Gabriela Perezutti lives in New York City but her identity is deeply rooted in her Uruguayan ranching upbringing; her family lineage can be traced back over two hundred years to her native country located between Argentina and Brazil. Her style incorporates these equestrian and traditional gaucho influences and combines them with edgy elements inspired by the urban postmodern city in which she resides. Candela blends all these diverse elements into a truly unique creative direction and applies it to both ready-to-wear and shoes.

Gabriela attended the British School in Montevideo and for her undergraduate degree studied Communications at the ORT University of Uruguay. At age 21, she put her studies on hold to pursue an international modeling career working for renowned agencies, including next, and appearing on runways and in Italian Vogue. In 2004, the opportunity arose to collaborate artistically with two Latin partners, which ultimately resulted in the creation of a women’s ready-to-wear collection called Candela.

Candela began with the launch of a t-shirt line in Brooklyn nearly a decade ago. Gabriela at that time was a sales director at a major New York City Showroom. Soon Candela was the sole professional focus of her life and the business began to take off.

Since its initial launch, Candela has evolved into a unique brand blending gaucho influences and elements from modern urban life. Today it has expanded to both ready-to-wear and footwear. In 2009, during the recession, Candela’s business grew at high double-digit growth rates while footwear sales account for 60% of annual revenues. In light of this success, the company has focused on capitalizing on its target market, honing in on its clientele and continuing to produce high quality, affordable products for the contemporary shopper.

In July of 2010, Candela launched its e-commerce website and plans to open the first New York flagship store in 2012.

Gabriela is a mother and has 2 beautiful twin daughters, Mia and Olivia.