Women's History Month Spotlight: Jane Ibarra, VP Fabric R&D

In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of the amazing women who work with us. We are incredibly proud to be a company that is largely women-led. As part of this celebration, we're excited to spotlight Jane Ibarra , VP Fabric R&D at Madewell .

We asked her a few questions. Keep reading to find out what she had to say.

Q: How do you empower yourself and the women around you?

JI: Learning, listening, and supporting each other. It is essential for me to listen and learn—giving others the opportunity to have the platform to be heard is incredibly important to me.  Both personally and professionally it is imperative to have a strong support system; I surround myself with people who support me, and I believe I give that same support in return.   

Q: What does the celebration of Women’s History Month mean to you?

JI: While I really do appreciate that women are recognized during this month, I do look forward to the time when everyone regardless of race, gender or ethnicity are recognized daily.  We have come far but can continue to push to be celebrated even more.  

Q: What type of inspiration do you hope to share with all women in your life?

JI: I hope to show that there are no limits to what we can do as women.  Live out your dreams, believe in yourself, take risks, and know you have the power to do anything that you want to do.  Think of your life as a movie and make it a movie you want to watch.

Q: If you could tell a younger you one thing, what would it be? 

JI: Smile and laugh more, and always try to be more interested than interesting.   

Q: What is one piece of advice from a woman that has stuck with you over the years?

JI: So much of who I am is from my mom—she taught me a lot, but one of the many things was to be myself and that the challenge is not to be perfect; it's to be whole.