Zoe De La Paz believes in making your own luck. That attitude helped her find the courage to quit her corporate day job in Chicago, break into the costuming industry, and move to Yellowstone National Park to work as a seamstress — a path she hopes will eventually lead her to New York City to work on Broadway and in film productions.
Until recently, De La Paz, 26, lived in Chicago and worked as a draftsman for an engineering construction company. She had taken up sewing in high school for fun and, unfulfilled by her day job, did odd gigs at night and on weekends at nearby music venues. Her plan: Contact the people who oversee the wardrobes of the tour brands and maybe get a sewing job.
De La Paz worked his way up from taking tickets and filling food orders to buying dressing rooms for artists; once he entered those rooms and connected with the people who were in charge of the musicians’ wardrobes.
His first job helping out in the locker room came “really by chance,” De La Paz tells CNBC Make It: He was preparing for The Weeknd’s concert in Detroit. When it came time for the tour to move on to the next stop in Chicago, an employee said they needed a seamstress there to help fix the backup dancers’ costumes.
Zoe De La Paz started sewing clothes as a hobby in high school. He didn’t consider pursuing it as a career until recently.
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“Please hurry and write my number on the bottom of the diaper and tell them that I know how to sew,” said De La Paz. “It was luck because I was there in that place and at that time,” he said, adding that he believes “you can make luck in your life.”
This time, he says, “I knew that if I wanted to be in the wardrobe, I had to find a way to be in the same room as the people in the closet.”
Taking her sewing skills to Yellowstone
In January, De La Paz says she felt ready to quit her 9-to-5 desk job for a full-time sewing gig. “It was really scary to leave the company and rush [my] dream, and do something that adults tell you, ‘you shouldn’t do that,'” he said.
He recalled a trip to visit a friend who worked seasonally in Yellowstone a few years ago and how much the opportunity had changed their lives.
De La Paz looked online and found a role as a tailor in the uniform department with Xanterra Parks & Resorts, a contractor that operates hotels, lodges, restaurants and other businesses in Yellowstone. He applied, took a phone interview, and was hired.
The young seamstress stood out for her prior sewing experience and ability to juggle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment, according to Jeanne Holmes, 73, a retired teacher and fellow seamstress in Yellowstone who helped hire De La Paz. Holmes says his first season at the park in 2023 involved spinning more than 1,000 pairs.
It was really scary to leave the company and rush [my] dream, and do something that adults tell you, ‘you shouldn’t do that.’
“He had a good attitude,” Holmes said, which De La Paz demonstrated when discussing his approach to many interview questions.
“Every renovation project is different,” Holmes says, and the role requires creativity and passion. In addition to maintaining staff uniforms, for example, the department upcycles old or damaged inventory into new projects, such as turning old backpacks into fanny packs for staff. “[De La Paz] he showed me some of his projects, and I could tell he was very talented,” Holmes said, “and that would be a plus.”
De La Paz started the role in June and now spends her days sewing patches, fixing snaps, and replacing buttons and zippers on the uniforms of thousands of Xanterra employees, from janitors to security guards to food and beverage workers.
Life in the park: ‘I would never dream’ of this
De La Paz works 40 hours a week as a seamstress, from Monday to Friday, from about 7 am to 4 pm every day with breaks. Now she spends her free time outdoors, whether it’s horseback riding, hiking, or enjoying one of the many free or low-cost activities offered by Yellowstone’s staff groups.
He makes $19.25 an hour and receives subsidized staff housing and meals. Despite the low hourly rate compared to her previous business salary, De La Paz says she feels like she’s able to save a lot of money compared to her time living in Chicago, due to having fewer expenses and unlimited free entertainment.
Zoe De La Paz spends her free time hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying all that Yellowstone National Park has to offer.
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De La Paz will work in Yellowstone until October. The seasonal job is part of her plan to eventually move to New York City and pursue her dream of working in wardrobe and buying costs for Broadway, film and other productions.
It’s a dream De La Paz thinks she’s given up after trading her high school hobby for a college degree and a career. He now spends his days doing what he loves and is seeing it turn into long-term opportunities. “Two years ago I was working in companies, I would not have dreamed [this] it would have happened,” he said.
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