Elisa Carrió and her daughter talk about their clothing brand

A young woman opens the gate. From inside the house a collie looks out the window: “Don’t get confused, it’s not Alberto’s”, clarifies mischievously Victoria. “This is Diana, the other is Dylan,” she laughs. Victoria Benitez Carrió she is the daughter of Elisa Carrio and head of the clothing brand by Lilitas. Two years ago, together with her mother and Luly -the other fundamental piece of the business-, they began to make and sell clothes online. On January 7, they celebrated the second anniversary of the brand, with a parade in exaltation of the cross.

Elisa Carrió launched By Lilitas: she sells her own clothes and new designs

Between summaries of cards, beads and seams, mother and daughter strengthen the positioning of the brand and the style imposed by the figure of María Elisa “Lilita” Carrió. “I am more faithful to the image of Lilita than Lilita herself”, says the daughter of the leader, with a deep Chaco tune.

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How did By Lilitas project?

Elisa Carrió (CE): We started out wanting to sell my campaign dresses used only once, and with that make a capital. Beyond that, I always liked the design, the fabrics, and I understood that there were no stylish clothes in large sizes. Since Victoria was born in digital marketing and is a specialist in networks and audiovisual language, I thought we could sell them that way.
Victoria Benítez Carrió (VBC): My mom made the dresses and that’s where it all started. She likes to buy a lot of things, on the other hand, my dad is super careful. I am more moderate, I try to order things.

What is it like to undertake in times of crisis?
CVB: It’s all a little bit, it’s expensive to sustain production, we never buy a hundred meters of fabric in order to obtain significant discounts. It would be better for us if we were more orderly, although we can already live on this. In this new stage we are looking for other ways of financing.
EC: Yes, that is the part that I like the most, selling the campaign clothes or holding raffles. I am one of giving clothes and handbags to my friends. It’s something similar, at times we sell clothes at very cheap prices or we take advantage and do raffles.

They look alike?
CVB: He loves meetings, it was always the same. Mom is fun, but I, on the other hand, with more than five people I get stressed. I have “the best” with her, she is loving, her admiration. If someone comes to the house and likes something, she says “take it with you”. She is generous, she understands that life is like that.
EC: We are different but similar too, she says that I am prodigal, haha. She stops me otherwise she would live giving away everything.

Elisa’s political activity, did it take time from the relationship?
CVB: As a girl you expect to be with your mom all the time. I expected: “How dare you not be with me all the time?” Today at 32 years old I think that she is fine, in short, she is a working mother.

Victoria, did you accompany her in any political activity?
CVB: No, but a lot of people always came to my house, and I don’t like being with a lot of people. I don’t like going out with her because of the other’s look either. That look doesn’t identify me, they look at me pleasantly, but not because it’s me, they don’t know me. They look at me as Lilita. That’s why I prefer not to show myself in public with her, to be able to meet true gazes. The look of others is a story alien to us, it is not good. They have no idea who I am, in those looks I don’t see myself reflected. I have been living here in Exaltación for years and attending courses and people did not know that she was Lilita’s daughter. Now they found out with the movement of the clothes.

How do you do with the fluctuating economy to project the business?
CVB: Mom got a person to organize the economy of by lilitas, an accountant who told me: “We have to know how much each dress costs”, then he asked me how much they spend on fabric: “Lilita didn’t pay for it with the card”. Then I ask myself how much I spent on shipping and I say, “I don’t remember, I paid out of pocket.” All like that, very bizarre. That was the kick.
EC: We resist as we can, we finance ourselves with my card, we have debts like all merchants. Reaching two years is a huge prize for perseverance.

Victoria, are you interested in politics?
CVB: Politics I think is important, but I think it is difficult, almost a utopia. I have friends of all political ideologies, and we laugh about it; the joke is to be faced and love each other despite the differences.

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Lilita, do you have friends from other political spaces?
EC: I have friends from all political parties, my friends are friends of life from 60, 40, 30 and 20 years ago. For my birthday, he got 50 percent from friends that politics gave me, and the same from life, nothing to do with politics. For me, the cult of friendship is sacred. I have close Kirchnerista friends. Love and friendship is stronger than what can happen these days. I don’t believe in the crack, there never was.

Do you have bad times in the family because of politics?
CVB: They have bad times because of politics. There were times when he had a bad time and we children felt it. Like the time when mom wore a large cross around her neck, that was a difficult time. But be careful, with mom I never lived a bad moment on the street. Although they are of opposite ideas, they always have a pleasant relationship with her.

Lilita, did you ever feel that your political activity made your children uncomfortable?
EC: Yes, obviously in the family there are bad times due to politics, but it is the cost and assumes the risks involved in doing what must be done. But, the testimony of giving a life in the service of a cause is more important than the problems we had along the way.

What is the next goal of By Lilitas?
CVB: I don’t want to enlarge the business, I want to organize it. She plays, I do accounts. I don’t project too much for the future, I believe in work and providence and I receive it with open arms.
EC: My project is based on perseverance and I would like to export (he counts and is enthusiastic).

Do you feel that today’s commercial secret is in the networks?
CVB: In the networks we have permanent contact with clients and also with people who talk to us and send greetings. There was a lady who stood in line when she went shopping and she showed us the clothes she tried on and asked for an opinion. I’m on the phone all the time, that’s where sales and shipments come from. We don’t have locations. We have sent clothes to Ushuaia. We have more contacts than sales, but we are doing well. I took a more “pro” sales course and the advice was to launch capsules, small seasons, not launch everything together, the same thing we did. We are using, happiness for us is paying the card, the salaries and for us that is a lot.

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Is Lilita participating in the organization?
CVB: Lilita has the “queen theory”. If she knew how to do everything she wouldn’t be, so she always finds someone to do the things she doesn’t like to do, it’s a joke. She worked on the design and today she is promoting the event and inviting everyone to come and share our anniversary.

Does Lilita feel happier today with By Lilitas than with politics?
EC: I feel happy with life, happy with everything, with By Lilitas, helping to make another Argentina, giving classes… I think teaching philosophy is what I like the most. Be careful, I also want to do another venture.
CVB: It is that mom continues with her activities, in By Lilitas she deals with the designs, the fabrics and the creative part.
EC: Ten thousand things can be done at the same time, women have the ability to do many things at the same time. I continue dedicating my time to politics and in classes. I live from that, I advise on political issues and until I die I will be responsible for the Nation.