Jose Maria
Our designer, Jose Maria Martinez Ybarra, has had extensive training and experience in fashion design, theatrical costuming and jewelry and accessory design. He approaches his work with a passion for the unusual, a commitment to quality and a keen eye on the most up-to-date trends.
Born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, he received a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and then traveled extensively overseas, living in Rome, Paris and Dubrovnik. Upon returning to the United States, he received a degree in Fashion Design from the Fashion Design College in San Diego, where he currently resides and works.
His fashion work was included in the Golden Hanger Awards Program in San Diego in 2003 and 2004. He worked with fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and assisted her in the opening of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London in 2003. His experience in theatre costuming has included work with the Old Globe Theater and Lamb’s Players Theater in San Diego. Personal costuming credits include plays such as Las Meninas, Rashomon, King Lear, Sound of Music, Enchanted April and Sweeney Todd.
His jewelry has adorned many of the players in his theatrical productions and has been displayed in various shops and boutiques in La Jolla, California. He has created custom work for clients in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and St. Barthelemy, FWI.
The availability of quality materials and his resulting approach to design is constantly changing, assuring that each piece is unique and fresh. He pays close attention to the unique characteristics of each stone and element he selects and combines them with a technician’s mind and a craftsman’s soul. The result is a work of art which both adorns and interacts with its wearer.
