Fashion Forward Friends! We’re gearing up for the spring closet refresh. Thankfully, we have the plug from a professional woman in STEM:
Muddy Rodriguez
Muddy is lit! She is an Afro-Latina engineer that represents her culture well! Muddy is brilliant, beautiful, and bold! A true sight to behold. She sparks change by exposing myths like: “Engineers are Tomboys and Ugly Nerds”. Muddy makes it clear that:
“You can be both fabulous & intelligent”
She snatches false narratives by the edges with her luxury brand:
While scrolling the Melanated Nerd site to make my first purchase, my first-born walked up behind me. He saw the word “nerd” and immediately commented on that not being nice.
I welcomed that moment as we had a conversation on how the word “nerd” may be used to cut a person down for their intelligence, but how Nerds should be celebrated! Now, if we’re called a “nerd”, we will smile and reply:
Thank You, Please Add “Melanated”
I quickly purchased a Melanated Nerd sweater to upgrade how I step out into these streets!
This lilac sweater is super soft with a powerful design on the back.
My daughter, Glory, is also highly intelligent! She was appropriately styled in the “Future Melanated Nerd” collection for the splash pad.
My boy’s are up next as their wardrobe is being updated for spring!
Let’s learn more about Muddy Rodriguez, the woman behind Melanated Nerd. First off, thank you for joining us on :
1. Why did you start Melanated Nerd?
“Melanated Nerd was born from a burning desire to be the representation I needed in my academic and professional environments. While studying electrical engineering and later in professional environments, I often felt discouraged because these settings were filled with many people who didn’t look like me, sound like me, or come from similar backgrounds. I felt like I was out of place, didn’t belong and didn’t see myself represented in the educators and senior leaders. I needed to be the change I wish to see in this world; thus developing a brand to build a community of my fellow nerds.”
2. What impact do you want your designs to have on customers?
“The designs of Melanated Nerd are Re-defining The Nerd by celebrating and embracing all shades of Melanin from a myriad of cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds for those who enjoy S.T.E.M. subjects, Comics/Anime, feel Artsy, or somewhere in between. Our brand includes the entire family with sizes from 0-3 months to 4XL. Everything we offer, from streetwear to office accessories, serve as conversation pieces to really bring awareness and representation to our community. Our goal is to change the stigma of what a nerd looks like and cultivate a safe space for individuals to celebrate “Black and Brown Human Brain Power.”
3. What is the personal favorite from your latest collection?
“This is a tough question, but if I had to pick I would say the new jogger sets. It’s the first time we have done an entire co-ed set in a collection. They are very warm, cozy, and sleek. The thin, warm material is a high quality, non-bulky and at an affordable price. I love having the sweaters and matching joggers to complete the look. They also have our new logo with a raised patch that is pretty unique. It was a goal of mine to design them and we finally are offering them which is very exciting.”
4. You recently had a showcasing at SneakerCon! What did you enjoy about that experience?
“SneakerCon was an AH-Mah-ZING opportunity. It was a great way to introduce my brand into the Sneaker Community and Streetwear Culture and was unlike any other Pop-Up Shop or vending experience that I participated in. It was a large venue in downtown Philadelphia with a lot of foot traffic and the largest scale entrepreneurial opportunity to date. The greatest feeling was having customers who felt seen by the brand and shared their own personal testimonies. One story that resonated with me was a young black woman who is going to graduate with a Biology degree this year and she was so proud and exclaimed “I’m a Nerd!” when she saw the Melanated Nerd booth and it really warmed my heart to hear her story.”
Incredible! Muddy, what you are contributing to the world is remarkable! Thank you for sharing your journey!
Nerds, let’s stay fabulous and invest in:
“Black & Brown Human Brain Power“
Purchase your Melanated Nerd pieces today using the discount code LONISAMARI. Muddy is giving us 15% off any order over $20! Thank you Muddy! Let’s use this gift to fashionably own being a Nerd.
Keep up with Muddy on her Instagram Accounts – @TheFabNerd & @MelanatedNerd .
Step Into the Spotlight,
Send feature inquiries to the Lonisa Mari Dream Team at contact@lonisamari.com.
Lonisa Mari 