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Te Lo Juro Collective, Edith Gutierrez-Hawbaker
Te Lo Juro (I promise) to Stay Positive, Stay Hopeful, and Dream Big
Te Lo Juro (I promise) to Stay Positive, Stay Hopeful, and Dream BIG My name is Edith Gutierrez-Hawbaker, and I am the Founder and Creative Director of Te Lo Juro Collective. After 20 years as an Art Director and Educator, I decided to focus my attention on my passion projects and give back to the community that helped shape me. Inspired by my 6-year-old’s act of kindness, he donated the money he made selling toys at his Abuela’s yard sale to help rebuild Puerto Rico. His act of generosity and philanthropy made me look inward and ask myself what was I doing for my community. My desire to create a social-minded business and spread positivity y amor led me to begin TLJ Collective.
Te Lo Juro Collective is a lifestyle brand celebrating Latinx culture through fashion, art, and more. We are a diverse group of artists who create messages of positivity and amor and honor our community through the use of cultural iconography. Each collection is a collaboration in which we explore ideas about cultural identity, equality, and compassion. We are proud of our heritage and our goal is to work together to embrace our culture and elevate our community.
I designed and created a collection of T-shirts as a tribute to the legendary Walter Mercado. On July 8th, 2020 to my surprise, TLJ Collective had a cameo in a Netflix film on Walter Mercado – Mucho Mucho Amor! This was a breakthrough moment for me. Since then, I have sold out and have been busy fulfilling orders and restocking. I’m encouraged and actively working on new opportunities and collaborations because of this momentum. I've never worked harder & still have a long way to go, but I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
I can't think of a more appropriate icon for the Latinx community than Walter Mercado. His predictions gave us hope and aren’t that what we all need right now? Like many Latinx families, I can remember the silence so clearly when he was on TV. Everyone understood not to make a peep, for what Walter Mercado predicted was so important to not only my mom but to everyone in the neighborhood. My mom always felt that somehow she was going to be able to make rent that month thanks to his words. I grew up hearing Walter's signature sign-off “pero sobre todo, mucho, mucho amor” and it deeply resonated with me.
We aim to do good in the world. Twenty percent of sales will be donated to organizations that support, strengthen, and advance Latinx communities as well as other nonprofit programs. TLJ Collective is a small brand with a BIG HEART.
I'm a Project Management professional with over 42 years of experience in senior executive...
