With this unconventional upbringing, Elena has struggled “upwards for a place in this industry against the impediments of class finance, cultural homogeneity, and the geographical condescension of coastal elitism.” She continues that “because I feel strongly that it is my duty to use my passion and talent to empower and inspire”, it was essential to give a place to the underrepresented creative communities within the American fashion narratives. Her label Elena Velez is celebrating the talents of local makers and craftsmanship to convey the idea that luxury is not a question of elitism. Luxury is a question of savoir-faire, ability and dialectic between opposite concepts. The latter is a sphere that the designer is often exploring through her practice of fashion design. “There is always an inherently paradoxical and contradictory approach to the way I design and conceptualise my work.”