Meet Leslie Cikra | Owner and Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Cikra and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Back to my deepest roots, I am a kid at heart that loves to play with color and create. I grew up both in sports and having fond memories of creating at our local art center. Somewhere along the way, I traded art for a volleyball scholarship. Beyond the athlete, I am an artist and an entrepreneur at heart, and I wanted both but I didn’t know exactly how it would come to be. When I retired from volleyball, I started peeling back the layers of who I was before my identity as an athlete. I came back to art to heal and find the creator underneath it all. For years, I sold clothes from my closet for fun, not realizing all the time, I was building VYV.

The summer of 2020 ignited a passion for styling, design and getting dressed to feel good. Wearing bright bold colors became a huge form of creative expression and healing for me during a crazy time. Inspired by disco, the American southwest aesthetic, and an amazing group of creators who have always rocked signature vintage pieces, Velvet Yucca was born. VYV collections are curated with stand out, art to wear pieces intended be treasured for a lifetime. My hope is that each of us going bolder with our fashion choices will help others do the same.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
“Like any artist without an art form, she became dangerous” – Tony Morrison

I love this quote because it really resonates with how I feel about myself as an artist. I have always had a fired creative energy, and never found a medium that fit. To me, each vintage piece is a work of wearable art and clothes have become my medium. What I love most about Denver’s vintage community is that everyone has their own unique aesthetic. Velvet Yucca’s is a sparkly, disco, western vibe and leaning into my design vision has helped me continue to curate the pieces I bring in. I am so excited for the future of VYV. There are lots of exciting things on the horizon. I am spending the summer road tripping to source and planning a big move to Arizona to *fingers crossed* open a shop amongst the cactus that have inspired VYV!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was in town the first thing I would do is take them to a show at Red Rocks. Iconic Colorado, how can you not. We’d hit up Lao Wangs and Pho 95 on South Fed, get croissants at Trompeau for breakfast – hit a weird touch disco, and maybe cliff dive at St Mary’s glacier

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout is for my best friend and biggest supporter, Leah. She just started working with me to free up sourcing time and to help grow VYV. She has supported me and believed in me from day one, and I am so thankful to have her in my corner. She is the brains that keeps everything organized and moving forward when my art brain gets distracted by pretty clothes.

Website: Velvetyuccavintage.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/velvetyuccavintage