La Vie en Vogue

Alumnus lives American dream as part of world’s top fashion magazine

By Annie Rhoades

Chatting with models during an afternoon of go-sees, conference calling with his teams in Mexico and China and wrapping up the day on the set of a photo shoot are all in a day’s work for alumnus Ignacio Murillo (BAJ 14), global talent casting director for Vogue magazine.

“It’s funny because people somehow think that [our office] is kind of like the movie [‘The Devil Wears Prada’],” Murillo says. “Vogue recently did a TikTok of [the office staff] and randomly asked us things like who has the best style in the office? A lot of the comments people left were based on [the movie] saying that we have horrible style, or the office is white and boring. It’s so funny how everyone perceives that it’s like [the movie].”

While Murillo’s days are filled with highly coveted couture and celebrity encounters, the first few months of his life in New York City were not quite so glamorous.

“I moved here on July 4, 2014, with two lovely suitcases and $400,” he recalls. “I had a lovely friend that let me crash on her couch. I had no job, no plan, no nothing — but I just kind of knew that this is where I wanted to come and give it a shot.”

In arguably one of the world’s most fast-paced, competitive cities, Murillo heard a lot of nos. At times, dealing with repeated rejection was difficult.

“I was trying to find internships and jobs, and at the same time I was working jobs just to earn money so I could keep paying my friend some sort of money so she wouldn’t kick me off of her couch,” Murillo laughs. “It’s very hard to find a job in New York, particularly if you don’t live there already and aren’t available for in-person interviews.

“The first six months were very hard. It was a struggle trying to decide if I even had enough money to eat. Some days I had enough money to buy a $5 Subway footlong sandwich, and I had to split it into three parts: breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was super challenging, but I just knew I had to try it. I moved with no plans.”

Mississippi bound

An immigrant and first-generation college graduate, Murillo found the stakes were high for him to succeed and make his family proud.

“I was born in Zamora [Michoacán, Mexico], and my family and I moved to Horn Lake when I was 10 years old,” he says. “I’m the first one in my family to go to college. For us it was all about coming to this country and getting this amazing opportunity. I always thought I needed to be a doctor, lawyer or teacher — something that gave you a secure income.”

After attempting pre-med studies during his freshman year, Murillo quickly learned that medicine was not his forte. He instead turned his attention to the School of Journalism and New Media and found his niche.

Murillo smiles with cover subject Taylor Swift.

“I always had a passion for photography, art and fashion, but I never considered it as a career,” he says. “It was in Journalism 101 that I discovered I could be more than just a writer, so I got really interested in that. That’s what led me to change my major to journalism.”

Miss and now is working [for Vogue] in NYC. That’s a true American dream, and he’s known he was going to achieve this since childhood.

“There is no limit for Ignacio. I’m just happy I get to witness his rise and enjoy his successes with him for years to come.”

Tweet me

After pounding the pavement and filling out numerous job applications during his first year in New York City, Murillo tried a different approach that he hoped would catch the eye of a VIP in the industry.

“I had my first-ever job interview with Vogue, and I was told no,” he says. “Then I started tweeting Laura Brown who was the executive editor at Harper’s Bazaar [magazine] at the time. She later became the editor-in-chief of InStyle [magazine] and now has her own business.

A member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Class and photographer for Ole Miss Athletics and The Daily Mississippian, Murillo thrived in his newfound passion.

“I had the most amazing experience being an intern/student worker for the Athletics Office,” he says. “I got to experience a lot of Ole Miss sports in general from a different type of perspective than a fan, which to me was a little more special. I also used to photograph for The Daily Mississippian. Watching games through a camera lens on the field was so memorable.”

Friend and former UM classmate Paul Belsome (BBA 16) counts Murillo as a “top-tier friend” with an incredible work ethic.

“Ignacio’s work ethic is borderline intimidating,” Belsome says. “He was constantly filling his schedule with projects, work and events. His origin story is almost super heroic — born in Mexico, immigrated to Mississippi, goes to Ole

On set with Julia Roberts in California for the Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot

“I started tweeting funny memes at her of how this could be us if I was your intern type of thing, but she was not responding to any of my tweets. I eventually did one that she liked, and she said call my office.”

Those tweets led to a four-monthlong internship with Harper’s Bazaar before landing a permanent gig with the magazine as a photo assistant and later assistant photo editor.

“Every year I kept climbing the ranks and getting promoted,” Murillo says. “I eventually became their bookings and visual production director in 2019.”

One of the perks of working for a high-profile fashion magazine is getting to meet a few famous faces along the way.

“When I was at Bazaar , part of my job was to be the vision director, so I oversaw every cover shoot and photo shoot,” Murillo recalls. “I got to meet a

in Vogue

“I basically oversee models for American Vogue and other territories like Vogue Mexico, Latin America and APAC, which is essentially Asia, China, Japan and India,” Murillo says. “My role is global, so I meet with teams in different territories and countries. I also collaborate with photographers and editors.

Murillo and his favorite artist, Bad Bunny, in Puerto Rico for his last shoot for Harper’s Bazaar

“Some days I meet a lot of models on go-sees where they come and see me, and I get to meet with them for a few minutes. It’s a packed day of meeting people and models, and my role is finding the models for each photo shoot.”

His initial assignment for the magazine was casting models for Vogue ’s first-ever fashion show celebrating its 130th anniversary during New York Fashion Week.

“For the celebration, we did a show called Vogue World,” Murillo says. “I got to cast the runway show and book says. “It’s so interesting, on some days I might get to talk to a model that grew up in Africa or China. I like getting to have a conversation with them about their life in their country, what their dreams and goals are and why they wanted to be a model.”

According to Samantha Short, friend and former co-worker at Harper’s Bazaar, Murillo is full of “sheer, raw talent,” who can achieve whatever he wants.

“That’s something you can’t fake through connections or even learn along the way,” Short says. “But it’s not just his talent that defines his success. Ignacio is the kind of person you’ll always want to root for. He is unapologetically himself in every room he walks in, not in a conceited way but in a sincere way where he simply doesn’t know how to be anyone else.” lot of those cover subjects like Taylor Swift, Cardi B, J.Lo, Julia Roberts and Serena Williams.

While it took grit and determination to get to where he is, Murillo isn’t surprised by the path his career has taken.

“I’ve always had it in my head that I was going to be here, but I just didn’t know at what point or how I would get here,” he says. “No matter what I was doing, I wanted to reach the top. I think having passion and working hard will get you noticed and get you to the place you want to be.

“But [the best] was Bad Bunny because he’s my favorite artist of all time. I went to Puerto Rico to be on set for my last photo shoot, which was the cover of Bad Bunny for Bazaar. That was super special all-around for me to close that eight-year chapter in my life with my favorite artist.”

During those eight years, another magazine kept calling.

At Vogue’s office in New York City

“I had [more] job interviews [with Vogue ], but I never was able to secure one,” he says. “It started affecting me a lot because the more that I got the opportunity to interview there, the more I wanted it.” all the models. It was probably the most rewarding project I’ve ever done because I’ve never done a show before. It was an exciting process learning all the ins and outs of a show.”

Murillo’s persistence and interest in working for the magazine paid off when he landed the position of global talent casting director for Vogue in June 2022.

While his days are filled rubbing elbows with the fashion elite, Murillo counts all the daily people-to-people interactions as the thing he loves most about his job.

Murillo celebrates the new year in Chinatown.

“Everything goes back to people,” he

“My mom always said to me that if you work hard, you’ll get what you want. I always wanted to work at Vogue , so much so that I never got to enjoy what I had at the moment. So, for the first time, it feels nice to be in the present and not worried about my next step.”