Introducing, Desire Torres, a San Antonio native and longtime pioneering Latina fashionista who is a trailblazer for fashion in South Texas. Desire, also known as Des, has held a long-time passion for fashion and has been sharpening her eye for design for almost a decade. Des is a single mother of two, but that hasn’t kept her from playing a highly active role in the local and national fashion scene. Her brand Desja Chanel inspired by her daughter, Desja, who was diagnosed with Autism at the young age of 2, has long encompassed all the qualities Des has long seen in her daughter’s fight against being on the spectrum: STRENGTH, BOLDNESS, COURAGE, and POWER. Strength to dress how you feel. Boldness to wear any and all colors and pattens. Courage to wear it proudly, and power to feel beautiful in whatever garments you chose. In 2011 Des’s professional fashion career took off while she was living in Chicago. She was brought on to be the wardrobe costume designer for the movie, The Lies We Tell but the Secrets we keep in. In 2012 another opportunity presented it’s self when she was hired as a wardrobe stylist and assistant producer for another film called, Girls Like Us. After finding success in her fashion roles on set for both films Des then managed to produce and direct her first fashion show, Taking Over The Runway. A fashion show that included 4 designers and 20 plus models. The objective of this show was to raise funds to help female cancer patients pay their medi ... view more »
Introducing, Desire Torres, a San Antonio native and longtime pioneering Latina fashionista who is a trailblazer for fashion in South Texas. Desire, also known as Des, has held a long-time passion for fashion and has been sharpening her eye for design for almost a decade. Des is a single mother of two, but that hasn’t kept her from playing a highly active role in the local and national fashion scene. Her brand Desja Chanel inspired by her daughter, Desja, who was diagnosed with Autism at the young age of 2, has long encompassed all the qualities Des has long seen in her daughter’s fight against being on the spectrum: STRENGTH, BOLDNESS, COURAGE, and POWER. Strength to dress how you feel. Boldness to wear any and all colors and pattens. Courage to wear it proudly, and power to feel beautiful in whatever garments you chose. In 2011 Des’s professional fashion career took off while she was living in Chicago. She was brought on to be the wardrobe costume designer for the movie, The Lies We Tell but the Secrets we keep in. In 2012 another opportunity presented it’s self when she was hired as a wardrobe stylist and assistant producer for another film called, Girls Like Us. After finding success in her fashion roles on set for both films Des then managed to produce and direct her first fashion show, Taking Over The Runway. A fashion show that included 4 designers and 20 plus models. The objective of this show was to raise funds to help female cancer patients pay their medical bills. One of Des’s first philanthropic endeavors but certainly not her last. In 2013 Des made her return to Texas and wasted no time getting back to work. That year she produced and directed, Acoustic Style Fashion Trends. An event that brought on several designers, to include designer Timeekah Murphy of Alani Taylor Co., from Atlanta, who made her debut appearance that evening showcasing her first collection. Later that year Des produced and directed, Reign a Splash of Class, which premiered during a huge lesbian splash summer party. While managing celebrity friend and designer, Timeekah Murphy of Alani Taylor Co. in 2014 and helping her establish a clientele for her brand and getting her introduced to several celebrities to wear her merchandise, Des finally had a realization that it was time to take her expertise to the next level and Desja Chanel Boutique was born. The brand was a grassroots effort started with little to no inventory. At the time social media was still new to Des and quality content and hash tags were all very foreign to her. However, lack of knowledge wouldn’t stop this Chingona . She picked up the necessary skills she needed to further her fashion endeavors by studying trends and business strategies via online webinars, local classes, and reading books. Everything started to fall into place from there. She started with an all-women’s clothing line available in small quantities, then added a men’s collection, and later added accessories to compliment them both. As her business began to take off Des noticed a need from her clients for personal styling services, as well as, personal shopping services, which she was quick to add to her line. Since opening her online boutique Des has had the pleasure of working with and styling notable names such as, Texas rappers, King Kyle Lee and Aliza1k, Famous-Lil Ken music artist, Darius Cooper, and 34K reggaeton artist, Kae Hache. Brand Ambassador, Arie Rose. She also has created quite the buzz among celebrities who have been seen wearing her line such as, former St.Louis Cardinals wide receiver, Robert Gill, Def Jam recording artist, Alessia Cara, reality TV star from Black Ink Crew New York, Jakeita “Sky” Days, French Montana’s DJ, DJ Duffey, San Antonio Billboard Recording artist, Simply Rayne, San Antonio Vocalist, Latoya Chennelle. As Desja Chanel becomes more well known this list continues to grow. Don’t let these big names mislead you though. While Des has happily styled many high-profile individuals, she takes the most joy in styling everyday people. From bartenders to entrepreneurs, vice principals to military officers, even moms who just want to look good on date night. Des aims to bring out the best in whoever she crosses paths with. Living by the words, “Fashion is what you buy, style is what you do with it,” and her favorite, “When in doubt overdress!” In more recent events 2019 was a big year for Desja Chanel. Des started a partnership with San Antonio photographer, Al Zavala with whom she styles his models for using exclusive pieces from her line. In the same year Des was even blessed enough to attend New York Fashion week in February that year which lead to further inspiration. It most certainly was a busy year for Des as in April 2019 she also produced, The World is your Runway Fashion Extravaganza, which was an effort to help benefit, The Autism Treatment Center of Texas. Even better later that year in November she was selected to showcase Desja Chanel Boutique’s collection at the Dallas Talent and Model Expo, which included over 50 fashion agencies. She styled and dressed 25 models and was showcased along with big brands like Ralph Lauren Polo, International designer, Roger Camara, and well-known Texas designer, Daniel Hinojos. As you may have guessed Des didn’t waste any time and started 2020 off with laser focus and participated in the event, Innovate the Runway 2, a Dream week production in which she showcased 4 models, with repurposed clothing donated by, Salvation army. What’s next for Desja Chanel you might ask? Well for Des it is simple, she wants to build a reputable brand that will last for many years to come. One that will include a collection of designs from her own fabric, colors, sketches, and styles. One that she can leave to her son, Quincy, in which she also hopes to start a men’s line named after him. As well as a shoe boutique named after her niece. Of course, her philanthropic ventures seem to take the forefront of many of her productions. As her goal has been, and always will be to raise awareness for those individuals, like her daughter, Desja whose voice may too often go left unheard. It is her hope that her efforts to bring awareness to these marginalized groups will bring change throughout the fashion Industry to give space for people of all backgrounds a chance to shine.
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