Mavis C. Herrera
Mavis Carolina Herrera is a sustainable fashion entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of MCH Fashion Inc, based in San Diego, California. She is the founder and creative force behind Mavis by Herrera, a purpose-driven accessories brand redefining luxury through ethics, integrity, and environmental responsibility. Guided by the belief that business can be a force for good, Mavis has built her career around creating positive impact for both people and the planet.
With a background in business analytics, marketing, and international commerce, Mavis brings strategic rigor to creative entrepreneurship. Before launching her fashion ventures, she held leadership and analytical roles in multinational organizations, where she developed expertise in pricing strategy, supply-chain evaluation, and data-driven decision-making across Latin American and Caribbean markets. This foundation now informs her approach to building sustainable, circular business models that reject mass production in favor of small-batch, intentional design.
In addition to her work with Mavis by Herrera, Mavis is the founder of MBH Leather, a quiet-luxury line crafted from repurposed leather for consumers who value craftsmanship over logos. Across all her ventures, she collaborates closely with artisans, prioritizes recycled and upcycled materials, and embeds social impact into the product lifecycle. Through her leadership, Mavis continues to challenge conventional fashion systems—proving that style, responsibility, and integrity can coexist with lasting impact.
• Business Intelligence Analysis
• University of California, San Diego- B.B.A.
• California State University San Marcos- B.B.A.
• Excellence Award
• Donates shoes to kids in need in Mexico
• Baja Outreach
• The Art Miles Mural Project
• Women's Versus Sex
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being honest. I really incorporate that mantra in everything I do, in the product, in what you're getting. Just being honest has opened me doors where I can share who I am and what I'm doing. It goes with the pricing, it goes with everything. You have to be honest first with yourself, so you can be honest to the world around you. If you don't have that in you, everything you do is not gonna work. That's my number one value, and it's what makes everything possible.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was from a mentor during a point in my life when I was asking myself, what exactly do I want to do? He told me that sometimes you don't know what's out there, but you have to take the risk. Be honest with yourself. If you're not doing harm and being honest with yourself, just go for it. Because life keeps going, and if you don't try, you will never know. There's nothing wrong with failure. Failure is actually a good thing because it just brings you a redirection. If you stop looking at failure as a failure and see it as a redirection, that has been stuck with me a lot. Now when a door shuts down, I think, well, there's a reason why it's not there, but there's gonna be another one that's gonna open. Time is valuable, so I move on and keep knocking on other doors that are gonna open.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
One of the biggest pieces of advice I would give to anyone starting a business or in any industry is to not start with perfection. Sometimes you work so hard and you want it to be perfect, and then you get stuck there, when perfection doesn't exist. By the time you say, oh, this is perfect to launch, there's gonna be in 2 months, or 3 months, or 6, or in a year, and if you keep it the same, it's like you're stuck. Everything evolves. I learned that the hard way. I spent 3 months building my website, and when I went live, I didn't like it. It didn't resonate with me, and I shut it down. I spent 3 months on that. When I built Mavis by Herrera, I built it in less than 24 hours while my friends were watching the Super Bowl. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect to take orders and get it started. I would say don't wait until it's perfect, because by the time you think it's perfect, the next week you're gonna be like, oh, I'm gonna add this, or I'm gonna change this. It's always gonna be evolving, and that's our life, we all evolve. If we don't evolve, it means that we're stuck, and it's time to get unstuck.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me as a small business owner is actually the exposure and the limited cash. I didn't win a grant or get any investors. I pretty much started with my own savings, so I'm 100% self-funded. It is hard when you're trying to just get some exposure to share this story, to share about the bags. In business, they charge you for exposure, like $5,000 or $10,000, and I'm like, wow, I can't. I'd rather invest that money on production. It is hard. I wish there was something in the media that would promote small businesses, or something where we can share our story, share our company. That would be very helpful, but that has been one of the hardest things, getting that exposure. I think being in a TV segment, or news, or a fashion show would really help knock doors. Trade shows are also a good opportunity, but they're pricey. It's an investment that you don't know if you're gonna get the exposure enough or get buyers. It doesn't guarantee anything, it's pretty much taking the risk.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The number one value that's most important to me is integrity. Honesty. You have to be honest first with yourself, so you can be honest to the world around you. If you don't have that in you, forget it. Everything you do is not gonna work. That's my number one value. In my work, I really incorporate that mantra in everything I do, in the product, in what customers are getting. It goes with the pricing, it goes with everything. I also believe in creating products that are made to last, not just to look pretty. They're made with an intention. If something doesn't work, we don't bring it to the market. If I'm not gonna wear it, I just don't bring it, period. I want to create a positive change and make a bag that has 100% impact, helping people, using recycled plastic, and reducing waste. Those are the things that actually inspire me.