Living La Vida Chanty : A Conversation

Chantal ‘Chanty’ Diaz, in my opinion is a fierce, confident, stylish, grounded, and beautiful human.

I met her years ago and was introduced to her by my sister-friend Delianny, who is Chanty’s best friend. They’re both dope, well dressed, smart-mouthed ass chicks from the Bronx. Laid back but also lowkey extra, you know the type. With Chanty though, there’s something hypnotizing about her. She’s both approachable, and completely untouchable in a way that’s hard to articulate, but when you make her acquaintance it makes total sense. I’ve told her before she reminds me of Sabrina Claudio, and the perfect song that comes to mind is ‘Confidently Lost’:

I'm alone but I'm not lonely

Comfortably indulging

And trying to get to know me

I'm just an outline of what I used to be

Constantly evolving

Steadily revolving

At the rate I’m going this is beginning to sound like a love letter to Chanty, and in some ways it is, but it’s also just a testament to just how dope she is as a person.

She’s well versed in many things, despite her areas of interest in self-care and wellness. You can talk with her about her favorite Netflix shows—of which we have done many a late nights since we’re both insomniacs—novels, politics, or celebrity gossip. Our conversation for this interview for example covered a multitude of things, because women are multifaceted and Chanty is no exception. As a 28 year-old Afro-Latina, she’s both drained and thrilled at the Movement taking place in our country, and the conversations that the latino community are now having about accepting and celebrating their Blackness. Chanty is originally from The Dominican Republic, having moved to this country when she was just six with her mother and brother. She notes that a lot of her drive comes from her mother, but more on that later. As America continues to show the worst of herself,—refusing still, after 450 years to extend true freedoms and liberties to Black Americans—for Chanty this posses a tremendous opportunity for Latinos, particularly Dominicans to contend with their own history, as it pertains to revisionist history and self hatred. She told me,

“It’s frustrating for a lot of us Latinos that identify as Black and are pro-Black, because the colorism and racism in the Dominican community is so deep. There’s a shift and we are learning, and I’m working on not being so hard on people who’re still learning about their identity.”

For Dominicans this issue of Black acceptance stems from the conflicts between Dominican Republic and Haiti. To understand how deep this goes, you have to go back to 1697 when France and Spain divided the country that was then known as Hispaniola. In 1804 Haiti gained independence from the French controlled Dominican Republic, and freed the remainder of the slaves. But in doing this however, Haiti dominated the DR for 22 years, and it seems that was the beginning of a sour and contentious relationship. In the DR lighter skin and the european heritage is favored—despite also having african ancestry, and the hate of Haitians and their darker skin is perpetuated. Despite sharing the same Island, Haiti has become politically volatile and progressively impoverished, while the DR is relatively wealthier and stable.

Chanty wants to bring attention to this history, and proactively work towards eliminating the hatred and uneasiness about this in her culture. “I want people to educate themselves, and read, and there’s so many influencers out there who’re representing Afro-Latinas and are proud to be Black, but you have to dig into history as well. And I want to bring attention to the racism in DR against Haiti, when in fact we owe so much to Haiti”, she said. It’s important to note this is a journey that she herself had to embark on, not asking herself these same questions until college. “I was going through this as a 18/19yr old, I was asking myself what do I identify with? Because I love Black culture, but I’m also very Dominican. It was a mixture of emotions, of like why Dominicans don’t consider themselves black”, she said. It’s with this exact same type of self awareness and exploration, that Chanty has been able to embrace the inevitable transition to Womanhood. She got emotional touching on the events that led up to her really coming into her own, and aligning herself with her destiny.

Not only did I quit a job with no job, it was a moment of rebellion against something I couldn’t stand for. it was important for me to do something that allows me freedom. where I am always in a place of growth, where I can express myself.

Most people now know Chanty as the founder of the Home Fragrance Company, Chantal Diaz Collection, but prior to stepping out on her own she worked in the fashion industry. Previously of DVF, Max Azria, and Luisa Cerano, her departure from the industry lies within its suffocating nature—both to her mental health and her creativity. “I had to come to terms that I love fashion, and I’m good at it. All those years I put into fashion are not erased. Just because I left, doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. But I’m still traumatized by the fashion industry”, she divulged. Traumatized by the inherent racism, sexism, and general exploitation, she left to pursue more authentic and inspired pursuits. “I had to come to the place where I realized its 100% OK to change careers, and to leave a job or a negative environment, without a plan and surrender, and stand up for yourself. The wellness industry and anything that has to do with self care speaks to me personally. With home fragrance, it allows me to make an experience for people digitally, with packaging, and the scents, they have the power to ignite so much. Whether they be memories, or ramping you up to create, or winding you down to relax”, she told me.

With Chantal Diaz Collection she wants to allow people room to explore themselves, because in doing so she also gets to consistently explore herself. Being a small minority business owner has allowed her to have a voice, and she uses it wisely, but working for yourself isn’t always Rose Quartz and Oriental Notes. “It has taught me that you’re going to make mistakes everyday, and I’m so hard on myself when it comes to making mistakes, because I am a small minority business, and when I make a mistake I can loose a lot of people, so there’s a lot of anxiety and stress there at the end of the day”, she said.

But despite the stress and continuous anxieties, she still creates, and leaves room to celebrate the other women in her community that are creating too. This is still a rarity, women supporting women, and believing that there’s enough room for all of us at the table. On this subject she said,

“It’s important to shine light on the women in my community because that’s how we’re gonna win. If we stick together, and share light with one another that’s how we’re gonna win. My biggest inspiration is feminine energy, so why wouldn’t I shine this light on women!”

For her this is just intrinsic to who she is, but the more I listened to her speak and express herself, I sensed it goes deeper than that. There’s no doubt that her background, and the way she was raised paved the way for her to stand on the shoulders of other women, and bring them with her when she rises. It’s things like this that make Chanty, so special in my eyes. So much so that I told her she often appears perfect. She laughed at that and told me she’s conscious of that representation, but that it’s not always the truth. “I don’t have shit together, I struggle everyday to keep my life together. There are times where insecurities come up. Why did I quit my job? Why did I do this or do that? But, I am someone who is always trying to better myself, to do the spiritual work, to meditate, to learn constantly. I have to put in a lot of work to be seen this way—not that I care to be seen this way—but just know that there was a lot of work that goes into this”, she asserts.

When I asked her, her biggest security she said, “I struggle to articulate my words. And I think that comes from my social anxiety, and English being my second language. But that also goes back to me being so critical of myself.” If you know Chanty you know the above to be true. Texting with her is a constant game of Wheel of Fortune. You’ll stay trying to buy vowels, and trying to solve the puzzles, but it also makes friendship with her fun as hell—because she can laugh at herself. It’s also a pleasure to be friends with someone who doesn’t take life too seriously, because she knows it’s a constant experiment. And thus far in hers, she’s build a company less than two years old, but has already expanded its collection so much—she’ll soon unveil Reed Diffusers, more pillow and room sprays, and a collection geared towards men with more masculine and commanding scents. On this, she expressed her desire to grow her company, but more so wants to grow a community. “Of course I want people to recognize my candles when they see them, but I also want to grow a community where they can go to my page or my website to learn something new, and have resources for wellness. I want to create a community because it’s a lifestyle”, she said.

At the beginning of this article I told you about how I see Chanty, but this is how she sees herself:

“A daughter, a friend, a creative genius, freedom lover, someone who doesn’t have a problem saying no, who is evolving as a woman, settling into womanhood, who celebrates life and failures, and someone who is free.”

To that I say, what an amazing thing it is to be young, gifted, and Black.