In 2020, Louisa and Alessandra launched the Mestiza Heirloom Project as a way to empower communities of women who are leaving a legacy. In May, we met with 15 women across all 8 regions of the Pink Ribbon Good community, to gift them each a Mestiza piece to empower them on the next step of their journey. 

Pink Ribbon Good is a non-profit organization that exists to serve every person and family affected by breast and gynecological cancer. They provide free healthy meals, rides to treatment, housecleaning essentials, and peer support so no one is alone in the fight.

Hear from some of the women from this year's gifting below!

"I feel that a beautiful dress will not only instill self-confidence and a positive self-image, but will provide an awakening to remember that every day is a new and beautiful day, and we need to appreciate the beauty that every day brings."

"I am a photographer and love capturing memories for other families. I always try and make it a priority to have another photographer capture my family each year. This past year we got busy and had to reschedule due to weather and conflicts. Unfortunately, we never found a date that worked and 2024 came and went without any official photo shoot for our family. I was bummed at the time and then completely devastated when I was diagnosed in January with Breast Cancer wondering if I would get the chance to do photos again or if I would look the same etc. This has been my top priority and dress or no dress I want to make this happen. I’ve already reached out to my photographer friend and told her to put me on the calendar. I never want to miss another year without documenting family memories. I would love to have a special dress to wear."

"Wearing a Mestiza dress will make me feel beautiful."

"I would love to have a new dress to wear to my son’s wedding. I’ve been wearing my same wardrobe and struggle to find things that “fit.” I would love to represent Mestiza, PRG, and all of the other women who have travelled this journey."

"I'm going on a bucket list trip to Italy and a new Mestiza dress would be perfect! I'm trying not to spend money on clothes due to my medical bills and the fact that I have stage IV metastatic breast cancer, but I would love to have a new fancy dress to take with me. It would help me feel pretty and confident."

"My daughter's graduation and celebration dinner will be my first trip since beginning chemo in January, 2025 and I'm looking forward to it! I have been praying that my treatments won't stop me from attending. These dresses look beautiful and I would love to wear one proudly to her graduation."

Dennis Laracuente - Buffalo, NY
"Wearing this dress will be a great way to get back to normal life. I'm planning on going on a date with my boyfriend for the first time since being diagnosed and having a double mastectomy. I will gain some confidence in myself again."

"I can feel my self confidence increase as I think about wearing a Mestiza dress! It would be a strong reminder to myself that strength and softness can coexist."

"After this last year of treatments and three surgeries I’ve learned to live with the motto, 'If you look good you feel good.' This has helped me through some days when I didn’t want to leave the house because of the side effects from treatment. I pushed on though."

"At just 14 years old, [Joanna] demonstrated unwavering strength when I faced a challenging cancer diagnosis and underwent two surgeries. Joanna stepped up as a caregiver, offering comfort, care, and hope beyond her years. Her kindness and resilience during this difficult time truly made a difference."

"In 2025, I am giving myself the gift of a photo shoot to document my journey of becoming beautiful and living life from a new perspective." 

"The sense of empowerment in wearing a perfectly fitted dress that looks amazing on you is an understatement. Wearing this dress will serve as a reminder that I deserve to feel beautiful, even when things don't always feel that way."