We recently connected with VANIA ESCAURIZA GAGLIARDONE and have shared our conversation below.

VANIA, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I think success is a very complex word. I also believe it means different things to different people. In my understanding success is being able to be flexible to the different needs of the business and the people that you work with. It definitely requires a person with a strong character and a clear vision. Also is so important to know what you want but keep an open mind in the process. This is so important because sometimes things don’t go your way and you need to adapt and perhaps find a different path. You need to also be relentless, pretty much all day every day and you must keep looking forward always no matter what happens.

VANIA, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Since I was 8 years old, I knew that I wanted my own business. At the time, I didn’t know what the business was going to be, but, everything was a natural path for me. I was always surrounded by fashion – in a way that was very organic. My grandmother, Teresa, was a very elegant woman, and I spent a lot of time with her. She was, officially, the person who introduced me to leather and to the importance of quality and not quantity. By the time I was 20, I had an enormous background with design and also had vast experience as a jewelry buyer in Paraguay.
One day I saw an opportunity in creating a higher end bag – mixing leather and fabric – and at that exact moment, I instantly knew, this is it. I am, officially, starting my business by solving a quality problem.

Today, we create high end handcrafted fashion accessories – including fine jewelry, leather handbags, wallets, cowboy boots, belts – as well as soy candles, reed diffusers, and, most recently, skincare.

Our accessories solve the age-old problem for a client: How can I style my outfit? Answer: Vania & David. We also solve the conundrum of sustainability, as all of our products are created with the utilization of high quality and genuine materials – our candle containers, for example, are made of glass, our skincare packaging is recyclable, and, with proper use and care, all of our accessories are designed and created to last a lifetime, Vania & David is slow fashion.

Vania & David is set apart from others in that our products are handcrafted by Artisans whether in New York City, USA or Asuncion, Paraguay.

The thing that I am most proud of is that, for nearly 24 years, we have been able to support Artisans – which is a big accomplishment, as handcraftsmanship is becoming a lost art – it is nearly extinct – but it is lovely and it is rewarding. We utilize 100% American farmed soy wax in our candles – which are 100% soy wax as well. We are supporting American farmers. We are supporting Paraguayan Artisans. We are supporting American Artisans in New York City. It’s pretty cool.

How’d you meet your business partner?

While living on Long Island, in 2003, I was working as a waitress at an event place where people go for retirement parties or weddings. That day, they gave me David’s table to work on. Sometime later, he started to talk to me. He was very nice and charming – and smart and handsome! Eventually, we started dating and I was dreaming of him becoming my business partner. He finally asked me if he could be my business partner – in the summer of 2005 – in Paraguay! And, the rest, as they say, is history…

Have you ever had to pivot?

Since the very beginning of the business, I had the idea of doing wholesale. I actually still have an email – from like 18 years ago – where I asked David to send a letter Saks Fifth Ave. I always thought that we would get a big account and we would go from there. But, something very unexpected happened in 2014 – after a pop-up here in Buffalo, NY, we realized that we needed a physical store – where people can see and touch the pieces. Less than a month later, we signed a 3 year lease and opened our first Vania & David brick and mortar shoppe. Since opening our store, wholesale accounts are happening – little by little, but…still happening!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vaniaanddavid.com
• Instagram: @vaniaanddavid
• Facebook: @vaniaanddavid
• Linkedin: @vaniaanddavid
• Twitter: @vaniaanddavid
• Youtube: @vaniaanddavid
• Other: tiktok @vaniaanddavid