EXPLORING FASHION FREEDOMS WITH LARA ONTIVEROS
Photo credit: Instagram
Meet Lara Ontiveros, a visionary freelancing stylist and E-commerce producer at Loewe. Based in Madrid, Lara has left her mark on editorial, commercial, and production campaigns for global powerhouses like Marie Claire, GQ, Numéro, and many more. With her keen eye for style and innovation, she’s been instrumental in shaping Loewe's standout social media campaigns for the SS24 collection. Adult sat down with Lara to explore her lifelong passion for fashion, a driving force that continues to inspire and elevate the industry.
What inspired you to pursue a career in styling full-time? Have you always known you would be involved with fashion?
Not really! I used to go to a rather elitist school where you had to wear the jumper, the trousers, the sneakers that were on trend to be popular – or just to not be bullied…well, I didn’t have the coolest wardrobe as a kid, so social acceptance through fashion became a very important topic for me, but never thought about where it would take me. I graduated in Business Administration and Management, and it wasn’t until my second year of uni that I started to be more and more interested in fashion and seriously considering working in the industry. I still wanted somehow to make use of my degree, so I did my Master's in Strategic Fashion Marketing at the London College of Fashion and started working in Fashion Buying and Digital Marketing in multinational fashion companies such as Inditex, Cartier, and Zalando, among others. After a few years in, I realized that spending 40 hours a week in front of Excel and Google Analytics was not really what I expected from the fashion industry, so when I was working at Zalando in 2019, after trying to change internally to a more creative position with no success, I decided to quit, moved to my hometown and started a new career from scratch: making contacts, assisting, working for free, etc. I had no mentors whatsoever, but the fact of having previous experience allowed me to navigate the industry more easily and helped me climb the ladder faster than other younger creatives who started their careers in styling when I did.
"N0 FU7UR3" by Numéro Netherlands March 2023:
Nicolas Cuenca - Photgrapher
Lara Ontiveros - Fashion Editor/Stylist
What are the benefits of freelancing as a stylist, is there beauty in the freedom to choose whomever you’d like to work with?
Of course, every work setup has its pros and cons, and one of its benefits is the freedom to choose who you want to work with. At the beginning of a freelance career though, you need to be conscious of your situation and sometimes you must prioritize paying the bills, even if the client is not really your vibe. However, as you grow as a freelancer and more people know you and more work comes your way, you can really choose who you want to work with and curate your image as a creative and how you’d like to sell yourself as a stylist. That’s where the magic happens.
"RISE" by Vanity Teen Magazine 2022:
JavieRomán - Photographer
Lara Ontiveros - Fashion Editor/Stylist
How have you had to push yourself creatively to achieve a successful look for the variety of clientele you encounter?
Each client has their own needs, and they may or may not be in line with my style. When I’ve done Celebrity/VIP styling, some of the talents like to be really involved in their image which I think is amazing, they push me out of my comfort zone and allow me to go extra mile browsing new brands, new inspiration and proposing new styles that really push myself towards doing the best styling I can
"Marta Ortiz" by Schön Magazine June 2024
JavieRámon -Photographer
Lara Ontiveros - Fashion Editor/Stylist
How has working as an E-commerce producer at Loewe increased your versatility as a creative professional navigating fashion?
Loewe has provided me with a full 360º view on the industry, besides getting to know many amazing professionals that I’ve followed and admired for years. Being a producer really complements the services I offer as a freelance. Besides of styling, I can offer now a full production service which many clients are interested in, as it’s easier for them to deal with just one supplier that handles the whole thing.
Have you ever dealt with hardship in your artistic field? Why can it be difficult at times?
It’s no secret that fashion is a difficult industry to navigate. Styling is especially difficult because many times is not about how creative you are, the PR contacts that you have, or even your work ethics. It’s a profession where to succeed you also need to be friends with the right people, which makes the success a very subjective and uncertain goal to achieve, as it doesn't really depend on you. I’m not a PR myself and I do believe in real connections, so sometimes I feel a little frustrating that the industry sometimes works this way.
"Blue Monday" by GQ Portugal March 2023
JavieRomán - Photographer
Lara Ontiveros - Fashion Editor/Stylist
Do you feel fulfilled with your line of work? Do you have constant goals that you set for yourself?
I’m fulfilled at the moment, also my work at Loewe is very rewarding and stimulating and brings me things that styling doesn’t, so right now this feels like the perfect combo. I do have constant goals that I set for myself, such as working with more international clients and allowing myself to be even more selective with the kinds of jobs I get myself involved in.