Meet Ysabel Hilado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ysabel Hilado.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’m a 21-year-old Filipina fashion designer based out of Artesia, CA. Since high school, I’ve taught myself everything I know strictly from tutorials straight out of Pinterest and YouTube.

From cutting Barbie dolls’ clothes, drawing up designs, and watching True Jackson VP, fashion became a part of my life at a young age. In the 8th grade, I made my first clothing piece, which consisted of hand sewing and cutting two sweaters together to form the shape of an elephant. A few months later, I came across a photo of customized pocket tees and thought it would be cool to do a few on my own. That day, I asked my dad if he could guide me on my first few stitches with my grandma’s sewing machine. After getting a hang of my newfound talent, Along The Lines Pocket Tees was born where I sold customized pocket tees online domestically and internationally up until the end of freshman year.

Throughout high school, my goal was to make a name for myself by the time I graduated. I focused on growing my social media presence with my fashion blog titled Along The Lines of Ysabel. Through blog posts, I documented my journey as a young entrepreneur, along with showing off OOTD’s, DIY’s, and YouTube videos. Every school dance and event I would make my own dresses to stand out from the others. My senior year of high school, I was 1 of the 12 contestants on Project Runway Junior Season 1 that premiered on Lifetime.

Since 2016, I’ve been discovering who I am as a designer and working towards building my future day by day. I’ve made four collections out of my bedroom, done a few small fashion shows, and many commissions all while going to school and working just like any other young adult.

Please tell us about your art.
I’m a ready-to-wear fashion designer specializing in womenswear. I call my design aesthetic “street chic,” where I create looks with a juxtaposition between urban street style trends and feminine elements. A lot of my designs are influenced by the way I dress so I always ask myself: “If I won’t wear it, why would I make it?” I want women to feel like they have a purpose and are ready to take on the day or night whenever they wear my designs. I try to keep versatility in mind so that people are able to style my pieces to go with their own personal style and for any occasion.

My brand, Ysabel Hilado, started in 2016. Straight out of high school, I decided to start designing collections to push myself and see how far I can go beyond my creative boundaries. As a 21-year-old, I hope that I’m able to inspire many young individuals to take a chance and pursue their passions in life.

By the end of this summer, I will be changing the brand to go by my last name, Hilado, which means spun thread or yarn in Spanish. Slowly but steadily, I’m working on changing, refining, and expanding. My ultimate goal is to be running Hilado full-time by my mid 20’s, and I know I can do it. I’ve grown up with a very entrepreneurial mindset and work ethic, so I’m always experimenting with the different paths I can take. Being a self-taught designer isn’t easy, but I’m very excited to finally get formal training once I begin university in the fall.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
I feel like many of us have a love/hate relationship when it comes to social media. In today’s society, social media is seen as one of the best marketing tools for creatives to post their work and get their names out there. We’re able to discover new talent and network with people all around the world who share common interests. Some may say that follows, likes, and shares don’t matter, but it’s incredibly helpful from a business standpoint when looking to build new clientele and receive feedback.

On the other hand, social media can be mentally draining. Comparing ourselves to others may be one of the biggest problems. Our feeds and timelines are constantly flooded with “picture perfect” lives, which can sometimes lead us to question our own. Combining that with a creatives’ perspective, we can even feel pressured to put out content only to end up posting sub-par work that we aren’t too proud of. I’ve gone through all these thoughts before, and the way I coped with it was through forming a positive outlook and mindset.

If you’re ever going through a social media funk, remind yourself that everyone takes different paths to become successful. It’s not a competition. What we see posted online is usually a front and only shows the “perfect” side of things but never behind the scenes. Perfection takes time, so don’t rush the process and enjoy every second of it. Take the time to cleanse your feed and unfollow accounts that you don’t connect with anymore. Each path will have its’ own struggles to face, but that’s the beauty of creating an incredible success story to tell one day. It would be a boring world if everyone took the same steps to achieve their goals, so you might as well make yours unique.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I post all my work on my website, www.ysabelhilado.com. You can find me on social media @ysabelhilado on Instagram and @ysahilado on Twitter.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ysabelhilado.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ysabelhilado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ysabelhilado
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ysahilado
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/ysabelhilado

Image Credit:
Mikael Angelo, Heather & Jameson Photography

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