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Meet Claudia and Flavia Giardinella, Founders of artTECA

With a unique heritage from both Latin America and Europe, Claudia and Flavia Giardinella were exposed to international art and culture at an early age. Art museums, art galleries and the theater played an important role in their lives growing up, carrying an influence into their career choices in arts management and fundraising. As two busy women with careers, they immediately saw a vacancy for clothing and accessories that were comfortable, sophisticated, and unique that could be worn to a business meeting then off to a lunch date. They decided to bring together their passion and expertise in fashion and art and create a brand that was like nothing ever before. Founded in 2015, artTECA boosts a beautifully curated collection of limited edition pieces, each made of luxurious fabrics and printed with exclusive contemporary art.

 

 


 

 

 

My first job ever was…

Flavia – At El Museo del Barrio NYC

Claudia – At Telemundo Television

 

We decided to be entrepreneurs because… We wanted to create something new and different.

 

Our proudest accomplishment is… Having our own business and an amazing team of hardworking women.

 

Our boldest move to date was… Leaving our jobs and starting a business.

 

We surprise people when we tell them… Our ages. They usually think we are 10 years younger.

 

Our best advice to people starting a business is… Research the industry and look for mentors and people that have the experience you are lacking.

 

Our best advice from a mentor was… Have patience. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster of emotions, but you have to have patience and keep moving forward. Rome was not built in a day.

 

“Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster of emotions, but you have to have patience and keep moving forward. Rome was not built in a day.”

 

We would tell our 20-year old selves… Don’t worry, everything works out for the better, even though it might take a while and you are going through a rough time. Breathe.

 

Our biggest setback… Was the first 6 to 8 months of the business.

 

We overcame it by… Working hard and telling ourselves to have patience.

 

Work/life balance is… Hard. You have to think of the priorities at that specific moment and then be at peace with your decision.

 

If you googled us, you still wouldn’t know… We love to bake.

 

We stay inspired by… Working around creative people and giving ourselves some time to enjoy friends, coffee and drinks to give our minds a break.

 

The future excites us because… We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish and show our children that if you work hard and have the right mindset and education you can be successful.

 

Our next step is… To keep creating unique pieces and help expose more children in low-income communities to art and art education. Being successful without helping our community is not worth it to us.