Inspiration fuels Kendall woman’s ‘Pure of Heart’ clothing line

Daniela Garcia had been selling life and health insurance for 13 years, but felt something was missing from her life.

So earlier this year, she created Pure of Heart, an eco-friendly fashion line with messages of encouragement

“I knew I was not fulfilling my life purpose,” said Garcia, 32, a native of Venezuela who now lives in Kendall. “I did volunteer work, cosmic therapy and yoga, and read self-help books, where I found a lot of answers.”

In the summer, she translated her new awakening into a new business.

The idea for Pure of Heart started last year, when Garcia read The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese author and entrepreneur.

In his experiments, Emoto attached written messages on containers of water. He froze the water after it was exposed to the messages and photographed the results.

Emoto claims the positive messages formed beautifully clear crystals and negative messages produced malformed crystals, although his findings have been questioned by the scientific community.

Garcia used the concept as a metaphor for her clothing line.

“Positive words on clothing could affect the mind in the same way the positive messages affected the water,” said Garcia.

Pure of Heart’s most recent trunk show was at The Dressing Room in South Miami, where customers like Marlo Planas, were introduced to the collection.

At the event, Planas, 32, purchased the “Pure Strength” T-shirt.

“The beautiful message is about the strength that I have inside,” said Planas, who chose the message for a blue shirt.

Garcia said every color has a meaning that influences the mind in some way.

The main colors in the collection are blue, pink and white.

The color selection corresponds with the quotes on the shirts, which are in English and Spanish, and represent different emotions ranging from fear to love.

“The quotes are my own inspirations,” Garcia said.

Pure of Heart, based in Doral, is made with 100 percent Tencel, a biodegradable fabric made of wood-pulp cellulose.

“I think it’s a very comfortable fabric for the Miami climate,” said Bernarda Morales, the designer of the line. “It is very lightweight and at the same time, it helps preserve the planet.”

In addition to the women’s collection, Pure of Heart includes a kid’s line offering three styles.

One of them is a special edition shirt with the message “Be Kind to Me - I am Special,” which is available at Pure of Heart’s website and La Ventana de los Cielos, a non-profit organization founded in 2005 by Latin singer Ricardo Montaner and his wife Marlene Rodriguez Miranda, to advocate for the rights of special needs children.

“I gravitated toward working with [La Ventana] when I attended [their] events,” Garcia said. “I felt happy when I saw all the children get so much help and love.”

Now, a few months after she opened the business, Garcia hopes Pure of Heart will soon be recognized beyond the local market.

On Nov. 15, Garcia premiered her line at the XIII Annual Latin Grammy Awards, where 150 of her t-shirts were distributed to presenters.

Lash Fary, 40, founder of Distinctive Assets, the official gifting company for the Latin Grammys, said he was honored to have the line be a part of the event.

“I think it’s a great product that’s going to look good on the artists,” said Fary. “Their mission is amazing and empowering.”

Apparel Prices are $55 to $85 for women, $40 for children’s items. Pure of Heart shirts can be found Metropolis Fitness & Spa in Coral Gables, Fashion Brazil in Pinecrest, The Dressing Room in South Miami and The Ritz-Carlton in South Beach. The line is also available online.

The next trunk show will be at The Ritz-Carlton in South Beach on Saturday.

“A lot of people really like the concept,” Garcia said. “People are trying to find meaning in life. Pure of Heart is where I want to take everyone with my message.”
Coral Gables