Meet Ismael Jamillo

Meet Ismael Jamillo, an emerging fashion entrepreneur whose hustle and hardwork has brought him all the way to South Philadelphia, PA; where he owns a Boutique selling women’s wear and men’s wear clothing. His Ecuadorian background has allowed his creative inspiration to flow through his design choices when bringing new pieces into the store. Below are some questions I went ahead to ask Ismael about his background and work in the fashion industry.

Hi Ismael, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. I just wanted to start off by asking about your background and perhaps what was the driving force to open up your own business? 

Hi, I am from Ecuador, I have been in Philadelphia for 11 years now and I moved  

To the United States when I was eight years old.   Long story short, when I turned 30 it was either you know going out to see the world or settling and finding something you know like an anchor if that makes sense.

So, I see in the store you gave it a unique aesthetic, it gives off a beachwear summer vibe. I'm guessing you switch out seasons. 

Yes this is a seasonal boutique, so right now we’re turning into spring/summer,   so if you notice like most of the stuff in the front it is mostly spring/summer.  If you go further back there’s more winter stuff. It depends on what season, But you if you’re traveling anywhere I'm the guy that can find you what you need. You know if you’re going to ski like in Alaska hit me up I got you! I can find you the right attire. 

With your town back in Ecuador, what motivated you to start donating to the schools?

Shakira is one of my idols and she has a foundation… one of the moments that impacted my life, was when I was coming to the United States I was fixing my documents and stuff like that so my cousin and I went to get my passport photos and going back home there was a homeless kid that was waiting for the bus and he like grabbed on to my cousins leg and asked us for un suclay which is the equivalent to one penny to get a loaf of bread for my mom and newborn sister/brother. At that moment I was like you know I am here fixing my papers to go back out of the country .... I told my cousin give him the money you know we’ll walk. There’s a lot of poverty, kids are hungry and  forget about what they’re going through. To know what they are going through first hand have seen those things so being here has shown me that I am very fortunate. I felt that since I have this bridge to be able to help you know, why not… if there’s a little bit of extra money why not. 

Why is the store relevant in the industry? 

Not only the relevancy but the reliability that I have you know because i’m not only on the avenue but people like in philadelphia want to dress differently you know they want to be unique, they want exclusivity and that’s what I have in my store  you know so if you go downtown or go to center city or go to the fashion 

district anything like that you are not going to find the brands that I have here and the quality/ style or prints I have here. Another thing is that when you come in here you can also get tailoring, you know if the pants are too long or they are too loose or anything like that I can tailor them for you! “One we can go to Ismael’s to find something and if it doesn’t fit we are going to make it work the show must go on!” 

How did you find the school? 

So I went to that school, the school back in Ecuador I went there in Kindergarten 

till about first or second grade and then moved to the United States that’s how …

A few years later you know I contacted the principal, then I started this two or three years ago, told her who  was and we were able to build a relationship. I originally wanted to help kids that didn't have a lot of money.” 

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