By Annie Pei

I first ran into Omar when we were both little monsters at a Lady Gaga concert. Tightly wrapped in chains and fluorescent yellow Caution tape, Omar’s enthusiasm and joie de vivre drew me towards him. He told me he was a 19-year-old film student at the Columbia College of Art who loved art in all its forms, and who hoped to make it big. The confidence with which he spoke made me believe that Omar knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life, and how exactly he was going to do it.

But what I didn’t know was that Omar was facing a dilemma. Months prior to the concert, he had begun questioning if he loved film enough to continue, or if he should pursue his ultimate dream: A career in fashion. Torn between going through with his original plans and taking a leap of faith, Omar was trying to sort out his innermost desires and understand the consequences of whichever option he chose.

Since then, the little monster has become a fashion star. During a summer gathering in July, Omar ran into 21-year-old Gordana Rasic, founder of Chicago-based GOCA Designs. Inspired by her drive and creativity, Omar made the trip to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign that weekend where he and Rasic discussed designs and planned their first event: a show at the RAW Artist exhibition.

It was there that Omar met Kristen Miccoli, an up-and-coming photographer based in Chicago. Impressed by her work, Omar and Rasic invited Miccoli to collaborate on photoshoots featuring Goca’s collections. Miccoli’s introduction was, according to Omar, the key to GOCA’s initial rise as she demonstrated the professionalism necessary for the label to gain respect and credibility.

Now Omar, as Vice President and Creative Director of GOCA, has made fashion a lifestyle. Between attending classes as a full-time student and spending time with his family, Omar is always on the run. Whether he’s brainstorming designs for GOCA’s next collection or booking events and venues, the little monster I know journeys all over Chicago, living his dream even if the going gets tough.

But Omar’s used to tough. Originally from California, he was born into a family of 5 brothers and 2 sisters. Omar’s parents, both immigrants from Mexico, worked night and day to provide for their children. The family lived in such dire circumstances that Omar’s mother made a point of locking the fridge so no one would be tempted for a snack. Despite the harsh conditions, the Villalobos siblings did learn many hard-earned life lessons, especially about hard work and appreciation.

“If we were good, every week [my siblings and I] would get 25 cents for allowance money, which we’d use to buy toys at the flea market that treasured for such a long time,” Omar remembers. “We earned them out of pure hard work, and when you live like that you learn to grab onto every opportunity and never let it go.”

The same philosophy drives Omar to leave home at seven or eight in the morning, only to return at eight or nine at night. His weekdays are packed with classes, homework, and meetings. Weekends are reserved for events, mixers, and shoots to put GOCA’s name out in the open. It’s an exhausting lifestyle and Omar’s had his fair share of crises, but he does everything to make sure his dreams come true and so his hard work for GOCA is noticed.

“Even when you’re too tired to stand, you need to find some kind of energy within to attend all of these events. Not just to find new talent, but to also meet people,” says Omar. “All industries revolve around networking, but especially creative fields like fashion because it’s so hard to become a big name. You have to find models, photographers, and more.”

“I’m so grateful to have met the people I know. I don’t see them as acquaintances, I see them as good friends of mine and that’s how I want to keep it.”

Omar’s ability to build such a team has contributed to his success, especially in the wake of social media marketing. The rise of social networks like Facebook has levelled the playing field in the fashion industry. Now, professionals and amateurs alike can post their creations online for all to see, making them more accessible.

The result, according to Omar, is that talent alone isn’t enough. In a world where designers are easily discovered, success demands “60% talent, but 40% network”. To keep up with the competition, designers have to become a jack of all trades and learn skills – especially those related to marketing and business – outside the creative realm.

“Most of my work is actually administrative,” explains Omar. “I obviously still need to design, but if I wasn’t business-savvy I wouldn’t be very marketable.”

“It’s honestly a balance of creativity and personality; you have to be willing to talk to everyone and do everything that is asked of you. If you aren’t up for learning more than how to design, then you won’t be able to keep up with everybody else.”

So far, that philosophy has done well for Omar. In the beginning of October, Omar and Rasic were selected to present their collection at Latino Fashion Week where they received rave reviews. To top it off, GOCA was featured in the Spanish-language newspaper Hoy, testament to Omar and Rasic’s hard work and entrepreneurship.

As GOCA becomes more prominent on the fashion scene, so too does Omar’s personal emphasis on teamwork. But aside from Rasic, Omar also refers to support from a more personal source as instrumental to his success: His family.

The fact that Omar’s parents even supported his foray into fashion is huge given their familiarity with poverty. Their encouragement demonstrates the amount of trust and belief they have in Omar, motivating him to continue working hard. Though one of Omar’s main goals is to transform GOCA into a fashion powerhouse, his ultimate dream is something very different: To one day tell his parents that they no longer have to work.

“Both my parents have been working since they were 16 to support themselves and their families,” Omar tells me. “One day, I want to be so successful that I can look at them and say ‘you don’t have to work anymore, I can take care of you so go relax and enjoy life.’”

In Omar’s eyes, nothing would make him happier than to see his parents break free from their hardships and not have a worry in the world. Following the end of Latino Fashion Week, Omar got a glimpse of this dream when he presented a copy of Hoy to them.

“After a couple really busy months, I finally came home. My parents were sitting in the kitchen and I placed the newspaper on the table in front,” says Omar. “There was this moment of silence as they stared at the copy; I wasn’t sure how they would react.”

“Then suddenly, my mom comes over and gives me a hug. And then my dad stands up and does the same. To me that meant more than words. My dad is a very reserved man who doesn’t really express his feelings, so to see his eyes water when he realized that his son’s designs were on the front page of a newspaper…well, that was one of the happiest days of my life and I hope there’s more to come.”

Keeping that memory in mind, Omar currently spends his day planning GOCA’s next big show in March and an additional show with the University of Chicago. The events never seem to end, signaling the start of a busy year for Omar and GOCA. But despite the non-stop commitments and continuous morning to night workdays, all that matters to Omar is that his dream is very much alive.

“Before meeting Gordana, I never thought things could work out this way,” says Omar. “I thought I’d spend years in school and then graduate working very small jobs for fashion labels with no guarantee that I’d get far. That’s how it usually is, and that’s what I thought my future would be.”

Clearly, if there’s one thing the little monster has learned it’s that anything is possible.

Check out GOCA Designs at www.gocadesigns.4ormat.com. For more updates, follow Omar on Twitter at @PapaGOCA and Facebook.