Influential Woman · Image Consultant Personal Stylist Color Analysis Expert
Valeria McFarland
Owner, VM IMAGE DESIGNER
Cantonment, FL 32533
Her Story
About Valeria
I've always been in love with fashion since I was little. My background is Brazilian, and in Brazil, since we are little, our mamas teach us how to dress well. We always need to be on point for everything in life. When my family and I moved to Bahrain, where my husband was working as a contractor for the Department of Defense, I couldn't work as a wife, but I walked the streets and saw people from all over the world dressed so nicely. I told my husband this is what I wanted to do. Then we moved to Naples, Italy, and that was my 'oh my god, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life' moment. I was fortunate enough to take Italian fashion classes in Rome, Milan, and Naples. When we moved back to the United States and COVID hit, I went online and did a color analysis course in Brazil. A year later, I was invited to Paris Fashion Week because I was a very good student. I went to Dior, Louis Vuitton, and all these places to learn about the products, how handbags were made, and the history. I saw Dior's old desk at the museum. It was a whole other level. My husband says I'm like a little gem in Pensacola that no one knows about. I love helping women look better because if you look your best, you feel better. I believe there are places and places to wear certain kinds of things. My passion is making women understand that they come first, before husband, before everything except God. We need to love ourselves first. For women who are married with a good husband who is the provider, the husband is the boat, but you are the anchor. The anchor needs to be firm. When you look good in the morning, life is already too hard, so looking better helps you feel better. I help women through color analysis, showing them colors they didn't know were theirs, helping them deal with changes gradually, building their confidence. My husband says sometimes I come across too strong and intimidate people, but it's just my confidence and posture. I observe first when I enter a place. My quietness provokes reactions in people.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Valeria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my superpower is how I deal with challenges because of my life history. I was living in London when I met my husband, then moved back to Brazil while he moved to the United States. We dated for a year over the phone and decided to get married. I moved to the United States without family, without anything, so I had to reinvent myself in many different ways. Now I am an entrepreneur, a businesswoman, a mom, and a wife. Here's the trick: I wake up every morning at 3 AM, because from 3:30 in the morning until 6 o'clock is my time. I go to the gym, sit down and read my Bible. It's my time with Jesus, and no one takes this away from me. After I do all this for myself, I become the Val mama, the Val wife. But 3:30 in the morning is the time that I chose to be me.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I live in Pensacola, which I see as more like a retirement place. We don't have all these fashion people in Pensacola. My husband says I'm like a little gem in Pensacola that no one knows about. What I'm doing right now is trying to reach out outside, and since my husband retired, it's good for my business so I can travel. My vision is not Pensacola. I think big. I like Atlanta, I like Orlando, but I know in big cities like Orlando there is competition. For me to be on top of my competitors, I have to have a background and know what I'm doing. I love to study, and I'm trying to get as much certificates as I can because I have a vision of a high-ticket client.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
God comes first in everything. I am very devoted to my faith. I wake up at 3:30 in the morning and my time with Jesus is something no one takes away from me. I believe that women need to love themselves first, before husband, before everything except God. My passion is making women understand that they come first. For women who are married with a good husband who is the provider, the husband is the boat in the Bible, but you are the anchor. The anchor needs to be firm. I love helping women look better because when you look good, you feel better, and people treat you better. Life is already too hard, so looking your best helps. I believe in self-love and confidence. I don't force anything on my clients. I help them discover themselves gradually and enjoy the journey of self-discovery.
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