For mother's day this year wanted to chat with someone close to our heart - Austin Jimenez. You may recognize them from our recent campaign, looking drop dead fabulous in a pair of fishnets and sheer chic in semi gris. Below we share a bit of background behind our muse and where they came from.
How do you plan on spending this day? Do you have any traditions?
I usually get my siblings together with my mother for a nice night out over dinner and some stories. This is the first year I’m not in the same state so I won’t be able to attend this time. Thankfully we’re just a call away. Last year I had a ring made for her for Mother’s Day so I’ll always be with her.
So you seem to love tights and wear a lot of them. Could you tell us more about how that love story started? Does it bring some special memories up?
I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of femininity tights have and the empowering feeling it brought me to wear them. I think I was fourteen when I was over one of my girlfriends house and tried on one of her pairs. It made me feel beautiful. The love affair started there. I remember that kid wanting to feel confident in themself; I feel that confidence even now.
How did it feel the first time you put on a pair of tights?
Beautiful is the first word that comes to mind. So many feelings rushed through me, it was one of the first steps I took in exploring my identity. I just remember standing there, looking in the mirror and seeing myself looking back, and thinking “wow, I’ve never felt so beautiful”.
Do you have a favorite pair of tights or patterns? Or a pattern you'd love to see us launch?
My favorite will forever be a sheer black pair of tights. They’re classy, sexy, and elegant. I also have a soft spot for polka dots, any variation really. I’d love to see a blinged out pair of tights or fish nets launch. Something with crystals.
Why are you grateful for your mother?
I’m grateful for my mother for many reasons, but most of all because she’s always been there. I haven’t had a reliable father figure in my life, but I can always count on her to be there no matter what. She’ll always be my go to for advice and she’s one of the strongest people I know.
Tell us the best, worst and funniest advice your Mother has ever given you.
The best advice my mother gave me was to never burn my bridges. You’ll never know what can happen so it’s best to always have a place to land if you fall. To be quite honest, I don’t think she’s ever really given me bad advice; maybe, on when food “really expires”. It’s a bit cliché but as a kid it was always funny to me when she would say the phrase “money doesn’t grow on trees’ cause I would just sit there and think “but it’s paper”. Still a good thing to remember about being savvy.
When do you feel the most beautiful?
I feel the most beautiful when I’m dolled up, wearing a great outfit— of course with a glamorous pair of tights— and sharing the moment with my favorite people. My idea of beauty came from watching my mother when I was growing up, so I model a lot of my routine after her. In a way it makes me feel closer to her.
