I had been living in Berkeley, working as a social worker. Previously I had gone to law school and worked for the Public Defender’s office. Then with all the dotcom craziness in 1999, I didn’t want to be here anymore. I decided to go to Geneva and get a job at one of the UN organizations. Then I got a job a UNICEF in Belize, but that turned out to be a bad situation. So I came back to the Bay Area. I had no idea what to do.

One day my sister said, ‘Marta, come to my house and go through my closet and put together outfits for me.’ I said, ‘Marcella, I’ve always told you what to wear. You don’t listen to me.’ She said, ‘I will listen to you if you explain it. Don’t just say, ‘Oh, that’s nice’ or ‘That’s ugly.’

I went up to her house and started putting things out and telling her why this length was right or this color was wrong, how this outfit works or doesn’t. She said, ‘Marta, why don’t you do this for a living? Be a fashion consultant. You’ve been doing it since you were a kid.’

I said, ‘Oh! I can do that!’ This was my aha moment. I’ve been doing it for about six years.

I figured out a business and went to Barcelona, where I worked at different schools, teaching, writing, and putting on fashion events. I came back about five moths ago. I’ve been doing costumes for plays. I like it!

An aha moment is a moment of realization, that leads you to make a change in your life or to take a risk.

The qualities I’ve developed the last 20 years, in law and social work, are not so different to what I do in fashion and style. It’s not just about fashion. It’s about highlighting the beautiful things we all have. It’s getting to know the person and getting their best out of them.