Marcela Pinzon is a fashion designer, and a teacher of fashion through her business, The Fashionable Stylista located in Syosset, NY. She has been working in the fashion industry for many years and truly has a passion for fashion and is incredibly talented. From starting her career in school, to today, she has definitely made an impact in the fashion industry! Going back to her earlier years as a fashion designer, Marcela explained she “went to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and majored in Fashion Design.” College for anybody is the beginning of figuring out your path, finding your passions and becoming more independent. However, it is evident that college is not always a walk in the park. It is never that easy, especially for a fashion designer; hands-on projects like designing clothing under short periods of time takes much talent and diligence.
Marcela explained during her time at FIT, “I always wanted to be a fashion designer so it was an easy choice of wanting to go to a fashion design school like FIT. However, I did struggle at FIT. I went there with no prior learning of how to drape or use a sewing machine and a lot of students there already had experience, especially if they came from Europe. My draping teacher actually told me I should switch careers in front of the entire class and I felt humiliated. I thought about changing majors after this comment but I continued to work my hardest and graduated.”
Like she mentioned, Marcela has always had a passion for fashion. Even as a young child, she “loved playing with barbie dolls–[she] used to dress them up in toilet paper at the age of four and [her] passion continued since then. Even in high school I played with Barbie dolls but it was more to create the outfits.”
Once Marcela graduated college, she had an excellent career ahead of her of fashion design, and teaching fashion! She has now been working in the industry for many years and explained her best memory was “when [she] would see kids wearing the clothes [she] had designed or [her] designs in different department stores. It made me feel proud and accomplished.”
As for the memories she has made as a teacher of fashion design, “Nothing can compare the joy and accomplishment I feel of being a fashion design teacher. A mom once told me that I had made a difference in her daughter’s life. That gives me more passion to continue what I do.”
She truly does have a passion for fashion, and puts forth that passion for her students! “I feel I contribute to building their confidence, giving them a direction in life even at an early age and giving them the support they need to continue their dreams of being a fashion designer.”
The Fashionable Stylista, located in Syosset, NY was where Marcela started her journey as a fashion design teacher. The company itself, she explained, “was established as an entity in 2014” Before the business was in full-swing, “I was doing mini classes at libraries and at a friend’s real estate office. I had a hard time juggling my full time career as a VP of Merchandise and Design in NYC, my side business and my kids. During COVID I decided it was time to open The Fashionable Stylista and I knew I would make it work and left my job in NYC.”
Although teaching fashion design is one of, if not the best part of Marcela’s career in fashion, teaching it wasn’t always her first choice. “It became an interest along the way. I started my career as an assistant fashion designer, then I became a designer, design director, head of product development and sourcing and then VP of Merchandise and Design. When I started managing staff and having to hire a team was when I started realizing that I was actually a really good teacher. I also always loved working with kids and realized I had a knack for it.” Marcela’s job prior to The Fashionable Stylista, a VP of Merchandise and Design, gave her an immense amount of experience as well. “I managed a design and production team and I was also in charge of merchandising collections and sourcing. I traveled a lot in countries like India, China, Egypt, Peru, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and nationally as well.
As of 2026, The Fashionable Stylista has had immense success over these years, even partnering with other events and brands! Marcela sees that her success resulted from “[her] passion and having a true love for what [she does]. [She takes] it very seriously and it is not a craft: it is a true trade. [She] saw that [she] could build an educational and nurturing environment where [her] students felt included in a creative environment and where parents also saw what their kids could accomplish.”
As mentioned, Marcela has traveled to so many places over the years through her careers within the fashion industry in which she has experienced and learned so much that still impacts her and her teachings today. When asked about what she feels is the mot influential place in the world to learn and develop a love for fashion, she explained, “I don’t think there is a one most influential place to learn and develop a love for fashion. I feel that if you truly love fashion, you see its potential around the world, not just in one set place. It is the mix of different countries and cultures that create true fashion that is beautiful and inspiring.”
TEC also asked Marcela about her previous work as a fashion designer. “I designed a bathing suit for infants and toddlers that had snaps at the bottom for easy changing. It actually became a huge hit and was featured in Nordstrom’s and Saks. In addition, I designed a collection called Harry and Violet that was a buy Baby exclusive. I was very proud of that collection and loved its aesthetic and vintage feel.”
As a student of Marcela’s at The Fashionable Stylista and somebody who dreams of a future career in the fashion industry, I too believe Marcela has had a huge impact on my knowledge and view of fashion. When I first started taking her classes, I was about a year into my interest in working in the fashion industry and my knowledge went as far as my monthly subscription to Vogue. Not only did I learn more and grow to love fashion in general, I actually learned the art of sewing itself! I had never hardly used a sewing machine before I joined The Fashionable Stylista. Marcela has taught me to design numerous pieces that I am very proud of and would never have been able to do it as well as I did without her excellent guidance!
