Get To Know The Charming Latinx Powered Shop In Brownsville, TX: Jean Zeano Designs
Owners/Designers, Veronica & Jen Zeano. Photo Sourced From @shopjzd.
“We exist to empower you and remind you that your ancestors are always cheering you on! We're a lifestyle brand that builds community and celebrates cultura every day!” -JZD
If there’s one thing for certain about the Latinx community it is that we are, as our subject today calls, “chingonas”! There is no such thing as a dream too grand to achieve when it comes to the girl bosses in the Latin community. Jen and Veronica Zeano created Jen Zeano Designs with a mission to empower the Latinx community in South Texas. Myself being from the Valley, I know the struggles aspiring entrepreneurs face as many see fashion and design as a hobby rather than a stand alone career. To see two intelligent powerhouse women fight for their vision is inspiring. It is no surprise that this brand has excelled quickly and continues to advocate for a community with so much love and passion.
I had the opportunity to speak with Jen Zeano and here’s what they had to say.
Photo Sourced From @shopjzd
KR: Let’s begin by introducing you to our readers! What led to creating Jen Zeano Designs?
JZD: Hi, we are Jen and Vero, together we make up Jen Zeano Designs! We are based in Brownsville, a border town at the tip of Texas. We started this brand nearly 5 years ago after I quit my job. At first I was hand drawing on coffee mugs but after a few months we created the Latina Power tee and pivoted our business. We felt a pull and decided to pivot our business into a brand that focused on empowering our Latinx community and we haven’t looked back since!
KR: Your graphics are so inspirational for the Latinx community! What inspires you for each design?
JZD: Thank you so much, we definitely want to be a force of inspiration for everyone in our community. It’s difficult to pick just one singular thing that inspires us because we see a glimmer of light everywhere we see. We find inspiration from our town, culture, food, music, our beach, our family and friends, literally from almost everything around us. We are enriched in our Latina culture at all times and it inspires us to design items that reflect all of these things.
KR: How have you seen Brownsville’s fashion scene grow in the last couple of years and how have you seen your brand impact this change?
JZD: It has been so amazing to see our city grow and more importantly to see so many small businesses open up! We actually just moved into a warehouse space and are actively working on opening up a little store front in the space so we hope to continue to grow within our community! Brownsville has immeasurable potential that is often overlooked and it’s so fun to see it all unfold in this positive light.
Photo Sourced From @shopjzd
KR: What challenges if any have you noticed as a small business owner from South Texas/being Latina?
JZD: To be completely honest, I think the biggest challenge is the fact that people sometimes see JZD as a “cute hobby” and some didn’t or don’t see the impact it has on our community both locally and across the world. Thanks to the internet, we have reached the likes of inspirational Latina women like Eva Longoria, Jessica Alba and America Ferrera. With exposure like this we see it as an open door to so many more possibilities that we and the Latinx community can share.
Photo Sourced From @shopjzd
JZD: I think as a Latina-owned business another unfortunate challenge is the struggle for capital. WOC-owned businesses struggle so much to have access to capital. We have bootstrapped our business the entire time and at times that has been incredibly difficult but we have continued to push forward and it’s so amazing to see it grow.
Jen Zeano Designs is so much more than what we see at surface level. They are a brand that empowers, loves, and cherishes Latin culture as well as works to give back to the community in South Texas. Together, this amazing duo hosts an educational podcast, Echale Ganas Podcast, which talks about mental health, entrepreneurship, familia, and the Latinx culture. As I mentioned from the start, there is no stopping a woman with the “chingona” mindset and this brand is the epitome of that.
