Now that you know a little about our background, it’s time you get to know a little about the woman behind it all, Helen Martinez! Even though Helen went to law school at FSU, she has always had a deep passion for design. While applying to law school, she kept revisiting the idea of going to Parsons School of Design in New York. When Helen was in undergrad in Winston-Salem, she began to design some of her own clothes and found a local seamstress to make them - one of the first design stepping stones on the path to what eventually would become WKND WYFR.
Helen currently resides in College Park, Florida, with her husband John and their two beautiful daughters Tindal and Virginia. Helen sees WKND WYFR as a brand focused on incredible design and quality and something she can tangibly pass down to her daughters.
Helen practiced law for several years but felt an innate drive to try something new. Leaving the safety of a robust legal practice and successful legal career was a big step, but Helen felt “you only have one shot at life, your kids are only young once, take advantage of this time and try out some different ideas!”
Starting her own business came with a lot of risks, more work, and less pay. Her first venture was a software company that analyzed the sale of specific securities. It was a success and sold to a public company in New York. By now, Helen realized she had the entrepreneurial bug and started another business -- this is the business that led Helen on to the next step of creating WKND WYFR.
One of the most gratifying things about starting her businesses was the ability to meet and befriend people internationally. A new friend invited Helen to her wedding in India, and Helen took advantage of the trip to explore the country. While in India, she visited beautiful rug factories that inspired her with their patterns, their sewin styles and brought her the idea to make her own beautiful handbag designs. The rest is history, as they say, she brought her friend and now business partner along for the ride, and together they turned WKND WYFR into what we see today.
Now that you know a little more about one of our founders, get to know her style by checking out her amazing designs here!