‘A beacon of hope’: New exhibit looks to capture the meaning of ‘The Selena Effect’

This March marked 30 years since the death of Tejano icon Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.

Here on the Standard, we reflected on how, three decades on, her legacy continues to reverberate and reach new audiences.

That enduring legacy is the center of a new exhibit called “The Selena Effect” at Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections.

Hector Saldaña, music curator at the Wittliff, and Martin Gomez, who was a friend and fashion designer for Selena, joined the Standard to discuss the collection and hone in on just what the “Selena effect” is. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: Hector, let’s begin with you. I understand the title of this exhibit, “The Selena Effect,” had a particular source of inspiration. Tell me more about the background there. 

Hector Saldaña: Well, the students inspired it. Back in 2022 I’d put up a couple of images of Selena by a photographer named Al Rendon and noticed that the students were sort of gathering around it, taking selfies – in other words, lingering more often than as usual in a museum setting.

And it made me wonder what are these young people connecting to – you know, people born after the Jennifer Lopez movie and they seem to be … I don’t know, there was some nonverbal communication going on there. And that’s when I got the title, “The Selena Effect.”

And then I started thinking, I’d love to do an exhibit. And could we conjure Selena or think of her purely in the present tense and into the future? In other words, could we get at that nonverbal communication? And that’s what I was attempting to do with this new exhibit.

Selena’s fashion designer Martin Gomez, left, and Hector Saldaña, music curator for the Wittliff Collections. Raul Alonzo / Texas Standard

That is inspiring. I love that.

Martin, I know you personally knew/worked close with Selena. Was this Selena effect something that you felt or that you got a sense of over the course of your friendship?

Martin Gomez: During the course of our friendship, we were living it. So the Selena effect for me was literally a friendship that I had with Selena, live.

So 30 years later, meeting up with Hector and him pitching me what this was gonna be, for me, was right literally on the spot for me of what the Selena legacy means.

Yeah, and I love this notion that it’s not a thing of the past, that it continues. It’s present and growing.

Say more about the work that you two did together, Martin. I understand some items from your personal collection are on display in this exhibit?

Martin Gomez: Yeah, but, you know, for the first time ever, I’ve released a lot of my archives, some original sketches that have never been seen.

I mean, every single costume that I designed for Selena, there is a sketch attached to that that no one’s ever seen, along with a lot of notes that I had, pictures of Selena and I, and just memorabilia that kind of shows how we worked with one another to create the brand, which was “Martin Gomez Exclusively for Selena” – which, you know, after doing research, is literally kind of the first celebrity brand ever produced.

Martin, would she linger over your shoulder while you would sketch? Or would she tell you, “oh, I really like this color” or this particular sort of design motif? How did you work together?

Martin Gomez: You know, a lot of it was phone calls because Selena was traveling. And she was in concert constantly.

But when we were together, which was a lot, it was her sitting right next door to me. You know, I had the ability to illustrate and I had the ability to kind of show her what she was thinking in her head.

And there was a lot of her looking over my shoulder with excitement. Selena would get so excited to talk about fashion. And that’s why I think “The Selena Effect” is so important to me, because of us showcasing that side of who Selena was.

Let’s hear more about some of the exhibit items. Now, some of these are inspired by Selena pieces that have never before been on display. Hector, tell us more about what visitors to the exhibit can expect to see.

Hector Saldaña: One of the things that I wanted to do in the gallery space, because she’s such a big star, she’s in actually one of the smaller galleries that we have. So my idea was to turn it almost into a little bit of a sanctuary and go beyond pretty pictures.

So I knew that Martin’s outfits and these very personal items, for example, like the beads that Selena actually worked with, would give us that presence. But I also brought in some artists, because artists help us sort of understand the world, I think.

And so I commissioned an artist named David Zamora Casas to build this ofrenda for Selena – you know, to give us, like, in other words, what is that effect to the art world? And then we also have this Sara Hickman drawing, you know, the Austin musician, who created this coloring book during COVID. The original drawing of Selena that she made is beautiful.

And Austin artist Marc Burkhardt who did the illustration that was used … Actually it’s not an illustration, it’s a painting on wood with metal that was the April 2010 cover of Texas Monthly. And he depicts her almost in a saintly manner.

So again, that Selena effect to me is pure joy. It also shows that she is an icon, and I think part of that enduring appeal is that she is also an archetype: small town girl makes it big And that is something that just permeates the room.

An ofrenda on display at the exhibit. Courtesy of Hector Saldaña / The Wittliff Collections

I love what you’re saying about the ofrenda because of course, this is the continued life we’re really talking about there. But are you referring to a literal sort of ofrenda? I mean, is there a way that people who visit can kind of participate here or is this more of a sort of …

Hector Saldaña: Well, it’s a display. I like the way that you asked that, because the exhibit is really only complete when someone is in the room because the Selena effect is what are you feeling in that moment.

So David told me that he literally cried as he put that thing together. It’s massive. It’s more than eight feet high. It’s a beautiful thing. But again, I think it’s just like these fashion designs, they are giving us another look at Selena beyond the music. Those accomplishments were huge in life, and they speak for themselves.

But I was trying to think of how are people going to connect to her? What’s going to be the entry point on Selena 100 years from now, 50 years from now?

And it’s going begin, I think, that icon, that image – which fashion has everything to do with – is going to be the thing that first brings you in. And then you’ll take it further.

