María Fernanda Santamaría, although in my world they call me Marea Santa (Holy Tide). The name comes from my roots: Santamaría after my mother, a seamstress and merchant with an eternal soul, and Marea because since childhood nothing could keep me still. I was born with the current flowing in my favor, drawn to art.
My grandmother had a brand called Tentador—yes, ambition runs in the family—and a mattress company that's still going strong. My father, a retired jeweler and cabinetmaker, taught me to see beauty in what others call raw materials. So, my path wasn't a coincidence: I have craftsmanship in my hands and irreverence in my blood.
In 2015, I created Marea Santa. It only lasted a year, but like any good tide, it returned with a vengeance. In 2019, I dropped out of my law studies to dedicate myself to what truly moved me—clothing that breathes history, art, and the Caribbean. I was already paying for my studies with it; then I decided to pay for my life.
Today, each garment is born between Alajuela and the Southern Caribbean. They're not just shirts or dresses: they're small pieces of tropical art, magical realism, and Costa Rican sweat. Whoever owns one of my garments carries pure life art, a story that moves, that gets wet, that dances with the sea breeze.
Marea Santa is that: the surrealism I imagine, the tropical life I experience, and the art that runs through me.
