The lighting firm was founded in Argentina in the 1950s by brothers Jorge and Otto Landesberger. In its early years, they created modern design pieces in collaboration with international and local licenses. Among the prominent designers who collaborated by creating exclusive pieces were Martin Eisler, Susi Aczel, and, as part of the internal team, Jorge Glugsberg. During the 1960s and 1970s, Ilum presented versions of lighting fixtures in line with international trends of the time, such as Italian pop.