HUILA DIARY, HUILA ENTREPRENEUR

By: Rolando Monje Gómez

Photographs: Supplied

The one who is not in a big city, has not stopped their desire to undertake and make their company great, that is how Íngrid and Claudia Matiz created their own brand of clothing and accessories, which due to its particular style, is already being known by many. women who want unique pieces of excellent quality.

Two entrepreneurs from Guadalupe, started their company with 300 thousand pesos, designing accessories, today they also produce women's clothing with exclusive models, where each client can put her personal touch. Íngrid and Claudia Matiz do all their work from their municipality, but they have clients in different cities of Colombia, even outside the country. Matiz Color's tells us its story in Huila Emprendedor.

What is the entrepreneurship called?

The venture is called Matiz Color's, because in addition to Matiz being our last name, we are very proud of our family and our roots. Hue, according to its meaning, is a mixture of color, or the variations that a color can have without changing its essence, it is the touch that gives character to something determined. Matiz Color's represents us, it is reflected in what we do and in our very colorful products.

As start?

Matiz Color's was born as an idea of ​​two sisters, at that time we were unemployed, we found ourselves again living in our parents' house in Guadalupe, Huila, after having studied and worked; We wanted to start a business, earn money and offer something that we couldn't find in our town at that time, which were beautiful accessories for women, so we decided to make them. We borrowed $300 from my dad and on May 23, 2014, we traveled to Neiva, bought a tiny bag of stones, threads, hardware and that is how Matiz Color's was born.

We started selling to our friends, visiting them from house to house, we organized a small store in the house, we created social networks and we began to participate in fairs, that's how we got to know each other. Later, in the quest to innovate, we decided to risk creating hand-painted garments, relying on our talent and launching the colorful clothing line that became our strength.

What products or services does it offer?

Hand-painted clothes, dresses, t-shirts, scarves, baby rompers and right now in December we are launching a collection of Jeans for women, all hand-painted by us, with our designs, we offer unique and personalized garments and of course we continue designing and making accessories.

What target group are the products you offer aimed at?

Our brand is directed, designed and inspired mainly by and for women. We believe in the value and power of women and we want to highlight it, that when a woman wears a Matiz Color's garment, she smiles, she feels pretty, authentic, determined, empowered, happy. We work out of passion, we know the power that it has to do things with love, we not only want to sell clothes, we want through our designs and our colors, to bring joy, positive and inspiring messages.

How do they make themselves known?

We have become known thanks to the social networks that have become the main trading platform, since the beginning of Matiz Color's, it was the opportunity to show what we did and to be able to grow with this enterprise, from a small town where we are, with a budget shortage, without the possibility of setting up a store in a city. You can find us on Instagram as @matiz_colors and on Facebook as @MatizColor1, where we publish our creations, interact with our followers, attend to their purchase orders. You can also contact us through whatsapp 3017430236.

Do they serve in a physical place, homes, social networks?

We have our workshop and physical store in the municipality of Guadalupe, Huila, but we sell and ship throughout Colombia.

Are the services offered personalized?

A feature to highlight about our brand is that no garment is identical to another. Each person who wears a Matiz Color's garment has a unique and exclusive product, in addition to the value of what is handmade with love and dedication. People can choose and add details to the designs to completely personalize their clothes.

What differentiates your company from other similar ones?

At Matiz Color's, we work with love, we create our designs, they are unique, we don't like to copy; we are always creating and our art spreads joy.

Was the pandemic a plus for the type of services you offer?

