By Giselle Jara // Photos Guillermo Fridman
Throughout almost ten years of the created brand by Ilse Jara, the Paraguayan designer found her own golden number or phi code in the geometric figures of nature, from where she develops the formula of perfect proportions. Undoubtedly, we find ourselves before one of the most talented national artists and, from Level, we decided to pay her a just tribute to celebrate her successes.
Ilse Jara has a glowing and beautiful face, her eyes transmit naturalness and honesty. Makeup artist and photographer Guillermo Fridman didn’t have to do much to highlight her features, which would soon be immortalized in the session for the cover of our 2019 luxury edition, wearing garments from the new ilsE spring-summer 2019 collection and looks Made to Measure exclusively for her; an exclusive for Level.
For her, luxury is reflected in quality, in every sense, from fabric, shape, cut and finish, as well as comfort and service. “We take special care in the attention, our customers are received in the best way so that they live the experience from the beginning. For me, luxury is just that: quality in everything. That is why we work on two axes: the visual and the emotional,” she says.
Her story is motivating and her life was not without sacrifices. “Two things my parents instilled in us: work and family,” says the 29-year-old, who is the fourth of five siblings.
From an early age, it was clear to her that she wanted to dedicate her professional life to fashion design. Her mother, after noticing her interest, bought her fashion magazines, with which she could dream without limits. The first real contact she had with design was at school, when her art teachers exhibited her work in other classes. “The senior girls and my sister’s friends sought me out to design their homecoming dresses. I remember that, for the first order, I made a thousand sketches,” she says with a laugh.
“For my dad, design was just a hobby, so he recommended me to study fashion and, at the same time, a commercial career as a reinforcement to focus on business, because no profession in the arts really teaches you to be a good businesswoman, and I am eternally grateful for that. I was so determined that in the morning I studied fashion, in the afternoon I designed my first garments and in the evening I studied marketing.
In 2008, still in college, the designer started her first jobs and reveals how, that year, she teamed up with her partner Carlos Benitez, one of the most experienced seamstresses she had met so far. with him she prematurely entered the world of haute couture. “We were classmates in college, and I can say that he sews like the gods! with him I learned a lot about the technical side of haute couture,” she exclaims, evoking her dear friend.
In addition to participating in countless editions of Asunción Fashion Week, Ilse walked the runways of London Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Arab Fashion Week.
THE TIME TO EVOLVE
From her studies in Paraguay she jumped to Europe where she was accepted in one of the best fashion schools: Istituto Marangoni, located in Milan (Italy), where she graduated with honors.
Over the years, Ilse consolidated her position as the flagship brand of Paraguayan haute couture. Nature is the undisputed leiv motiv of all her artistic manifestations. “It is the greatest manifestation of God, our entire existence, of the earth, of what inhabits and exists in it, is the greatest miracle in the world; and it is very easy to lose awareness of that. I decided to focus on nature as a way to amplify this from fashion and communicate, not only the aesthetic part, but the importance and the wonder that exists behind each species, concept or element. On the other hand, I chose nature because it is timeless, it has always existed and will never cease to exist: it can never be out of ‘fashion’,” she says.
Her brand has three distinct lines. On the one hand, Ilse Jara, which exhibits haute couture collections; Ilse Jara White, her line aimed at brides, bridesmaids, debutantes and quinceañeras; and ilsE, the ready-to-wear line, designed to accompany the Ilse Jara woman in her daily life.
In her Fashion lab, the artist creates and experiments with the most daring designs that challenge shapes, colors and textures. with the help of technology, art, architecture and nature, her pieces are already part of posterity. The fruit of this work is Transmutare, a collection launched in 2018, whose curves replicate textures from the fungi kingdom.
This year, the laboratory presented the AdivinA capsule, composed of eight exclusive designs that borrows the geometries of the mantis insect. This collection is characterized by its appliqués on the breastplates, made with the help of high-tech laser cutting, a novelty for our country, applied to different fabrics, such as overlapping layers of tulle to create light and ethereal silhouettes. the colors of the dresses go through nudes, pastels and black tones.
Finally, to our question of how she sees herself in ten years, the young woman responded forcefully: “from my possibilities, I hope to continue contributing to change within the fashion industry, with more conscious and innovative proposals”.
A day in the life of the designer.
With almost 20 people in her charge and another 40 who work indirectly, the designer knows how to set a limit to her work. During the week and outside working hours, she dedicates quality time to herself, doing meditation exercises, reading, writing and walking. She also loves spending leisure time with her family, friends and pets.
“I am captivated by exotic salads, sweet and sour, Arabic and Oriental food, I prefer salty over sweet a thousand times more,” she says.
We couldn’t help but ask her about her beauty routine. “It’s very simple, at night I use a liquid facial soap, followed by thermal water and a night moisturizer. In the morning, I wash my face with just water and apply a day cream,” she adds.
Ilse Jara is also the executive director of the Sindec Group, a conglomerate of companies in the import, real estate, cosmetics and cosmetics sectors.
to the import, real estate and livestock sectors. “My role is also director of marketing and idi (research, development and innovation) and I am in charge of the work teams in each of the companies, in which I work actively every morning. I am only in the lab in the afternoons. Working in these companies and taking on very big commitments made me mature a lot as a professional, as a person and, above all, as a leader. There I really learned the value of the human team and the importance of keeping it motivated and in tune to achieve better results: it is the only way to grow”, She concludes.
