Gabriela Perezutti, “Gabi” to those near and dear, may live in New York City now, but her identity roots deeply to her childhood home, a ranch in Uruguay. With a family lineage dating back over two hundred years in her native country, Gabi’s style incorporates traditional equestrian and gaucho influences, but blends in the edgier elements of the postmodern city she now calls home. Gabi attended the British School in Montevideo and earned her undergraduate degree in Communications at the ORT University of Uruguay. At 21, she put her studies on hold to pursue an international modeling career – signing with renowned agencies like NEXT Models, appearing on various runways and Vogue Italia pages. In 2004, the opportunity to collaborate with two Latin design partners arose and Candela was born. At the time, Gabi was the sales director of a major New York City showroom and the line was a simple collection of t-shirts. Soon, however, it became the sole professional focus of her life and the business took off. Candela has since evolved into a unique women’s ready-to-wear line and footwear collection full of interesting juxtapositions – ripe with gaucho sway and signs of modern urban life. Gabi lives in the West Village with her husband and her beautiful twin daughters. She is a CFDA member.
