My Sundaze with Robert Escalera

NAME

Robert Escalera

Occupation

Short Bio

Robert Escalera was born and raised in Miami as a first generation Cuban- American. He began his career in fashion as a model at 16 during the infamous renaissance of South Beach after the cliché of being scouted at a mall. Little did he know that this chance meeting would not only be his salvation from a difficult childhood; it would also be his gateway to the world.

While living in South Beach for steady income he worked as a promoter and vip liason for clubs such as Risk, Glam Slam, and Liquid, among others. He worked as a model for nearly a decade and a half internationally for the biggest names in fashion and was a regular on the global runway circuit. Subsequently moving to New York he worked in nightlife as promotional director for iconic clubs such as Life, Spa, and Crobar. After moving to Los Angeles and progressing to food and beverage he has managed such notable properties as SoHo House, The Standard, and STK, to name a few.

In addition he has managed Gitano in Tulum, Sunset Beach in Shelter Island, Moby’s in East Hampton and Surf Lodge in Montauk. He has been a driving force in some of the most influential, revolutionary, and iconic hospitality brands of the past thirty years. His biggest passion however has always been being of service.His proudest accomplishment and biggest blessing has been volunteering with Zeno Mountain Farm, a camp focused on creating lifelong friendships for people with disabilities for the over fifteen years.

He also volunteers at Hollywood Food Coalition, a nonprofit that provides hot and nutritious meals to the food insecure 365 days a year, for the past seven years. During a volunteer trip with another disability nonprofit, Viamistad in Guatemala, he was paired with Francis, a funny and brilliant young man with Muscular Dystrophy who changed the trajectory of his life and led him to start his own business, a fashion and lifestyle brand called Humo y Espejos.

Francis’ parents, Francisco and Julieta, were tailors. Both his mother and father had sewing machines on the dirt floors in one of the small rooms which allowed them to work while caring for Francis so he hired them to make his pants, now called the Francis pant. Through them he realized the direct impact that was possible when paying American fair wage.

After his first purchase they were able to buy a new roof for their house and no longer had to sew with garbage bags and umbrellas during the rainy season!!! They were the catalyst for the mission of the brand; to collaborate with underprivileged, disenfranchised, or physically challenged artisans to create fair wage, sustainable, and dignified employment.

Later, having coffee at the park in Antigua, Robert befriended a lovely young lady in a wheelchair named Joselyn who was selling bracelets who now makes our jewelry. Then in Panajachel, Manuela, a single mother, who started a coop with other women who are survivors of domestic abuse making leather goods who make our bags and ponchos. Annie and Rodolfo who have a non profit, Eden Por Salud, providing gainful, fair wage employment to people with disabilities who make our fragrance.

Hence Humo y Espejos was born, which literally translates to smoke and mirrors. It is a socially conscious, fair-wage lifestyle/ fashion brand that believes that radical inclusion influences radical change. We are all the same. We share the same frustrations. We laugh, cry, bleed, and mourn the same; the rest is just smoke and mirrors…

Currently he is based in Los Angeles and works as a freelance Hospitality Consultant, commercial actor, and model, while advocating for people with disabilities and the unhoused, in order to sustain his dream of growing the brand in order to provide more dignified employment for disenfranchised artisans globally .“While we may not be able to save the world, we can absolutely save one family’s world at a time.”

In each day we’re alive, tell us the three things you’re grateful for:

Favorite type of music:

Who would you switch lives with for one day if you could: 

Name the biggest pet peeve you have- no holds barred:

How do you psyche yourself up for the day ahead:

My mantra is “Every day above ground is a good day” so I make a point to not just count my blessings and live in gratitude but think about how proud the younger version of me would be with the life I’ve created instead of worrying about the goals I have yet to accomplish. If I need an extra push I listen to “Blessed” by Brett Dennen on repeat. And Cuban coffee!

Go to products in your bag you can’t live without:

How do you use Sundays to destress from work:

How would you describe yourself:

I find these kind of questions uncomfortable so asked my best friend to describe me “Robert is everyone’s biggest cheerleader. He always goes out of his way to help anyone, anywhere, anytime to his own detriment. He’s always the best dressed person in any room. He always smells nice. He gives the best advice even when it’s not what you want to hear.

He’s just as content at a black tie gala in Monte Carlo as a street vendor in Tijuana. He’s a wizard in the kitchen. He is annoyingly optimistic. He is fiercely loyal. His smile can get 99.9% of people to do whatever he wants but thankfully he usually only uses his powers for good. He has no idea how magical he is.” Wow, I was just hoping she would say i was kind!!!

What is your biggest weakness and strength: 

What’s your hidden talent that no one, not even your partner knows about:

What’s one trend you would obliterate forever: