Maria Rodriguez: From fashion designer to restaurateur

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In our last episode, Curious City question-asker Emily Porter sent us on a quest exploring the world of local fashion designers, all after she found a thrift shop sweater with a tag that reads: “Maria Rodriguez Chicago.” Who is Maria Rodriguez? How did she get into the industry? And what is it like to be a fashion designer in Chicago? To answer those questions, we take a trip to the basement of the Chicago History Museum, where collection manager Jessica Pushor has archived several Maria Rodriguez ensembles and a case file of news clippings, photos and look books. We also stopped by El Nuevo Mexicano, a Mexican restaurant in Lakeview that Rodriguez now owns and operates, to get the story from the fashion designer herself.

Transcript

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0:30.2	What's up, Chicago? I'm Erin Allen, and this is Curious City.
0:33.9	Last episode, we stumbled upon a funny coincidence.
0:38.3	Curiousity listener Emily Porter found a sweater at a thrift store, Mount Sinai resale shop in Lakeview.
0:45.3	The sweater was beautifully made with a beige and brown woven pattern, and it had a designer label that said it was made right here in Chicago.
0:53.3	So naturally, Emily asked us to track down this mystery Chicago designer.
0:58.0	And as fate would have it, the designer happens to own the restaurant next door to Mount Sinai
1:04.2	Resale Shop, the same restaurant where Emily gets margaritas on Fridays.
1:08.7	Hi, Maria.
1:09.6	I have your smooter on. Oh,, Maria. I have your smitter on.
1:11.6	Oh my God.
1:12.6	It's so beautiful.
1:13.6	Like, doesn't get any more serendipitous than that?
1:16.6	It's perfect for today.
1:17.6	That designer's name is Maria Rodriguez,
1:20.6	and I'm going to talk to her at her restaurant in a few minutes.
1:24.6	But first, who is she? What was her life like as a fashion designer in Chicago?
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