Rad Rootz

© Diane Mooney / MFb

Self-described fashion guru AnaMaria Fals is bringing Venezuelan style to Miami in the form of Hot Chocolate shoes and Vanessa Boulton bags. Presently operating Cherry Rootz out of a booth inside Rocque Curiosities, Fals plans to bring her urban and funky sensibility to a broader audience through her website and an expanded retail presence, to bring her funkified style to a wider audience.

© Cherry RootzFals wasn’t always about fashion. For years she sold optical wear online until the fateful day she met Venezuelan handbag designer Vanessa Boulton at a fashion show. Fals fell in love with Boulton’s colorful, limited-edition bags that feature squirrels running up trees or cartoon girls brushing out their long hair. The prices for her bowling-bag style purses run from $80 to $120.  Fals then discovered another Venezuelan line, Hot Chocolate shoes – multicolored Mary Janes with names like Honey (one shoe features a bee, the other black and yellow stripes), Cherry (bright red cherries on a blue background), Patilla (one shoe’s a green striped watermelon, the other the seeded red flesh), and Galaxy (a psychedelic swirl).

A native Miamian and Cuban-American, Fals keeps on bringing the funk. She added Footize Rolls, a roll-up ballet flat, to her line along with Jewelry Fairies, who create statement rings out of twisted gold and big jewels, as well as fanciful feather clips for hair. All Fal’s offering are organic and vegan, from the kids’ fried egg hair bands to the David and Goliath graphic T-shirts. Soon she’ll also carry maternity wear.

Fals’ influences include Betsy Johnson and Urban Outfitters. “I always like to be different,” she says. “If everyone else wore bell-bottoms, I wore skinny jeans.” That difference is evident at Cherry Rootz with its fun mix of accessories, clothes, and, just like Urban Outfitters, wall décor. But instead of mass-produced posters, Fals carries one-of-a-kind paintings by Paquito.  Everything she carries is limited-edition, funky and fun. Lead on, fashion guru!