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Some people learn to do things, others are born to do them. Miami based Colombian designer Nazly Villamizar has been making handbags since before she knew she could turn a profit on them. Now a resident of the growing Miami Art District, Nazly is recognized not only as a resident rock-n-roll fashionista and philanthropist but also a party scene staple.

Her presence is somewhat reticent of an edgy pixie, working her Contesta Rock Hair coif, leather jacket and shades up and down the beach and Downtown no matter the time of day or season. Her good energy and smiling face have the same intoxicating and contagious effect her designs carry. From her geometric handbags to the check-holders you've been getting at your table at Domo Japones, Nazly and everything she designs ooze with positive "cool". This week I had the good fortune of soaking up some of her sunlight.

Name: Nazly Villamizar

Age: 33 years old.

Occupation: I am a happy fashion designer.

Where do you come from? I come from Bogota, Colombia, the ultra-mega jungle.

What’s your favorite place in Miami? I would have to say my Studio. I love it, I wish I would never have to get out of there.

What do you wish Miami had more of? Nice, real people.

Less of? Tourists.

Where do you run away to? My house, my country, my roots, my family - my studio, my favorite place to be (laughs).

What party do you miss? Wow, man. Do you remember? This was a while ago...the Liquid side of South Beach, around 1998 - back in the day. I think that was a great time here because there were a lot of interesting people. It was absolutely crazy for me back then. Actually I was like 20-something but I thought it was amazing for me, back then. I remember there was the Monday Fat Black Pussy Cat party and then also at Crobar on Monday there was Back Door Bamby. That was really cool. I had so much fun at those parties, there were really great people there.

What’s your favorite party right now? Honestly, people hate it - but I love to go to Space to hear a very good DJ and that's it - once every couple of months. That could be my getaway. There are those people who will say 'Oh, there are such ugly people there' but listen, I'm going to love everybody, I'm going to hear the music and I think it's the best thing ever for me.

What was the first design you ever sold? I think it would be a super rock-n-roll leather jacket I made for myself. I got so many compliments on it from a friend that after two years I had to sell it to her. I was 19 years old when I did it, it was my first one. Actually, I produce the same style today - very very tight sleeves, very very tight to the body, with a zipper over here (makes zipping motion). I'm all about motorcycles, it's a family thing so that's like a classic style that you have to wear. Even many of the super high-end girls from Miami Beach are wearing one of those. Monica and a bunch of people have those.

Name something that you're very proud of but rarely talk about: I'm really proud about the fact that I never forget my people. I'm always thinking of helping somebody else. You have to give to receive, man. There are many materialistic people that forget about that and I can't. I'm very proud of that and of how Colombian I am. No matter where I am, I am very proud of my country, my roots and my beautiful simple people. I'm very proud of who I am, honestly.

What’s your favorite shape? This is my favorite shape (grabs handbag and pulls it across the table), the rectangle.

Name a film with costume design that inspires you. So many things come into my mind, basically I love kind of those historical films?

Period films? Exactly! I love it. I just get something to recreate my mind and I could sit there for hours! I love all the details.

What is your favorite vintage store in Miami? I would say C. Madeleine's. It's a little pricey but then you find crazy treasures, if you look for something you'll find crazy treasures. I have something I got there, like oh my god, priceless. I got a pair of crazy Indian sandles that wow, I want to put them in a frame. Beautiful stuff.

How did you get started with Ecoist? Well, they contacted me about six months ago and I seriously believe in their philosophy. I really love what they do and the whole company mentality. I hate waste. I think whatever you can do for this world in terms of recycling and saving, I'm very concerned about that. I'm against waste, so that's the main thing. If you can just take a piece of something ugly and make it beautiful that's super sexy and chic, that's the fun of being a designer.

Who is your favorite person to go shopping with? (Laughs) We were just talking about it and I like to go by myself. I like to shop by myself. I can't, I can't. I like to buy something because I think it looks great. I don't want anybody saying 'Oh! It's fantastic!', I don't like it. I love to shop by myself.

