Leonardo D’Almagro left a successful career, family, friends and house in Venezuela because of the political situation there and came to the US without English or contacts. He started working menial jobs until he learned sufficient English to move into clerical positions and rose through the ranks to a global position with Dell where he worked for 4 years before making a leap of faith to pursue his passion in fashion.
Now a designer, CEO and philanthropist, Leonardo D’Almagro is a Fashion Business Consultant based in Austin, Texas, where he supports many nonprofits organizations. He has contributed as a Harper’s Bazaar Style Ambassador and is frequently featured in fashion segments for national and international networks. In January 2016 he launched his jewelry line Leonardo D’Almagro.
Enclave recently spoke with Leonardo, who explained his main motivations:
“My motivation was after I left a global management position on an IT company, I wanted to develop a company where I can reach my professional and personal goals at the same time. I opened Leonardo D’Almagro LLC. Here I’ve been able to consolidate both, as only one year as a jewelry designer I was on the largest Jewelry show in the world in Italy “Vivenzaoro”as the only new brand from USA selected to show and the first time ever. They have a new brand owned by a Latino from USA launching with them. The Miss Mexico Organization selected me as one of their jewelry designer. One of the recipients of an Emmy award wore my jewelry during that special moment. Reality TV celebrities and Internationals celebrities are wearing my designs. I signed representation in South America and Europe and recently I was selected to be HSN Project American Dreams Semifinalist. I can’t say I’m a community leader, but I use my platform to show to everyone dreams comes true if you work for them. Education it’s super important to have as a tool in our hands to build your future, tolerance and acceptance it’s something to keep in mind all the time, and “¡Que se puede logar todo!” (Everything it’s possible).”
Leonardo D’Almagro is the only Hispanic U.S. jewelry designer selected this year to present a jewelry line at Vicenzaoro in Italy. Vicenzaoro and Vincenza Dubai are the most important international jewelry trade shows in the world. Buyers, experts in international trends, and fashion editors go there to see the new brands which are accepted for presentation to the Global Marketplace. Leonardo created his timeless jewelry line using the best gems and material to provide high quality, handcrafted, feminine pieces. His goal is to create jewelry that can be worn to work and be powerful and feminine, that transitions to after-hours, whether it be a formal event or a casual evening out with friends. He wants to create jewelry pieces that are your first pick if you ever have to choose only one jewelry item to take on a trip.
It is not the image that defines the person, but the character and grace they carry themselves with. As a community globally, our actions and ownership will dictate the outcome for our children’s future. Speaking for myself, I believe in investing time and effort supporting non-profit organizations and helping those who in need by teaching skill sets and traits that will benefit them. My company collaborates our efforts with www.safeaustin.org to give back to the community is a primary example of our dedication to building for a better future.
Leonardo is inspired by his family, daughter Coco and husband who are the driving force and inspiration for him. He wants his daughter to know that if you work hard, get educated and are always ready to learn from all the feedback you receive, then your life will be full of tools you can use to create great opportunities for your future. HSN Project American Dreams will help show the general market in fashion what the Latino community can contribute if given the opportunities to do so.
I am truly inspired by the dedication, attention to detail and support provided by Project American Dreams. From the very beginning the team, from Project American Dreams, studied who we are, took time to understand our background and our journey towards living The American Dream. What amazed me most about this once in a lifetime opportunity is the investment in helping Latino entrepreneur such as myself. As a part of this process they assign highly skilled mentors who provide invaluable feedback and educate us on ways to quickly reach the next level in our business.
Follow Leonardo D’Almagro @LeoDalmagro
Follow Project American Dreams @DreamersVenture
