Meet Vanessa Puccini of ILO

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Puccini.

Vanessa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and raised in the states. There was one specific trip I took to my home country when I was younger that sparked a mission within me. I saw firsthand the poverty my country was in certain areas and I wanted to make a difference some way, someday. When I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Fashion my ideas started flowing and becoming more realistic. I knew through fashion and the proper marketing I could create the voice and vision that would make an impact or at least start the conversation.

I launched ILO last year after working with local artisans from two rural villages in Colombia and bringing back the items to hand embellish in Los Angeles. ILO [ee-lo] comes from the Spanish word “Hilo”, which means thread. ILO was created to showcase traditional craftsmanship from Colombia while improving the artisans’ quality of life and paying fair wages. I have long-term goals for the company to one day be able to bring clean water filtration systems to these rural towns and put a dent in lowering the death rate of malnutrition in children.

From every purchase made there is a 25% that is put aside for giving back to our artisans and their families. The talent and abilities these people have is so inspiring and I hope to give back in any way possible while using ILO as my voice. I view myself and every individual that has helped or contributed to ILO as a community of artists, mothers, sisters, friends, and dreamers.

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course, anything worth having will not come easily. There have been a couple struggles that I’ve run into but through each one, I’ve come out with a lesson learned and ideas on how to improve. The one thing I can say is to never give up. As clique as that sounds, do not stop, it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

One of the main struggles for me being located in Los Angeles is logistics. It takes longer and is pricier for me to ship and send anything to my artisans in Colombia. I know with trial and error this will improve over time, so I am keeping a positive outlook in these beginning stages. The best part of this brand for me is that no matter what goes wrong, the little help and work that ILO has and is providing for these individuals in Colombia is already very helpful and appreciated.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with ILO – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
ILO specializes in handmade accessories from South America. I work with artisans to develop new designs and once I receive them I create my own art through hand embellishing them. I come from a background of evening wear design and I’ve always been obsessed with hand embroidery work. I learned to hand bead during my graduate program in Fashion school and I involve it in almost every piece from ILO. That’s what sets us apart because not only are we eco-friendly all handmade, most of our pieces are beaded with Swarovski crystals and lined in silk fabrics. ILO is elegant down to earth girl that everyone is intrigued with.

All of the vibrant colors and personality that makes up ILO is what I’m most proud of my company for. To exist loudly and appreciate the small imperfections through each piece is a beautiful perspective that I’ve come to carry into my personal life thanks to ILO. I’m proud of the goals we yearn to accomplish because I know one day they will make a huge difference in my home country and hopefully other countries. This is just the beginning of ILO and a movement of empowerment and individuality.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love so many things about Los Angeles and that is why through everything I chose to stay here. Like everyone says the weather is amazing for starters. Secondly, I love that there are so many opportunities in such a variety of fields. I love going out with not knowing what type of person I will run into.

I always end up meeting the most inspiring and unique people out here and it’s very refreshing. I feel like most people in LA are either very in tune with themselves or on the journey of figuring themselves out and that leads to a very interesting crowd. I have the most random group of friends that each have their own quirk.

The thing I like the least is hands down the traffic. I don’t understand how a city can have traffic at all times of the day! Even when you think you’re leaving a little early to beat the traffic, nope its already started.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ilobyvanessa.com
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Jeremi De Ramos

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