Life is not a fairytale, but sometimes our lives shape up just like the storyline of our favorite TV shows. And while many people do not have the opportunity of growing up in a family where love and affection are the first languages, Eda Aguilar considers herself blessed in this regard. Growing up in San Juan, where she was born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Cuban father, was everything for her, and this also allowed her to pursue her numerous interests and talents from a very young age; therefore, when she relocated to New York City nearly ten years ago, she hoped her life would take a turn similar to the famous HBO series Sex and the City. However, falling in love and ending up in series, she set her sights on something different.

Growing up in Puerto Rico was everything for Eda because she was lucky to be born when the economy grew, which meant good times for her family. This also allowed her to study at the University of Puerto Rico, where she obtained her B.A in Business Administration before following up with an MBA from Duke University. And despite a fifteen-year career which saw her working in the banking industry and making quite a name for herself on Wall Street, one thing about Eda that never changed was her passion for dancing and design; because despite her tight working hours on Wall Street, she did not, she never stopped practicing.

Eda began dancing at the tender age of three, and since then, she has always had a special affinity for performing in front of an audience. Right from high school up to college and beyond, Eda pursued dancing as an artistic endeavor. Although her stint on Wall Street was some hiatus from performing professionally, after over a decade of punching numbers behind a desk, she made the difficult decision to leave corporate practice and has pursued her passion ever since.

Since moving to New York City, she has worked on series like The Following and danced at the Alvin Ailey Academy. However, it didn’t take her long before she realized that she needed to pursue her passion to the next level. After enrolling at Parsons Accessory Design, where she honed her design and artistic skills, she knew she was set for life and became unstoppable. Getting inspiration from friends and people closest to her, particularly from what they wear, Eda started creating fashion accessories such as gloves, hats, headbands. Thus, Eda Lourdes was born, and the first real collection made by the new fashion company featured elements of New York City and Puerto Rico. Some of the items included capes, bracelets, necklaces, hats, and gloves. However, her ultimate dream was to design handbags.

After four years in New York City, Eda moved to Paris, and according to her, “Paris, the capital of fashion, is a beautiful city, and there is design and beauty everywhere!” And she considers her relocation to Paris a masterstroke because not only did she fall in love and give birth to two beautiful boys, she has also spent the last five years servicing her digital marketing clients, which includes fashion giants like KENZO, IRO, Miriam Budet & Lemloren, Koshka Mashka among several others. However, the year 2019 saw her return to her journey as a fashion designer, and she applied to the NYC design competition: Independent Handbag Designer Awards after two previous unsuccessful attempts. However, out of the 2,000 designers that applied, Eda made it to the final, which opened the door for new opportunities and the birth of her company’s handbag division, La Coucou.

Eda Aguilar is considered an accomplished woman by every standard. Aside from a very successful career on wall street where she deals with numbers, finances, and treasury, pivoting into fashion and design has further proved that Eda Aguilar can do anything as long as she has her sights on it. And in five years, aside from becoming a global brand, Eda hopes to touch as many lives as possible, especially those thinking about a career change.

Anyone can directly reach out to  EDALOU PARIS on her Insta handle to know more about them, she is very active on her social handles.