After several tests that life put on him in these last two years, Karina Band understood that trusting in God, in life, and flowing was the best attitude. Today married to her love, Carlos Ponce; after having led the ‘Premios Juventud’ carpet with him and now going to ‘La Isla de Enamoramos’ with her co-pilot in life, the Mexican journalist launches her own line ‘Ave Concept’ inspired by her, her followers and in honor of her deceased uncle.
Exclusively, Karina Banda tells us about her line, life, dreams, and how and what helped her get out of each of the blows received in these last two years.
-New adventure, you launch your clothing line, and with a lot of feeling
Karina Band: Well, you said it like that, an experience because what I’m seeing is that. I decided to launch myself as an entrepreneur, following the example of all women, many of them Latinas, who choose to start their dreams and businesses. I wanted it to be something that would give them back much of what they gave me.
They always told me: “Kari, take out something of yours or something of your own, we would love for you to take out a makeup line, we would love for you to do something with your name on it”… It is not a makeup line it is a virtual clothing store for now, but it is like the way I express my love, choosing pieces that are pieces with which I identify myself know that many of them will also enjoy them, and they will have something that they know that I chose with great affection for them.
-Are you designing your line?
Karina Band: My respects to all the people in this industry because when I entered, I realized that everything is behind, but above all, also the responsibility. If there is something that I value a lot from my followers, it is their trust, and I could not recommend something to them, nor suggest they acquire something that I am not sure about. that it is something with which they are going to be happy with the garment or with the piece…
The smartest thing I did was to get closer to experts, with people who have known me for a long time and have been in this fashion industry for many years and let me guide. Little by little, and as I learn more, I would love to be able to come up with something designed by me. All my stamp, and all my essence, but yes, that is a long process because clothing is our second skin with a garment that expresses everything, your personality, feelings, situations you are experiencing, who you are… There is also part of the responsibility of choosing something that carries the heart.
-If someone enters your virtual store, what will they find?
Karina Band: will be found with comfortable clothes, without losing the feminine look… Comfort nowadays is not negotiable. After the pandemic, we all seek and want comfort when they see me skinnier, and in heels, it’s because it’s part of my job, but I love feeling comfortable, I love having loose clothes, clothes that I can flow with, with which I feel safe… You have to buy intelligent pieces that serve you for different occasions. For example, to go to the beach or if you put some accessories on it you can use it to go to dinner or for a special occasion, that is also the idea, that the girls can give different twists, different uses to the garments, and get more out of it. take advantage of what they got.
-Accessible prices, a little bit of everything?
Karina Band: I would say quite accessible, for what it is. I’m also a little ‘elbow,’ I’m one of those who likes to invest in shoes. In a good bag, and the garment can vary it is not necessary to invest so much money, I think, unless it is an extremely special occasion, I am going that way, that be something that girls can buy, that is within their reach, and also with the ease in which you can choose to make four payments without interest, I looked for all that because I want them to have the possibility of acquiring them.
-What is the motivation behind this?
Karina Band: The pandemic brought many things. It brought losses because it brought me a loss, which to this day hurts me, and I live with it, and this loss has been a very important motivation for me in this project that has a very beautiful and very special story and is dedicated to my uncle.
-Your uncle and that pen that always reconfirms that he is close…
Karina Band: Yes, that’s why my brand is called Ave Concept. Ave is because I also believe that my uncle manifests himself through the birds and tells me that he is with me and that he is in my life, supporting me in everything. I also understood that women, we have to work on being this, on being birds, and I mean being free from everything; feel free from the day you go for a walk and feel comfortable, and feel free with what you have on. From feeling free that you are not afraid to take a new job opportunity or that you are not scared to take a trip that you have always wanted… Feeling free to fly in all aspects, to want to fly.
All women are birds, we are all different, no ship is the same, but each one has its beauty, and you see a bird, and you will always find it beautiful, and one has a different plumage, and the tone is different. We have the phoenix, those birds that rise from the ashes and are ready to fly again. I understood that this bird concept is something that I also want to motivate the girls a lot with. I’m going to tell you something that may sound a bit strange when they say that a woman sees herself as very pretty, very empowered. They joke and say, ‘En Perra,’ I don’t want them to say it anymore, it’s ‘En Ave’now wherever I want, I’m going right now I open my wings and fly, so get your batteries.
-What does the pen mean to you?
