BRAND COLLABORATION
In celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month 2021, I partnered with a Latina-owned luxury candle brand, VELA NEGRA, for my first-ever collaboration, HERENCIA.
This Limited Edition Artisan Collection fuses THREE new fragrances cultivated by VELA NEGRA with original artwork created by me, to honor the Latin countries in the Spanish Caribbean–– 🇨🇺 Cuba, 🇩🇴 the Dominican Republic, & 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico.
C U B A - Herencia Candle
P U E R T O R I C O - Herencia Candle
D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C - Herencia Candle
INSPIRATION
The inspiration behind each visual art piece differs because I have a different connection to each island. Each piece posed a challenge because I wanted to capture the essence of the country’s cultural significance.
Though my father was born in the Dominican Republic, I myself only visited once. Despite studying and researching, my connection wasn’t the strongest. When developing the art, I spoke with my father and asked him what elements and scents ground him back to the island. He spoke of the sugarcane and cacao farms that filled the air and gave him sweet memories. As his only daughter and grappling with my identity as Latina, I wanted to fuse his perception into an abstract portrait, framed by the elements of the flag. I kept the same attributes with the other artworks and their flag.
Each piece takes symbolic elements of each island, such as Cuba, the classic cars and iconic cigars, and Puerto Rico with its melodic Coquí, native parrot, and beautiful El Yunque Rainforest.
CUBA Tube Label
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Tube Label
PUERTO RICO Tube Label
PACKAGING DESIGN
I've always been passionate about packaging design. It was my favorite class in college, but I rarely could apply my skills to my professional career. With this collaboration, I got a chance to explore and apply my packaging skills to VELA NEGRA'S existing branding, including the logo.