Distribution
Estilo Dominicanos’ intention is to distribute the cultural dress within small businesses located in La Calle del Conde. The most popular shopping area is El Conde. There’s many different textile businesses, cafes and restaurants, souvenir shops, and jewelry stores to choose from (Calle El Conde in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). We plan on staying within La Zona Colonial zone since it is very touristic and an important area since it was the starting point for the expansion of European civilization and continental conquest (Centre, Colonial City of Santo Domingo). Women can use this dress to represent our hard working culture as well as representing the color of our flags. Individuals who use this dress have a better time expressing themselves while dancing for certain events. We focus on social media marketing to reach that specific target market who’s looking to purchase the national dress. We plan on advertising the most during times like any holiday, Dominican parades, school shows, etc. Overall, we chose this specific product due to the fact that it represents our culture. This national dress has been around for many many years and we will still continue to use it to represent our culture.
Consumption
The “Cultivo de la Vida” dress symbolizes the freedom of the slaves in the Dominican Republic, as they quickly developed a meaningful eye-catching sense of fashion that would draw attention to their independence (Kreol International Magazine, 2022). This is what makes the dress unique; the Dominican Republic may be compromised of many different cultural elements and customs/practices from countries like France, Africa, and Spain, but the traditional Creole dress is the distinctiveness of the Dominican Republic, as it is a symbol of the island. The dress is bought by women of the island to be worn during special occasions such as Sundays, feast days, baptisms, Carnival, and other public holidays (Kreole International Magazine, 2022). People of the island display their heritage and love for their country through the assortment of colors and patterns that are unique to their racial mixtures, and a system of dresses was created to help distinguish the different social classes of people in the country (Kreole International Magazine, 2022). The dress isn’t an “everyday attire” garment, so people all over the world, even in the U.S., can wear it on the same special occasions as women in the Dominican Republic do to represent the culture. Though the dress represents the independence and freedom of the slaves, today Dominicans have largely adopted many American styles, so if they can wear Americanized fashion, why can’t Americans do the same with their style of fashion (Textile Value Chain, 2021).
Written by: Camila Vizcaino & Carlton Georges