Karina Band: On July 30, two years ago, Carlos and I were having a civil wedding in Miami, and just when I left the place where we were, a friend of mine, and he tells me: “Hey, this feather has been flying out here all the time since you arrived, I don’t know what it means, but I want to give it to you”… At that time they were operating on my uncle, they were doing a biopsy that later turned out to be cancer, but we found out the day after he died, that they gave us the results, all this happened in less than two weeks… When they handed me the pen, obviously I was marrying Carlos, and I was happy, but another part of me was worried, sad, nervous because I knew my uncle was in surgery, and also afraid of what they might find. When he gave me the pen, I immediately thought he was my uncle, he was my uncle, telling me that he was here with me. I kept it and kept it in mind.
On August 2, my uncle’s birthday came, and on August 9, he passed away. After that date, I found a pen at special moments or in particular situations. For example, Carlos and I go to a place to distract ourselves, and I found the pen, or in my house. A few months ago, for Easter, I went to Guanajuato. I hadn’t been since my uncle was alive. He couldn’t accompany him when he died at his funeral or anything because of the pandemic. when I arrived at the ranch, there were feathers everywhere on the floor, so it was like I had arrived at the place. It was also my confirmation that, if I understood the feathers, it was you because I arrived at his home, where his life was…
Beyond that, just when I was thinking about the name of the brand, I already had in my mind the ave why and I was just talking with my friends. On my phone, I got a memory, and it was the last photo I had with my uncle, and he had a bird in his hat. That moment for me was like I no longer have anything to think about, that’s the name, so this is how we got to bird.
-What do you think your uncle would tell you the day you launched your brand?
Karina Band: My uncle would tell me that I am his winner, because he was very proud of me and that makes me feel very nice, he showed me off everywhere. On one occasion, in some TV and Novel Awards that I was nominated for, he shared a photo on Facebook that I was going out with my mom, and he wrote: “My winners”… With that, it was very clear to me that he wants to see me succeed. And second, He would tell me that he loves me very much and that it is he who has been with me all this time.
-And what would you say to your uncle?
Karina Band: Oh, I would tell him, (he gets emotional and cries) that I love him very much and thank you for all the people who have put me on the path and who have helped me achieve this dream because I know that although he is not physically here to help me, there have always been many people in my life who have been tools that he is using to give me the support that I needed through them.
-In these two years, you have had to resurface as your ‘phoenix’ several times because life has put many tests on you: the death of your uncle, leaving ‘El Gordo y La Flaca,’ entering ‘Enamorándonos,’ then abruptly leaving and go to ‘Isla Enamorándonos’ and now with her husband, Carlos Ponce, how do you rebuild yourself in the face of so many tests together in such a short period?
Karina Band: Yes, you know it may sound trite, but I assure you, and I can confirm, that everything is a matter of attitude. I decided to turn around what I was living, see the positive side and try to make the best of what I was living, I understood that I had nothing to gain by thinking about what happened and trying to understand why what was done was done. They can be situations that we had to live, or they could be decisions that we made that led us to that or situations in which we put ourselves… Everything in this life is learning.
Look at the positive side of the coin and surround yourself with people who do you good, in that Carlos is incredible how he has motivated me. Because the mind is treacherous, and sometimes when you are trying to focus on the good things, the little devil comes and talks to you on the other side, but for that, it is essential to have someone with you who is the one who reminds you of the good things, the beautiful side of the story. Sometimes it’s hard to find a pretty side, but God, I trust you, God this is your plan understand that this is not my place, or I understand that this is not the person you want me to be with right now, to give you an example, I am going to leave it to you, you tell me, and I trust you.
When you trust, then you say, “I already understood,” and it happened to me now with the island, when all this happens with Carlos, that is, I look back and see everything we went through, and now I say, “wow, yes, the plan of God is perfect.” His plan was not for me to be in the studio, his plan was for me to start this new adventure with Carlos and for us to start this project, something of ours, from scratch. You have to fly because you will not discover what is new for you if you get stuck in that situation.
DON’T MISS THESE OTHER STORIES ON KARINA BANDA:
- Karina Banda debuts as an actress alongside her husband Carlos Ponce for ‘Living La Vida Prime.’
- Surprise! Carlos Ponce goes with Karina Banda to ‘Isla Enamorándonos’
- Karina Banda: That’s how she announced the departure of ‘Enamorándonos’ to lead the show’s reality show
-What do you say to these women who led you to the birth of Ave Concept this August 2?
Karina Band: To all the women who are to blame for that, This August 2, Ave Concept is born. I thank you, thank you for motivating me, thank you for making me a better person, for making me a better woman, and for helping me get out of a comfort zone in which I was the most crucial thing for motivating me to dare to fly and undertake, thank you for your love, for your trust. I hope that just as you motivated me, the bird concept motivates you to feel freer and dare to fly and reach other horizons.