My Creative Cup of Tea

November 03, 2023

#MCCOTVoices {4}

Ines Aquino

Barcelona

Spain

Becoming a proud committed-to-the-environment founder, entrepreneur and fashion designer

I was born in Buenos Aires in 1981. The latter is truly my place in the world, my language, my everything. However, the world has always piqued my curiosity, and my early travels were due to work, so I learned to travel through work and to work through travel. My husband is from Patagonia, where we have our refuge, allowing us to reconnect with nature, dear friends, and mountains. Though, I must admit, I’m a true city person!

Since my childhood, I'm the queen of making to-do lists. Indeed I remember that I used to make lists of things - a jacket, a poster, a doll, and so on- that I wanted to buy after seeing them in shop windows. I always had an affinity for fashion, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Even if I had my first job very young at 15, -I always wanted to work and I love the idea of going to the office or studio in the morning, playing music, having mate or coffee, and working-, I entered the fashion world at 18.

I started working at one of Argentina’s most prominent clothing brands, and that’s where I built my career. Simultaneously, I pursued studies in art, music, photography, sociology, and more. I started in retail and later became responsible for production, traveling, visiting factories, and solving the most unusual problems that only this industry can have. I then became a senior designer for children’s clothing and, later, a senior designer for women’s wear. I spent over fifteen years at the same company.

In 2015, in Argentina, I co-founded a brand specializing in leather garments with two partners. I already had experience with this material, and during those years, I learned a lot. The brand experienced tremendous success and became synonymous with leather, design, and quality, with celebrities wearing our signature pieces. But as I had been an animal rights advocate for years, and being actively involved in the leather industry, I had a moral dilemma. Clearly, it didn’t align with my principles, which led to a significant contradiction that I now understand as part of a personal evolution process. In a country like Argentina, opposing leather and giving up the success of your company may seem absurd. Who would want to relinquish such success? Well, I did! I wanted to start my own project that was 100% in line with my principles, starting from scratch. That’s how INES was born. I considered many names, but in the end, I realized the most honest thing was to use my own name and reflect my ethical and aesthetic principles in it.

In 2017, my husband Juan and I took a trip, visiting a friend in the Hamptons near New York, and later, we traveled to Spain and Italy. During our stay in Spain, we literally fell in love with Barcelona. This place stayed on my mind and in my heart, a persistent thought that said, ‘How can I forget this?’ Upon our return, I left my leather brand and began building INES. That summer, while in Patagonia with friends by a lake, we decided, ‘Why not?’ and upon returning to Buenos Aires, we closed everything and moved to Spain. We stopped in Málaga, where our daughter Paquita Eloísa was born. Then, we spent the first year of the pandemic in the Pyrenees, where I started looking for European certified fabrics, workshops, and contemplating the new version of INES here. So, I spent two years developing this new beginning, which is now reborn in Barcelona.

INES is a brand that seeks to go beyond trends, leaving behind the fast fashion stress that I believe doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s about creating versatile pieces and a distinctive uniform adaptable to various silhouettes and occasions. I’ve realized over time that we always talk about inheriting fashion items, and this concept revolves around vintage pieces. One of my goals is to have people pass down my garments to future generations, to be the first link in the chain of inheritance. At the same time, I like to think that the clothes I make can be shared with your partner. The raincoat, scarves, pajamas – everything can be shared. This is a new concept of sustainable luxury, too.

My fundamental principle is that you don’t need much more; it’s a full wardrobe. I introduce new pieces when it makes sense to me, the brand, and the customers. I don’t believe much in rigid seasons, and I think everything is genderless. Of course, there are winter and summer items to mix and match, emphasizing the transitional pieces that, depending on how you combine them, provide versatility and different styles. It’s also essential to adapt your looks to the climate you’re in.

After designing collections with over 200 items, reaching this turning point has been a breath of fresh air. As a designer, I’m always thinking (it’s a constant process!). I focus on the big picture, new shapes, lines, and materials. I appreciate subtle ties and details. Designing or creating new, innovative pieces might seem challenging, but the reality is that for years, we’ve been wearing shirts, pants, jumpsuits, and accessories that transcend fashion.

My style is quite masculine, with a weakness for shirts, loafers, and tailoring. So, masculine-feminine is the style that best defines INES. I believe my strength lies in tailoring, and if I were a garment, I’d undoubtedly be a white shirt.

I draw more and more inspiration from my roots, from what surrounded me during my childhood and youth. It comes from the artist friends of my parents, from my father’s racehorses and his shirts (the GFA is named after him, using his initials, and I adapted the pattern from one of his shirts), from music and nature. But it’s also drawn from the city, its people, and their needs. Buenos Aires cafes, which I miss dearly, the Argentine countryside and its workwear.

At INES, we work with the best materials, leaving nothing to chance. We’ve brought in the finest English and Portuguese fabrics, all with quality and sustainability certifications. For example, our beret, handmade in the Basque Country, is crafted from merino wool and teflon-coated for waterproofing. Our silk scarves are hand-sewn, and I believe the best example is our Alpaca line from Peru. The alpacas used for our blankets and scarves are sheared only once a year, by hand with scissors, as machine shearing causes a lot of stress for these animals. Knowing these facts, wearing our garments brings an extra level of satisfaction.

All our pieces are made in Barcelona, although being in Europe makes it easy to work with suppliers worldwide. I felt it was important for production to be local, and I wanted to be closely involved in every stage of the production process. The main workshop specializes in men’s shirts. Most of our garments were made there. It’s a second-generation workshop, and all the women who work there have been there for years, showing pure dedication and respect. It was an honor to work with them. The raincoat is handmade one by one by a tailor. For the rest of the accessories, I sought out the best in their fields. So, berets are made in the Basque Country, and alpaca blankets are produced in Arequipa, Peru.

In the future, I hope to work with Argentine artisans and artists to develop pieces for INES. I have several ideas in mind. I want to collaborate more with local and international artists and, of course, continue to raise awareness of the importance of cruelty-free materials for the Earth and all its inhabitants.