The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Commission for Micro and Small Enterprises (CONAMYPE) organized a discussion today with entrepreneur and fashion designer Rodner Figueroa, with whom they established connections during the event “El Salvador: Diaspora and Fashion” held by the Foreign Ministry in New York last year.

In this space for approach and exchange with Salvadoran artisans and entrepreneurs in the field, the designer, based in Miami, shared his experience and best practices, based on everything he has lived and learned in more than 20 years of career in this field, during which he also dedicated himself to covering the world of entertainment as a communicator and fashion specialist in two of the most important Spanish-language television networks in the United States.

El diseñador, radicado en Miami, compartió su experiencia y buenas prácticas, a partir de todo lo vivido y aprendido en más de 20 años de trayectoria en este campo.

En el evento, los artesanos y emprendedores salvadoreños del rubro hicieron un intercambio de conocimientos. pic.twitter.com/n19X02PmAp

— Cancillería de El Salvador 🇸🇻 (@cancilleriasv) May 3, 2023

The activity was held with the purpose of strengthening the industry and local capacities in business matters, current trends, marketing, tackling challenges, and taking advantage of opportunities, among others.

Likewise, a business roundtable was held, where 20 Salvadoran fashion cluster (SMODA) representatives presented their projects and catalogs, with a view to concretizing commercial opportunities and strategic alliances with the Venezuelan-born expert.

“I am here to identify products that may be of interest to me to create design alliances,” said the expert, who two years ago launched a fashion project bearing his name, which is driven from our country, where he has found the best conditions to develop and diversify his business ideas.

During the exhibition, fabrics, accessories, clothing, jewelry, bags, as well as table and home items were showcased. Likewise, artisans talked about the materials and processes they implement in the elaboration of their products, which are largely made from sustainability concepts and environmentally friendly.

Regarding this day, entrepreneur Sandra Funes highlighted its relevance for boosting her business. “This learning opportunity provided by CONAMYPE and the Foreign Ministry seems fabulous and impactful to me. Even more so, because the designer showed interest in our products, which is important because we could be part of his team in one of his collections,” said the artisan.

She added that this event was also useful for buying materials and establishing business contacts with other micro-entrepreneurs.