What is your proudest possession? Wow. I have an incredible vintage bag. It was my grandfathers and he used to travel with it. It's like 120 years old and I keep it in my studio. It's my precious possession, I think that's my treasure and it was my grandfathers and he's my mentor, the guy that taught me absolutely everything I know about design. And I'm against big brands and stuff like that so you know what, you can have a precious possession that costs $1 and if it makes you happy, it makes you happy, honey.

Who do you design for? I absolutely design for the people that are unhappy with what they see in stores and stuff like that. Unhappy people, people that never find the right product. I design for those people, because I was a victim. That's why I started designing because I couldn't find really stuff that made me happy and wasn't that pricey. So, I design for those people, people that are never, how do you say that? conforme?

Content? Exactly! I also design for whoever wants something different and cool.

Why did you decide to pose for Spencer Tunick? He's a little bit too commercial right now but at the very beginning I was his biggest fan ever. I thought it was absolutely fantastic and I just thought it was a challenge. And to share that with many many friends from my city was great. I saw many good friends absolutely naked like 'Hey! What's up? Woo! What's going on?'. It was like a freedom. I loved the experience. Also, I wanted to see him. I wanted to see how he works, he's so professional and so well-known and I'm like 'Wow. I want to see what he does', how he controls the masses. He's a very special person, very tough and a perfectionist. Just how I am.

Have you seen yourself in the photos hanging at the Sagamore? Yeah, man! And the big one that I'm in? It's right at the entrance man. Right there, you walk in and it's me. I went with my Mom. She came to visit me like a month ago and we went to the Sagamore and I absolutely forgot that my picture was there. So, as soon as she saw me she freaked out. She was like (makes shocked face) and I said 'Shhh! Mom it's an honor! Relax!".

Name a talent of yours that few people know about: I'm a great cook, but I don't like to cook for people. It's too much pressure and then like you work for so many hours and then suddenly everything disappears in 15 minutes. I don't like that feeling. I like to cook for my man, for very close people.

Did your Grandfather ever get to see your designs? Well, he passed away a very long time ago. That was actually when I decided to go to fashion school. When I was a little girl I used to come to his house every Friday afternoon and he used to let me get the left-overs from his fabrics and whatever. The pieces were so tiny that I was like 'Wow, what can I do with this?'. So, I decided to start sewing handbags for everybody. He let me be, he was so special in my life. Think about it, when I was 5 years old I was doing little handbags...isn't that crazy? I never thought it was gonna be part of my future. He never saw what I do but that's why I decided not to name my line, I wanted to keep my name and my last name as an honor to him.

What music do you listen to when you're designing? Rock-n-roll honey, 100%.

What is the song that epitomizes rock-n-roll for you? Cashmere. "Cashmere" by Led Zeppelin. It's just such a sexy, gorgeous, nice song and it's classic. It's rock. It's ahh, it's just crazy, it's my favorite song ever. Is that a good song?

It's a great song! Led Zeppelin, It's what I grew up with. If you check my Facebook, that's my picture. I just love them. And you know what, it's crazy. No matter how much technology we have today, no matter which super Rock-n-Roll new star is coming - nobody is gonna do anything better. That's it.

Where might people have seen your designs and not known that it's your work? The Domo people don't really know, but I'm so happy because sometimes I'm having dinner there and people will get the check holder, or people see the waiters and they are like 'Wow! That is so cool!" and making comments like that and I'm like "Oh! I am SO happy!". It's like one day I was walking down Lincoln Road and I saw this lady that I've never seen in my life and she was walking with one of my bags and I said "Oh my god!". It was the first time! I always see my friends and clients that I deal with them but here was this woman that I've never seen in my life and I was gonna have a heart attack! Wow, what a feeling. I guess like when you're a musician and you see people dancing to your songs. It was fantastic.

What is your favorite word? My favorite word. My favorite word...wow.

It can be a bad one. Thank you. My favorite word is just like "Fuck You!" to bad people. I just want everyone to fuck themselves, bad people. It's something I say from my heart you know? When someone is rude, when someone is bad, when someone is coming to you with bad energy I go like (raises middle finger), from my soul. No shame, that's my favorite word. I was like 'Hmm, should I say that word?'.

Yes, yes you should. That is definitely my favorite word.

What language do you dream in? Wow, it's very funny because it's a language that I don't speak but I dream that I speak Hebrew - very much. It doesn't happen to many people but it happens to me and I don't even speak that language. And I hear like two hours a day of the language a day all the time of my husband talking to everybody around me but I don't speak it.

