 0 or a 28 can wear her dresses, she said. Whatever people see on the runway, she can customize it. And the part of her job she loves most is seeing how happy the brides and women wearing her couture gowns are when they try on their dress.
“Women, when they come to my store they get really emotional. The brides of course cry. But (what) I’ve noticed is some girls haven’t worn dresses that fit them right. And when they finally feel good in a evening gown and they feel like their body feels good because it fits them, it’s very rewarding. so I feel like my job is done. I made her feel happy. I made her feel confident,” she said. “It’s very magical. So I really love that part of my job.”
Hernandez also loves that her brand has a charitable backstory and has been able to raise funds through fashion events and sales, to help kids living in poverty in El Salvador, her parent’s home country.
“It’s funny how I dress these stylish women who are going to Hollywood events and then it goes back to these kids that don’t even know about Hollywood,” she said.
If you go
What: Style Fashion Week Palm Springs April 6-8.
Where: Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs.
Who: April 6: Sweet Talk Swim, Underrated, Richard Hallmarq, Bohimi Couture, Smock Me, Andre Emery; April 7: David Tupaz, Merlin Castell, Glaudi and Mario De La Torre. April 8: House of Grayling Purnell, Royal Heart by Sergio Davila, Andrew Christian.
Info and tickets: stylefashionweek.com/palmsprings
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