Johanna Ortiz: “Building a brand is creating something that lasts”

Buenos Aires - Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz is participating for the first time in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, adding a new milestone to her brand's international expansion. Based in the city of Cali, where she maintains production and a team of over 460 people, the creator has built a Latin American luxury brand with a global presence over the last two decades.

In this interview, Ortiz reflects on the growth of her brand, which is now over two decades old; the educational project with which she seeks to train talent in her community; and how she feels every time she presents a collection.

How did the invitation to participate in Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid come about?

I think they wanted to have an international guest, as they always have. It is a way of giving relevance to the Fashion Week and ensuring it is not just for local designers.

I have been to Madrid many times. I think it is one of those places where I feel at home, so when I was invited to present the autumn/winter collection, I said it was an incredible opportunity to show it here. Furthermore, when they told me they wanted me to open the event, I felt it was an honour.

This brought some changes to your presentations as you had been doing them…

We normally present in Paris four times a year with the collections we create. This time we did the fairs—to show the collection to buyers—but we did not do a catwalk presentation. This is why it is significant for me and for the brand. It is the first time I am doing an official runway show internationally. In Paris, we do presentations that are repeated several times, but here it is a unique moment: in 20 or 25 minutes, you see the entire collection we have been working on for six months.

Each collection is like a creative rebirth for me, so I am very excited to be able to show it here.

It also means encountering a different audience than in Paris…

Yes, it is a different type of audience. Here, there are more people close to the brand, friends, and also a different type of journalism.

At Johanna Ortiz, there are more than 460 of us working, so for me, coming to represent the work of that entire team is a great responsibility and also a source of pride. I told everyone that I felt honoured to be able to come to Madrid with a collection that they have produced with so much talent.

Your brand has become one of the Latin American firms with the greatest international presence. What was the key moment for that step?

I started the brand 22 years ago, but I believe it truly went international in 2014. Before that, the brand was known in Colombia and a little in Latin America, but it had not made that global leap.

There was a very important introspection in my design. I asked myself what I wanted to show, not just what I wanted to sell. Sometimes one enters a comfort zone and does very commercial things. I wanted to show fashion made from Latin America, from where I live, inspired by my surroundings.

When you stop paying attention to trends and focus on what truly nourishes you, you build a much stronger DNA.

What role did commercial partners play in that process?

It was fundamental. We were fortunate that Moda Operandi, through Lauren Santo Domingo, saw the collection and wanted to do a trunk show, a fashion event where a brand or designer presents their collections directly to clients, retailers or the press, usually in a more intimate setting than a traditional runway show.

We ended up being one of the best-selling designers on the platform.

That gave us enormous visibility and helped us understand how the business worked in the US. Then came the first luxury department store that backed the brand: Bergdorf Goodman. That was another very important moment.

Is everything produced in Colombia?

Yes, all processes are done in Colombia. The fabrics are mostly Italian and French, but the manufacturing is completely Colombian. For me, if you want to do things ethically, you have to be present in the process. You need to see how things are done and take care of each stage.

Sustainability is a central theme in the industry today. How do you approach it from your brand?

We have grown organically. We do not produce if there are no orders, so there is practically no waste.

Furthermore, I do not believe that collections have an expiration date. We design pieces that can last a long time in the wardrobe and do not depend on a specific trend. For us, building a brand is creating something that lasts.

Do you feel that the global fashion industry is looking more towards Latin America?

I think so. When I go to the Fashion Weeks, I see more and more Latin American designers presenting or setting up showrooms. I think we are experiencing a moment of recognition. This is not just in fashion, but also in music, art, photography and design…

What do you think attracts the international audience to Latin American creatives?

I live in Cali, next to the mountain range, surrounded by nature. All that fauna and flora is part of my inspiration. All of that ends up being reflected in what I design.

What is next for the brand?

I would like to continue scaling the brand organically. I would love to open more flagship stores like the one in New York, perhaps in Paris.

Meanwhile, we are developing the concept of pop-ups around the world, which we call Caravan, in places where our client is, such as The Hamptons or Saint Tropez. We are also investing heavily in the digital channel. Online already represents almost 30 percent of our sales.