Martin, I know Selena had these deep ties to Corpus Christi. Are you from that area, or how did you first encounter Selena before you met her professionally?

Martin Gomez: So I’m from San Antonio. I was in Corpus Christi to do an executive training program with Dillard’s department stores. And I happened to run into Selena at a Woolworth store.

I didn’t know who she was. I had never heard of Selena. I was sitting having lunch, and in walks in this beautiful creature. And the person I was with said “that’s Selena, she’s famous,” and I walked over and asked for an autograph.

I was being coy, and we immediately started talking about me working at Dillard’s and I said, “yeah, I’m an executive trainee, but I’m a fashion designer.” And that started the conversation. And she said, you know, “call me.” And what I didn’t realize is she had put her number behind the autograph.

I never called her back.

Holy cow.

My dream was to design for Dillard’s department stores, which I did later.

But she came looking for me at the store. And I just so happened to get called on the intercom, and when I showed up at the shoe department where she was at, there was a crowd around her, and I really thought someone had fallen or had an accident. And out of nowhere I hear her say, “why haven’t you called me back?” And in the middle was Selena.

And the funny part is people were looking at me like, who’s this guy? And Selena announced there, “that’s Martin Gomez. He’s going to be my fashion designer.” And it sounds ridiculous, but that literally is what happened.

» RELATED: Corpus Christi’s Selena Museum spans the life and career of Tejano music legend

I’ve got to ask about what happened with the clothing line, because this alone, being able to design a clothing line around her – how long did that go, and are you still putting out Selena-inspired clothing?

Martin Gomez: With my time with Selena, we ended up opening up two stores. We were about to get even bigger. You know, unfortunately she passed.

I basically became the designer for Dillard’s and then became a retail executive. So for me, the legacy, because I lived abroad, you know, the legacy just grew, grew and grew.

One of the things that bonded me with Selena was just how kind and generous she was. She basically said, “I want your name on the label.” Then I left my training to work with her.

Weeks later, I’m in New York designing a brand and I built a factory where Q Productions is. And we put out hundreds and hundreds of items of clothing for two stores.

That’s crazy.

Martin Gomez: Yeah, the whole relationship was literally … It started as a friendship, and then I started doing costumes for her. So a lot of the costumes that she wore from ’93 to the end of ’95, I designed.

And there’s sketches. There’s a sketch for everything that no one’s ever seen. So when Hector came calling, I’m like, this is a perfect opportunity to showcase the other side of this incredible girl.

Hector, I understand that you might have an announcement that is maybe of particular interest to people who are fascinated by the Selena effect. Tell us more.

Hector Saldaña: Well, we have a little news. The Wittliff Collections has acquired Martin Gomez’s personal papers and portfolio of the hand-drawn designs that he created for Selena. I think they will be an inspiration and a point of entry for fashion students and music historians.

He’s also working on a book – it’s nearly completed – about his time with Selena, and it will be published as part of my music series.

That is wonderful, fantastic. And congratulations, Martin. That’s really wonderful.

Martin Gomez: It’s exciting to be connected to such an institution like the Wittliff. I say it’s the Texas form of the Smithsonian. I’m so impressed with the Wittliff. I’m still impressed.

I’ve been looking for an institution to house my archives, which are massive. They’re massive sketches. And I’m so glad to be partnering with Hector and the Wittliff.

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You know, we’ve talked about the existence of this Selena effect, but I’m wondering if I can sort of tap into how you would go about defining it.

If Selena were still with us today, it’s easy to imagine her as, say, an online creator, someone who would have their own YouTube channel that people would wait for the next drop in terms of clothing and fashion – what she was into and all of this. You can just imagine how vibrant and alive that would be in the here and now.

And I’m just curious, when we think about the Selena effect and how it resonates today, how would you describe that effect? 

Hector, you first, because I know that you are a longtime musician yourself. You have written about music as a music journalist for many years, and now you’re with the Wittliff Collections there in San Marcos. What does that mean to you, the Selena effect?

“The Selena Effect” is on display until December 2026. Courtesy of Hector Saldaña / The Wittliff Collections

Hector Saldaña: I think the Selena effect … A big part of it is that she looked like her audience, and her audience looked like her. She was genuine, and she connected to them.

I mean, as I have studied this and written it, it is getting bigger and bigger. It crosses generational lines; it crosses ethnic and racial boundaries and even political ones.

Selena, I think, has become sort of a blank canvas or a canvas for inspiration in the way, you know, in our day it would have been maybe someone like James Dean or Marilyn Monroe of an icon. Today, I would say she’s like Tupac Shakur or Princess Diana. She can inspire you in almost any way that you want her to inspire you.

How about you, Martin? What does the Selena effect mean to you?

Martin Gomez: Selena is a beacon of hope. You know, for me, it’s… I always get a little teary. She always gives people that look like her – and now it’s even gotten broader; it’s people, young people, old people – it gives people the opportunity to say, “I can do that.”

Our mantra, when I was working with Selena, when we were designing together, it was always, “the impossible is possible – always.” That literally was our mantra. And so when I think of the Selena effect, it’s the now. It literally is the beacon of hope now. You can do it anyway. If I did it, you can.

And when you go into that room, you feel the energy. You see there’s two Mexican kids, for all intents and purposes from the wrong side of tracks, who basically had an audacious dream to break into the fashion world. I just graduated from design school. And Selena said, “yeah, we can do it. We can break into the fashion world.”

So I think it’s a beacon of hope, a beacon light.

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