Sergio Guadarrama
BIO
Sergio “CELESTINO” Guadarrama and Kade Johnson are creating the world of CELESTINO with precisely crafted, eco-conscious and fashion-forward women's and men’s collections. Established in 2005, the company unites classical couture techniques with innovative concepts, up-cycled luxury fabrics, and unconventional details to create the aesthetic of CELESTINO. The CELESTINO atelier prides itself on being fully inclusive to all sizes and providing an intimate, personalized, unique experience for each client. The company makes a conscious effort to design garments that are tailored to each client’s specific body type and sense of style- an upheld tradition true to the ways of haute couture. The brand currently operates its atelier in New York.
CELESTINO believes in designing with a purpose, maintaining a strong socially conscious mentality and standing up for environmental and political issues that affect the United States and beyond. Each design is created with hidden messages in order to bring awareness to social causes, and in turn, prompt others to assist in resolving them. As a company, CELESTINO recognizes that fashion and the environment have to coexist. In an effort to be an environmentally sustainable brand, they stray away from the creation of new textiles, exclusively using up-cycled materials (dead stocked fabrics left over from the fashion industry), and other findings. Sergio and Kade pride themselves in designing for clients of all sizes and ages; their goal is to empower each individual as they step into a CELESTINO garment.
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, Sergio “CELESTINO” Guadarrama continued his love of studying at the prominent Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. While in school, he worked with private clients and won numerous fashion design accolades, including the inaugural “Supima Cotton Design Competition.” Sergio's skills were further refined during his freelance work at the Metropolitan Opera which gave him hands-on experience to build his craft. While freelancing, he had the privilege to work on productions such as “Madame Butterfly” and “Magic Flute” where he developed knowledge of old-world techniques, gaining expertise in a dying art and truly understanding how to drape for the human body.
Kade Johnson manages the business and marketing of CELESTINO as well as adding in the details that go into each of the designs that Sergio comes up with through the draping and creating process. He organizes and styles the photoshoots for CELESTINO’s collections, maintaining consistency of the brand’s vision and mission. He focuses on bringing the vision and inspiration that Sergio uses to create the collection to narrate the story through imagery and film.
Sergio and Kade pride themselves in using their creations to convey messages that inspire others to take a stand for social causes. Together they embrace the culture of the LGBTQ+ community and aspire to be positive role models within the fashion industry. They make a conscious effort as a company to be inclusive to all individuals regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, and donate time and a portion of their profits to humanitarian organizations. Sergio and Kade make it their responsibility to mentor up-and-coming designers and students from Fashion Institute of Technology, The University of Texas, High School of Fashion Industries, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute as a way of passing on valuable knowledge to future generations. Each look that is created in the CELESTINO atelier is not only designed but also hand created by both Sergio and Kade.
