Via-DisneyParksblog
This month, as we continue to celebrate Hispanic and Latin cast members at Disney, we would like to introduce you to Javier Garcia, Senior Manager of Product Design at Consumer Products, Games and Publishing (CPGP).
Javier moved to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico with his family when he was five years old. As a child, he made his own toys out of scraps from his father’s work documents, and went on to paint and create urban art as he grew up. “Once I discovered that design jobs were not a myth, and you could make a living through design, I decided to pursue a career in this field.”
Upon accepting his first role at Disney, Javier was thrilled to learn how much quality took precedence over speed at Disney. “In such a fast-paced industry, it is far more important to do something right than doing something the fastest way possible.” Today, Javier leads his team to creatively direct and inspire licensees, retailers and brands to create innovative Disney clothing for teens and adults. They work to find parallels between fashion trends and storytelling from our iconic films and characters. “We extend storytelling through products and we always look to do it in a relevant way with style.”
Javier also emphasized the importance of reflecting on the diversity of the characters. “Storytelling is the foundation of any product we work on. Since many of our characters already have diverse backgrounds, we want to celebrate that where we can.”
Javier has also worked on multiple innovative apparel collaborations with various brands and retailers, including a Pop-In@Nordstrom shop that featured a selection of vintage Disney T-shirts. His team also stepped into the gaming space to create a capsule collection with FaZeClan.
One of Javier’s favorite projects to work on was the 2019 Disney x Kith collaboration to close out Mickey’s 90th celebration. “It was incredible to watch our teams work so hard to make this collection come to life behind the scenes. It was a very large and sometimes difficult undertaking, which made it that much more rewarding once we saw it all unveiled and out in the world.”
When asked about his goals and the motivations behind his designs, Javier said, “We always ask ourselves: Does this have a message and a story? Does this feel new and exciting? Will this resonate with our existing Disney fans? Will this create new Disney fans? I am motivated not only by trying to create something new and fresh, but by creating it in the best way possible. My wife and children are also a driving force that motivates me to do better. I always want to make them proud.”
For aspiring designers, Javier shares the following advice: “Learn as much as you can, be very attentive to detail and question your own work regularly. This will lead you to think outside the box.”
