Voices of Immigrants Series: Celebrating Heritage with Javiera Varas
We believe in lifting voices that matter, voices that bring light and perspective to the world. Even though Immigrant Heritage Month has passed, the conversation doesn’t stop here. At Jentle Land Mark, we’re continuing to share the stories of immigrants who inspire us because now, more than ever, it’s important to celebrate the richness of culture and resilience.
Dive into the perspective of Javiera Varas, a proud Chilean, creative thinker, and storyteller who’s weaving her heritage into every part of her life in New York City. Her journey is a beautiful mix of roots, reinvention, and realness.
Where It All Started
“I came from Chile on my own at 24, with a couple of luggages and a scholarship to study film. What was intended as temporary, became my entire adult life!” For Javiera, heritage isn’t just a memory; it’s a living, breathing part of her identity. It influences the way she sees the world, the way she connects with others, and even the way she approaches creativity.
Finding Herself in a New Place
Moving to a new country isn’t easy, and Javiera is honest about that. “As an immigrant, I’ve often felt divided in two; hence my work has a recurrent theme of duality, but after 20 years in this country I’ve come to peace with the fact that this dichotomy is always going to be a part of who I am.” She learned that staying rooted doesn’t mean standing still. It means finding new ways to grow. “Instead of trying to make sense of it, I surrender to it. This acceptance has been freeing.”
Creativity with Heart
“My Heritage took center stage after having my child. I wanted the person I most loved in the world to feel and appreciate the beauty of our roots, to hear our sounds and stories, to feel his Latinidad even though he’s born in NYC.” Javiera’s brand and her creative work aren’t just about products or design, they’re about connection. “It became evident really quickly to me that the children's market was dominated by Scandinavian inspired products, and that was the fuel to start my brand. I felt an important need to share the richness of our millenary visual language and stories, and take some of that space.” Every choice reflects a deeper look into her Chilean roots and her deep admiration for artists and craftspeople thousands of years ago in the Andes to the everyday artists she sees in NYC.
What Heritage Means Today
“I honor my heritage through my work. I study pre-colonial textiles and pottery and am inspired to produce my own interpretations of these pieces, hoping to convey their essence in a contemporary way.” For Javiera, heritage isn’t just history; it’s present and future. “I hope the visual language from the Andes, that I believe is incredibly beautiful and rich, one day is as appreciated and mainstream as any European one.”
Her Message to Others
“As an immigrant, I’ve often struggled with the feeling of “not belonging”, of being a foreigner and sounding like it everyday, feeling as if I’m in a borrowed space. What the birth of my child created in me, was a reignited sense of pride and recognition of the beauty of the culture I carry. This carried weight and importance, and made me feel my voice was worthy of sharing.”
Her advice? “Whatever grounds you to your roots and sense of pride may very possibly take you to an expansive path.”
Q+A
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As simple as it may sound, speaking my language with my child is important to me, it’s my most immediate connection to my roots, it’s my mother language and that of my son. I truly don’t care that in the US people feel it’s rude to speak another language in front of people that don’t understand, when I’m with my child, I will speak to him in spanish - there’s been so much loss of culture because of a yearning to assimilate, when there’s so many reasons to instead celebrate our language.
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The film industry having a big recession forced me to question my identity as a creative person, and ignited me to start my own business, taking one of the biggest leaps of faith I’ve ever taken. This moment forced me to ask myself, what did I want to say in the world, how do I want to share my talent? It was a big opportunity and felt I had to honor the chance with a strong answer.
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The immigrant experience is as diverse and ever evolving as the vast amount of people that experience it. There’s no one way to understand it as it’s way too broad. I do wish people could get curious about who they interact with. Most possibly, whomever they’re talking to has a family member that immigrated from somewhere or is an immigrant themselves, when listening to other people a connection is being made, it stops being “us” versus “them”, and the “otherness” dissolves.
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I’d love to grow my community, share the beauty of my Andean roots with more people and see us overall more represented.
Connect with Javiera:
Website: www.javieravaras.com
Instagram: @javieravaraskids
Want more stories like this?
We’re creating a space where voices like Javiera’s can shine. Because every immigrant story deserves to be heard, not hidden. If you would like to be featured and share your story, please fill out our submission form at the bottom of our main blog page here.
