The Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz ends up in Los Angeles with pop-up caravan

After opening her first boutique in New York in 2024, followed by a second in Miami in 2025, the designer Johanna Ortiz, born in Colombian, has just arrived in Los Angeles, where she presented her collections about her pop-up caravan in the Grove Shopping Center. It is a way to combine with your Californian customers and to strengthen their presence in their first international market. Fashionnetwork spoke with Ortiz about her new pop-up business and its brand development strategy.

Fashionnetwork: You arrive with your pop-up caravan in Los Angeles. Why did you choose this popup format?

Johanna Ortiz: The Jo Caravan is a nomadic boutique that travels and carries the spirit of Colombia with it: festive, effortless and his roots. It is a seasonal business that is paired with a new immersive, traveler and experimental concept. It introduces a unique nomadic experience that embodies the adventurous spirit and commitment of the brand for craft traditions. This traveling boutique was inspired by the wandering lifestyle and captures the essence of exploration and moves through selected goals with curated pieces that show the lifestyle of Johanna Ortiz.

FNW: How does your road trip run?

Jo: The road trip was beautiful so far: San Antonio, Comporta, St. Tropez, the Hamptons, Cartagena and now California. We have strengthened our presence of our direct consumers, increased brand awareness and increased sales with this format, with which we can be present in first -class locations in cities where I know that my customers are.

FNW: What is your relationship and connection with the city of Los Angeles?

Jo: Los Angeles always felt lively, diverse and foresight. In the city there is a free -spiritual, festive and creative energy that is deeply resonance in the effortless elegance and joy of our brand. It is a place where our universe naturally finds a home. I would like to continue to build and strengthen my community on the west coast

FNW: Your brand is already present in the shops in New York and Miami. Is this pop-up a test for a future business in Los Angeles?

Jo: We have our flagship store in the Madison Avenue and our boutique in Bal Harbor and look forward to opening more permanent rooms in the USA for us. The Jo Caravan is more about connection. It's about meeting our Jo women where they are and inviting them to our world. Nevertheless, Los Angeles is a city that we love and in which we have a strong clientele. If the right opportunity comes, who knows.

FNW: Of course, your brand seems to fit California. What feedback did you get from California?

Jo: The joy and attraction of our pieces combine seamlessly with the California lifestyle – full of color, lightness and bold femininity. The feedback was gratifying: customers not only combine with the pieces, but also with the social purpose, the impact and the history behind the brand.

FNW: Which international strategy do you want to pursue? Are the American and Colombian markets still their priorities?

Jo: Our international strategy is to continue to grow steadily and sustainably. We have achieved remarkable results, while we remain true to our purpose and deepen the connections to our global customers. Colombia is our place of birth, and we will always stay in touch with our roots and commit ourselves to promoting local capacity and development. The United States was the first international market to open its doors to us. It is our main market and home in our flagship business in the Madison Avenue in New York. We still have a lot to achieve and expand in America, and we also strengthen our presence on the European market.

FNW: Other Latin American brands make it interesting in the US market, such as Farm Rio and Gabriela Hearst. Is that inspiring for you?

Jo: It can be seen energized how Latin American voices enter the stage and form fashion worldwide. There is a new openness and curiosity towards our culture that motivates me because Latin America has so much to offer. Each brand has its own history and authenticity, and together we show the wealth of Latin creativity.

FNW: A few years ago they founded La Escuela, who support women from local communities in Colombia. How does this program work today?

Jo: I founded the Escuela Johanna Ortiz in 2016 to offer transformative training programs. His main goal is to promote advanced seamstress and high-end embroidery skills and to promote local specialist knowledge in Haute Couture and Jo signature techniques. In addition to the technical skills, the program conveys life skills and comprehensive training with a gender approach for women in need of protection. It also offers essential psychosocial support and enables the participants to improve their quality of life. So far, 430 people have benefited, 97% of whom are women and 66% have joined the Jo Team after completion.

FNW: Can we still say that your company produces 90% of its collections in Colombia?

Jo: At the center of our brand is our studio in Cali, Colombia, a room in which craftsmanship, creativity and purpose come together. Over 90% of our production are created in our own house by a vertically integrated model, and we take full responsibility for the conditions under which each piece is produced. With a team of over 460 employees who receive competitive wages, training courses, education and housing programs, we are committed to ethical, local production and take responsibility for every step of the process.

FNW: You recently launched an interior design line in addition to your fashion collections. What was your vision for this?

Jo: I always believed that Johanna Ortiz was more than fashion; It is a lifestyle. What we live in our houses inspires me just like what we experience outside. I love to set the table, to maintain and create spaces that make people welcome. If I were not a fashion designer, I would be interior designer, so Jo Casa felt like a natural extension. The vision was to bring the same spirit that defines our collections – Joy, nature, inheritance and craftsmanship – into the home. More than decoration is about creating rooms that turn everyday rituals into unforgettable moments, with objects being produced in cooperation with Colombian crafts.

FNW: What are your other development goals for the future?

Jo: We have several projects that I am really excited about. I have always loved to share the unique Latin American style with the world, the Jo, its culture, textures, prints, colors, biodiversity, traditions, the strength of craftsmanship and our Joie de Vivre. Our goal is to share the Latin lifestyle with more people in a new way and to continue to grow and promote our community.