The pandemic marked a before and after for Matiz Color's. We were stagnant and we needed to do something to resume the business when the pandemic arrived and for two months all the commerce in the town closed, each one of us locked up in her house, without seeing each other. It was a time of uncertainty, but it was also a necessary pause, of introspection, which allowed us to think, return to what we like and give value to what is important. I, Íngrid, began to resume my hobbies, including painting. I painted my clothes, pictures, face masks and painted a birthday gift t-shirt for my mom with the Virgin of Guadalupe, which I published on social networks and many people liked it. So with the good fortune that we both share the skill of painting and the taste for art and fashion, we decided to design and sell hand-painted. At the end of 2020 we renewed the brand's image, launched a new collection of accessories and launched the hand-painted clothing line, which was very well received. The pandemic allowed us to overcome ourselves.

Who are the founders of the company?

Claudia and Íngrid Matiz Pimentel, are sisters, proudly opitas, born in Guadalupe, entrepreneurs, creative, passionate about art and fashion. Claudia Elizabeth, is an administrator in safety and health at work, is 27 years old and is the mother of a little boy named Alejandro. Íngrid Marcela, is a social communicator and journalist, 29 years old, for several years she worked as a journalist in recognized regional media, such as Diario del Huila.

How do you project five years?

As a constituted, consolidated company that generates quality employment for many women of our land, with points of sale in other cities of the country. We dream that our colors reach many parts of the world, so that more people know Matiz Color's and smile with our creations.

How many clients do they have?

We do not have a number, it has been several years now, but now we ship nationwide, the orders are mainly from Bogotá, Neiva and Huila, but we have shipped to a lesser extent to clients in Medellín, Cartagena, municipalities of Santander, Cesar, Casanare, and a couple of shipments to Miami and Orlando in the United States.

Why does the market need a company like yours?

The market is full of clothing and accessory brands that sell the same or very similar products, which make only commercial sense, and at Matiz Color's we make unique garments, with the value of what is handmade, that transmit joy.

How difficult is it to undertake?

Entrepreneurship is not easy, but it is not impossible. It is a permanent challenge of evolution, learning, constant change, a path full of difficulties, trials, errors, decisions, responsibilities. But when things are done with passion, when you work on what you like, there are more chances of getting a business off the ground, despite the problems.

People have the idea that entrepreneurship is being your own boss, managing your schedule, not depending on a salary; but no, especially when you are starting out, you work double or triple and earn less or even nothing; and you may not have a boss, but you have the responsibility that everything bad or good that happens in the enterprise is your responsibility.

How many direct and indirect jobs do they offer?

Right now at Matiz Color's we both work and we have two collaborators. I would not know the exact number of indirect jobs, because a chain is being generated, of jobs generated by our suppliers of fabrics, paints, clothing services, those who produce the packaging, the labels, there are many people who intervene so that a product reaches the hands of the customer. Right now we are looking for a satellite or company that provides clothing and pattern services in Huila.

Have they received support from the State or private companies?

One of the difficulties of entrepreneurship in Colombia is the lack of support and commitment from the State so that the ventures arise and manage to become companies and generate employment. Being formalized entails many expenses and taxes, which most of us cannot afford. Many of us have to resort to credits in banks to be able to finance the projects, but there are no more; I believe that although some initiatives have emerged, there is a lack of more incentives or aid for entrepreneurs, small and micro-entrepreneurs.

Have they received entrepreneurship training?

Of entrepreneurship as such no. But by our means we have found a way to train ourselves with courses in digital marketing, online business models, certain skills that we need for our entrepreneurship.

What are the products that people request the most?

Matiz Color's favorites are the shirt dress and t-shirts. The dress is a shirt type with buttons on the front, short baggy sleeves, which can also be worn open as a kimono, with designs such as hearts, eyes, flowers, in vibrant colors, which appear on the garment at random and have inspiring words that the client you can choose. The t-shirts are also one of the favorites of our clients, they are made of cotton fabric, with very colorful designs and positive phrases that the client can completely customize to their liking, adapted to our painting style.

How innovative is your company?

Whether we are very innovative or not, we would not know, some people may think yes, others no, we can only say that we make hand-painted clothes and accessories, with our style, colors, designs, ideas and all the love, always trying to improve and improve ourselves.