We were lucky to catch up with Ismael Jaramillo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ismael, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with inspirations and heroes. Are there any historical figures you look up to?

Shakira – my favorite singer and role model. I admire shakira not only for her amazing music and those hips that don’t lie, but also for the amazing heart she has. She started her foundation in Colombia at the age of 18 to help kids in her home country attend school and to stop hunger. When I was around 5 years old, my cousin and I went out to get my passport photos for me to travel to the US. On our way back home while waiting for our bus to arrive, a child same age as me came to us and begged us for “un sucre” equivalent to a penny here in the US. He asked us for a penny so he could buy a piece of bread for his mother and his new born baby brother. I asked my cousin to give him the money we had and that we could walk home. That moment changed my life and I knew that one day I would be able to do more for kids and families in need. About 2 years ago I started my own organization named “Un Sucre”. Ive been able to help out kids in the school I attended when I was younger.

Ismael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I like to call myself the jack of all trades. My first real job was in a restaurant as a busser. I started working at the age of 14. I always loved the entertainment industry. Acting, modeling, singing, dancing, etc. I continued to work in the restaurant industry and while doing that I also cleaned houses and did a little sewing on the side to not loss my skill. My family and I moved to Monroe, NY. Where I attended Monroe Woodbury high school and studied fashion design and got better at my sewing and fashion knowledge. I was able to showcase a senior high school collection before graduating. My fashion teacher, my friends and the people who saw my collection didn’t really know I was capable of sewing and make clothes. I continued to look for sewing gigs around New York but rent and living was too high for me. I eventually moved back to philadelphia and enrolled myself in community college to continue my education, while working as a housekeeper and dog sitter, a little after that I found a job at an upscale restaurant and decided to stick with work and drop out of college. After working in the restaurant for about 6 years. I was able to learn more about customer service, upscale dining, hosting and how to work well with others. The customer would come in with amazing attire (the restaurant had a dress code which I loved) gowns. The man were always dressed nicely and the severs wore suits. I got connected with a local designer who I helped with design ideas and trunk shows. I enjoyed that a lot. A little after leaving the restaurant I found a job as a paralegal for an immigration firm. I learned a lot of discipline and paying attention to detail was key. All the previous jobs have helped me stay consistent, relevant to the community and people now rely on my services. In 2021 I decided it was time to put all my skills together and work for myself. Now I run my store, I do alterations, host events in my store, run an organization in Ecuador, working on my modeling portfolio, style my customers, work with different fashion communities in the city of philadelphia and care for a kitty.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I come from a very traditional Ecuadorian family. We must follow the rules and listen to our parents. I did a little bit of the opposite and learned the hard way. I went through ups and downs after moving out of my parents house. There were times where I didn’t have enough money for food, clothes or any necessities. However those times that I didn’t “listen” has molded me into the person I am today. Whenever there are obstacles that seem to high for me to reach and get over I look back and think about the child who begged for “un sucre”, I think about arriving to New York and seeing the twin towers for the first time, I think about my fathers journey coming to the US to give me and my family a better future. That makes me believe in myself more and more and I’m able to continue my mission in life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In high school. I’m a dreamer. For people who don’t know about that. I qualify for a special permit for being here in the US and attending school as a child. That permit allows me to work legally, get college grants and attend college without any difficulties. However, that permit didn’t pass for about 4 years after I graduated high school. Making it difficult for me to continue my studies. I wanted to attend college at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) but I wasn’t able to since I didn’t have the right documentation. I worked in the restaurant, housekeeping, pet sitting and anything I could do until the “dream act” was passed.

Contact Info:

• Website: Ismaelsboutique.com
• Instagram: Ismaels.Boutique
• Yelp: IsmaelsBoutique
• Other: Tiktok – ismaelsboutique

Image Credits
Photo credits to – @KevinGuzmanmusic @jakevoor @itskendama