Five Questions with Laura
Say hi to Hito's founder Laura.
Who is really Laura?
Laura is the founder. She’s colombian-born, london-based, but her heart belongs to Paris. Trained in product design engineering, grounded in fine arts, and armed with a masters in visual communication, she describes her background as a useful melting pot. A curious soul through and through. During our chat, she confessed a love for writing and also numbers, an instinctive balance of art and analysis that runs through everything Hito creates.
What motivated you to start Hito?
Together with Antonia Zapata, in 2019, they envisioned a universe where food, art, and design converge to create sensorial and artistic experiences in Medellín, something that, at the time, was missing in Colombia. Their goal was to begin in Colombia and eventually expand their vision globally, sharing Colombian taste in design, art, and cuisine with the world.
How has it evolved? And what’s next for Hito?
They used to do a lot of superclubbing, but today Hito is more service-oriented. Currently, what Laura loves the most is bringing brand projects to life with her own twist, always supporting the team, working with locals (everywhere she goes), keeping it human, and letting curiosity pull her into research deep dives.
She sees herself bringing her Latin American spice and passion for design and art across Europe and Asia.
What’s a wrong misconception people usually get about Hito?
That we are caterers. Hito is about design, and food is their muse. They design experiences and services around it. But not just food.
Where does the name Hito come from?
The first inspiration came from a curiosity to see how “person” was translated in Japanese. Because, as designers, we were inspired by their culture and how well they played with the synergy of food, art, and design. It turned out to be “Hito” 人. And also, it literally means milestone in Spanish. The perfect combo. We wanted to create memorable moments for people, making them unique personal milestones.
So that is how a Hito came to be.
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Interviewer:
Salo - Hito’s Digital Comms