Elsie Mendez is the visionary behind Selvática, a brand where fashion becomes an expression of soul, transformation, and power.

Renowned for her intuitive ability to make women feel seen, radiant, and confident, Elsie designs and curates pieces that go beyond style, each one is created to awaken a woman’s inner light.

From custom jewelry to flowing silks and refined linens, her collections embody effortless luxury with a deeply personal touch. Before bringing her vision to life in Naples, Elsie spent over two decades in the spotlight as a celebrated radio and television personality across Dallas, New Orleans, Miami, and her native Colombia. In New Orleans, she founded a bilingual newspaper serving the Latino community and later launched two successful jewelry boutiques, early reflections of her entrepreneurial spirit and creative eye.

Her journey, however, was profoundly shaped by adversity. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the loss of her beloved mother within months of each other, Elsie experienced a defining transformation.

Her mother, an extraordinary woman of elegance, strength, and creativity, remains her greatest inspiration. From that chapter emerged a deeper purpose: to transform beauty into healing, and fashion into empowerment.

Today, from her boutique at The Perry Hotel in Naples to her global online presence, Elsie continues to inspire women around the world. Through her work, she invites every woman to step into her power, embrace her uniqueness, and be unapologetically seen.

A proud Cartagena native, Elsie is more than a designer, she is a stylist, speaker, author, and a guiding light for women who are rising, redefining, and becoming.