Selva Negra was founded in 2016 in a tiny Brooklyn apartment in Crown Heights.   The collection represents drive, holistic energy, united empowerment, careful craftsmanship, and engineered comfort. Designers, Kristen Gonzalez and Sam Romero found an immediate connection after meeting in New York post-graduation from FIT (KG) and Parsons (SR). They unite their Annie Hall tomboy style and bold feminine identity to embody a collection that aims to support women and their individuality. Influenced by their Latina heritage, they support their collection with intentionality and strength to combine a collective of honest and mindful products made in Los Angeles, California.

Our Products

We source our fabrics locally in Los Angeles, CA and some imported goods from Japan and Turkey.  All trims are locally sourced from Los Angeles and also imported from Japan. Our collection is fully produced in Downtown Los Angeles using ethical and sustainable practices.

FAQ

What does "Ethical Fashion" Mean?

Ethical by definition is relating to moral principles therefore we strive to lead our company by these standards.  We are active in non-profit donations for ideologies that align with our brand such as Planned Parenthood, ACLU, SPLC, Wildlife Conservation, RAICES, and National Immigration Justice.  We firmly believe that building a better community starts with companies making a conscious effort to participate in the betterment of humanity.  We work with vendors alike that also lead by example creating a clean assembly line of knowing who made it and where your product is made.  We can assure our customers quality product made by quality people with quality materials.  

What sustainable practices does Selva Negra use?

We are making efforts to reduce the amount of plastic used in our studio by shipping packages with zero plastic and 100% recycled and recyclable materials.  Our packaging is meant to be re-used or recycled.  We ship goods to our boutiques in reused or recycled boxes.  We will sometimes purchase dead stock fabric to reduce the amount of new fabric purchased through fabric mills.  Additionally, we save scrap fabrics to make scrunchies and tote bags.  There are other sustainable practices we would like to implement as our company grows.  If you have any suggestions, feel free to email us at info@selvanegra.us

Will you expand into more sizing?

We are in the process of working on adding more sizing to our website.  We first want to focus on improving our fits and crafting a size grading system that works best for our customers.

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Meet the Key Players of Selva Negra

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Founders: Kristen Gonzalez and Sam Romero

Factory Owner: Tania

She's been in business for over 15 years in the same office in Downtown LA.  She loves traveling to different countries with her husband and is extremely diligent with her production.

 Sewing Operators: Johnny + Edgar

They have been sewing for over 15 years and have worked with Tania for a little over 8 years.  They are incredibly efficient, pay close attention to detail, and work with integrity. 

Sample Makers: The Maria's

Maria L. 

Maria was our first sample maker and solo-production sewer.  She's extremely positive and has a great sense of humor.  She has taught us so much!

Maria P

Maria P. is Kristen's neighbor and is one of the sweetest women we have ever met.  She stumbled upon our garage studio in late 2018 and introduced herself and has been our sample-making angel ever since.

Our Story told by Bese