How a love of comics inspired a global fashion brand

Posted by dorisfhesse on December 18th, 2017

How a love of comics inspired a global fashion brand

Today fans of her Valfre brand include actresses Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts and Bella Thorn, but she's had to fight to protect her designs and overcome many logistical hurdles.

"I loved kids, but it wasn't my calling," says Mexican-born Ilse, who quit her teaching job in San Diego, California, in 2010 to blog full-time about her artwork.

"I didn't want to go back to school and study fashion, but I wanted to do something related to it.

"Drawing was always a hobby, so I decided to post my illustrations and build a business around my art."

For some that might sound like a risky plan, and indeed Ilse had to move back into her parents' home in the Mexican city of Tijuana, just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego, to save money.

But her drawings - of edgy, cartoon-like female characters, influenced by her love of comic books and Japanese anime - soon attracted attention.

"I would draw these women wearing fashions that I couldn't afford and share them on by blog," she explains.

"I blogged twice a day, every day, and began gathering like five followers after every post. A year later, I had a pretty decent following."

It all fell into place when Ilse discovered that her designs were being copied and used on clothes sold on the internet in China.

"That's when I knew there was a market for my work, and it motivated me to create my own product."

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