Mónica Bachue was born in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia, a city on the border with Venezuela. Shortly after her birth, her family relocated to Pamplona, a historic town in the Colombian Andes, where she grew up. Pamplona, known for its educational system and rich knitting traditions, shaped Bachue’s cultural identity, though the region’s neglect by the government presented challenges for her low-income family. Her father, Oswaldo, a former rural school professor turned electromechanical technician, instilled a passion for politics and intellectual rigor. Her mother, Helena, a merchant who rose from cutting hair at home to running Pamplona’s most successful cosmetic supply store, taught Bachue resilience and determination. Growing up with two older brothers, Olivert and Max, and a younger brother, Juan Diego, in a tight-knit household, Bachue learned to face life head-on.

Born with a cleft lip and palate, Bachue underwent 13 reconstructive surgeries, an experience that profoundly shaped her childhood. Frequent hospital visits and societal perceptions of her condition made beauty a distant concept, leading her to find refuge in education and volleyball. Her mother’s insistence that hiding was not an option fostered a tenacity that would define her career. As a child, Bachue’s creativity emerged through play with fabric scraps, a nod to her grandparents’ and grand-aunt’s weaving and sewing traditions in the Andes. Using a broken used Barbie as a mannequin, she crafted clothes, laying the foundation for her future in fashion.

Mónica Bachue is a Colombian-American artist, fashion designer, and advocate whose work has redefined beauty standards and empowered individuals to embrace their uniqueness. Born with a cleft lip, Bachue transformed her personal journey into a global movement, using fashion, and art to promote self-acceptance and resilience. Her designs, have cemented her status as a visionary in the fashion and art worlds. As a motivational speaker and ambassador for cleft lip foundations, Bachue inspires audiences worldwide, proving that a condition is not a destiny but a canvas for art and pride.

Bachue’s intellectual curiosity led her to pursue law, inspired by a family friend, a judge, who turned sibling disputes into playful courtroom dramas, and her father’s political discussions. Initially drawn to medicine, she took a pre-medical semester but found her passion in books and reading, leading her to study law at Santo Tomás de Aquino University in Bucaramanga, Colombia, where she graduated as a lawyer. She later earned certifications in legal mediation and a degree in international transportation rights from Externado de Colombia University in Bogotá. These studies honed her analytical skills and advocacy mindset, which later informed her work as a global spokesperson.

After marrying an Asian-American engineer and moving to the United States, Bachue with an equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in legal studies Bachue faced financial barriers to further legal training. Instead, she pursued her childhood dream of fashion design, enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. Specializing in knitwear design—a nod to Pamplona’s weaving heritage—she developed technical expertise in textiles. Her first fashion illustration class at FIDM was transformative, as drawing allowed her to lose herself in creativity, sparking a lifelong passion for art. Despite only taking one art history class, Bachue’s self-taught artistic talent flourished, setting the stage for her innovative designs.

Mónica Bachue is a Colombian-American artist, fashion designer, and advocate whose work has redefined beauty standards and empowered individuals to embrace their uniqueness. Born with a cleft lip, Bachue transformed her personal journey into a global movement, using fashion, and art to promote self-acceptance and resilience. Her designs, have cemented her status as a visionary in the fashion and art worlds. As a motivational speaker and ambassador for cleft lip foundations, Bachue inspires audiences worldwide, proving that a condition is not a destiny but a canvas for art and pride.

Bachue’s career began with an entrepreneurial venture, reselling curated clothes on early Facebook, which evolved into her first boutique, Velazca, in Colombia. Saving enough to return to school, she launched Leporinos, the world’s first fashion brand inspired by cleft lip and palate. The brand’s origin lies in a pivotal moment: while drawing a fashion illustration, Bachue confronted her cleft lip by painting her own lips, creating her first leporinos illustration. Printed on t-shirts and sweatshirts, these designs went viral on social media, transforming Velazca into Leporinos—a movement celebrating differences through fashion. Her knitwear, produced in Pamplona to revive the town’s fading textile traditions, blends Colombian heritage with modern aesthetics, featuring bold illustrations that reframe cleft lips as art.

Leporinos has garnered global acclaim, with designs worn by the First Lady of Colombia, singer Sebastián Yatra, actors Natalia Reyes and fashion Icon like Kika Rocha. Bachue styled the music video for singer Mario’s “Let Me Help You” and led runways at art venues, including the Museum of Modern Art Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar in Pamplona, the French ambassador’s residence in Bogotá, and Cúcuta Airport for New Balance. Her private show at the home of Juliana Marques, mother of a former Colombian president, and her participation in Bogotá’s BURO fair (2018–2020) and CUMO runways (2018–2020) highlight her fashion influence. Her “Moda para Mi Páramo” runway for the Biocuenca Project used Andean knitting techniques to promote environmental conservation, while her “No Todos Somos Iguales” expo at Pamplona’s Casa Anzoátegui Museum fused art and fashion to celebrate diversity and political views.

As an artist, Bachue has exhibited in Colombia, Milwaukee (Gallery Night, 2024–2025), and New York City (Operation Smile’s alumni board party at the Board House). Her cleft art, which present cleft lips as proud, sexy, and artistic, have redefined beauty standards. She also taught advanced design workshops at the Chamber of Commerce in Bucaramanga, Pamplona University, and Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, mentoring the next generation of designers.

Mónica Bachue is a Colombian-American artist, fashion designer, and advocate whose work has redefined beauty standards and empowered individuals to embrace their uniqueness. Born with a cleft lip, Bachue transformed her personal journey into a global movement, using fashion, and art to promote self-acceptance and resilience. Her designs, have cemented her status as a visionary in the fashion and art worlds. As a motivational speaker and ambassador for cleft lip foundations, Bachue inspires audiences worldwide, proving that a condition is not a destiny but a canvas for art and pride.

Mónica Bachue is a Colombian-American artist, fashion designer, and advocate whose work has redefined beauty standards and empowered individuals to embrace their uniqueness. Born with a cleft lip, Bachue transformed her personal journey into a global movement, using fashion, and art to promote self-acceptance and resilience. Her designs, have cemented her status as a visionary in the fashion and art worlds. As a motivational speaker and ambassador for cleft lip foundations, Bachue inspires audiences worldwide, proving that a condition is not a destiny but a canvas for art and pride.