What is more important: fashion or comfort? Fashion.

Is that why you're wearing a leather jacket every time I see you out? (Whispers) Yes. Fashion hurts. Absolutely, I think. I see the beauty of it. We're here to play this game, this game of life - it's a comedy. You have to dress up every day, you can be someone else every day and play, have fun. So, I think it's all about fashion.

How many leather jackets do you own? Oh my god, you'd die. I have like 30 of them. Many different colors, styles and thin leather for when it's warm and thick leather for when it's Winter. I'm a freak, I'm a freak.

Do you own a motorcycle? My father is a big Harley Davidson guy so I grew up with that. Actually, I just sold my Harley Davidson a couple of months ago. I had a Fat Boy man! The thing is I just moved to the District to a place where I don't have a garage and I'm in the middle of the "hood" (makes air quotation marks). So, I can't really keep the bike there. I used to take long trips when I was younger in my country with some of my friends over here it was different and I never did that. That's another reason why we sold it because we used to just use it on Sunday, go and have lunch and come back and I was like 'C'mon, what is this? What is this?" so it's just not the same. I love motorcycles, I love the feeling and I like to create sexy outfits to ride your bike.

I feel like you have this really serious relationship with leather. Pretty much. It's part of my life, just to touch it makes me think of so many things. I can close my eyes (rubs handbag) and touch a piece of leather and come up with 300 different ideas. It's the skin of an animal that god gave us to provide us food and milk and all that stuff so this is pretty spiritual. I'm so sad that people don't see it that way. I'm against cruelty but think about it, cow is an animal that was meant to be for us, for human beings to use. That's why I'm against waste. I think we have to use every part of it. I use the skin, I use little pieces of bone inside as my logo. I utilize every single last piece of the animal.

How do you feel about the arts district right now? I feel a little bit more comfortable right now because I feel like the right kind of people are coming here. I'm very happy to know that there are smarter people around that you can have a conversation with related with art, with movies, with you know? Interesting stuff. Before, that was the reason that I was so ready to leave Miami like 5 years ago because it so empty and it was all about stupid parties. So, I'm very happy because the right kind of people are coming, everybody is accommodating with where they really belong. The District is giving us a really big example of that, all the new galleries. I know this is just the beginning. We're in the making, we need maybe another 20 years of hardcore art here to be on the map. But right now I think we're doing the right thing and Miami is gonna get very big. I'm also very happy to know that this is the corner of North America and I'm just two hours away from home so I want to be as close as possible. I love Miami, I think it's so much fun.

Are you big on Colombian food? Huge! On Alton Road and 15th Street - PrimArepa. It's a funny name but it's the only place where you can really go enjoy some clean, authentic food and it's nice, it's fun. I enjoy every kind of food but I miss my potatoes and my stuff. I'm very Indian, I'm very primitive. This is the way I feel, honestly. People always say 'Oh, do you have Indian blood in you?' and I'm like 'Actually, no.' but I feel that way. I'm an Indian, I'm telling you bro. Seguro, for sure, I'm 300% sure.

How do you connect with that part of your community? I have a very big compromise with my people and I have to give back. I have a foundation, it's called The Nazly Villamizar Foundation. I donate 30% of my proceeds to my foundation. I send some kids to school, I do whatever I can within my possibilities. Maybe one day my company is gonna grow and I'm gonna have the possibility of helping more people. But, I started my company working with two very needy families, today after a couple of years I have 11 families and I'm helping those kids to go to school and I'm really doing serious research because I want to help the Indian communities from my country. They are just such a beautiful people. I mean, imagine if we could learn from them a little bit every day. So, that's my compromise. I have to do it.

Is there anything else you want to say or tell me? I wanna tell you I love you honey! And I'm very proud of doing what I'm doing and I feel seriously, seriously, seriously - everything that I'm telling you is absolutely true. I'm blessed. I am blessed and on a crazy mission here in this place and I'm working on it honey. I'm here for some reason and I'm blessed. I'm so blessed to be doing what I'm doing and I'm sharing with the people I'm sharing and I'm surrounded by such great friends so I'm happy man.

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