We were lucky to catch up with Sophia Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Sophia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Our vision is to create a connected, united and inclusive world by embracing diversity through art and design by building a global brand that encompasses products, services, education and experiences. We are paving the road to socially conscious luxury, one handmade product at a time.
We are on a mission to redefine what luxury is and where it comes from.
Having lived in South America for most of my life, I would see these artisans make these beautiful handmade pieces, however their problem was not knowing how to sell outside of their local community. The second problem I saw, was when designing for high end residential projects with other interior designers, the problem we faced is that the furniture industry is saturated with mass produced items that all look alike and have no story, no diversity. I saw an opportunity to merge both worlds.
Every year, craftsman have to retire their skill because of mass production. We represent those craftsmen who are under-valued and unappreciated and give them a platform to showcase their talent and technique to the world. By combining modern designs with traditional craftsmanship techniques we are able to bring forth a unique collection of items that will appeal to design and social conscious consumers.
Sophia, 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?
My name is Sophia Clark and I am the Founder and Creative Director of Galiatea. Galiatea was founded with diversity, connection and social impact in mind: it provides design conscious consumers with luxury handmade furniture, home decor, fashion and accessories by under-represented artisans globally using locally sourced sustainable materials. We are paving the road to socially conscious luxury, one handmade product at a time.
Several experiences brought me to this point of my career. When I was 16, my family traveled to the Baltic region and we stayed in Sweden. When I walked into our hotel room in Sweden, I was overwhelmed. It was the first time in my life that all my 5 senses were immediately captivated and engaged! Lightning, smell, touch, perfect symphony of colors…it was simply mind-boggling. I remember that feeling of being completely comfortable and at ease even though the space was so beautifully designed with each detail harmoniously blending its function and its aesthetic. To this day it was the best night sleep I have ever had! I immediately knew that I wanted to create spaces that made people feel like this every time they entered into their own home. Places that made them feel completely comfortable, at ease of being themselves while still being functional and aesthetically stunning. That connection between space and pure inner joy is what has driven me ever since. So it is no surprise that I studied interior design and went to Florence Italy to complete my Master (and to learn Italian).
One of the highlights of my stay was attending Salone del Mobile. After such a visit, I went to visit my parents in Brazil and we left to tour a small Brazilian village called Tiradentes in the region of Minas de Gerais. I had just unpacked in the rustic Brazilian bed and breakfast inn and decided to go on a stroll in the small town. Lined up in front of the doors of the shops (which doubled as the artisans’ houses on the second floor) were small tables covered with handmade souvenirs. I ventured inside one of those tiny stores, hearing the sound of an artisan at work and suddenly faced several huge Divino de Espiritu Santo, white sculptures representing a dove surrounded by a halo of the most intricate woodwork. Stunning, breathtaking! I was totally enthralled by these works of art and realized all of a sudden how seldom I had been overwhelmed lately by decoration items…and yet I had just finished attending Salon del Mobile in Milan! The magnificent displays of Italian furniture and accessories, although impressive, had not moved me the same way those unique handcrafted items had, those exhibition booths were all blurry in my memory. On the contrary, those Brazilian pieces by those skilled artisans had a soul, a story, an authenticity that truly touched me. The use of locally sourced material made each creation so original and genuine: a lamp mounted on a magnificent quartz, a massive lion emerging from a huge tree trunk… I experienced those feelings of wonder over and over again as I went down that small village road, and it changed me. I suddenly wanted to tell the world about those humble artisans with their amazing savoir faire passed down through generations. I wanted their works of art displayed in the luxurious residences filled with sterile pieces. I wanted decorators to acknowledge that mass produced accessories will never produce the awe and warmth one gets at gazing at those handcrafted one-of a kind creations.
A quote from Albert Hadley came to my mind: “Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one’s well-being.” I suddenly understood better this quote. Those artistic pieces could nourish one’s soul, could distil in one’s heart a love for that story, for that culture, for that identity, a love for what is genuinely human in a world created by machines “made in China”.
As a designer, we promise to create a space that reflects one’s personality. A human space, a living space with a heart, a space provoking emotions and sensations. And yet to fill this space, we have only machine-made items, soulless products that resemble one another. Pretty certainly, interesting rarely but breathtaking never.
I decided to go through Peru on my way back. I got lost again far away from the trinkets and the souvenirs and was amazed by the talents of the Peruvian artisans. Here again, I was fascinated by some of the locally-sourced materials such as Alpaca, a fur that is just as soft and exquisite as any in the market and yet completely acceptable in our age of time since no animal is killed to obtain it (it is a crime to kill an Alpaca in Peru and the hides can only come from dead animals).
As I finally returned home to Florence, Italy, I continued feeling that need to create a place for those artisans voices to be heard and for their art to be seen.
This was the birth of Galiatea: from a love of Mother Earth (Gaia) and for beauty (Galatea, the muse of art created by Pygmalion as the perfect woman and the representation of the perfect work of art). Galiatea is a fusion of cultures and styles with the intention to create one-of-a-kind pieces for interior designers and their clients. Our team connects our customers with those unique products and connects interior designers to artisans globally, enabling them to curate and design luxury custom handmade furniture and home décor.
We believe we can merge the traditional techniques handed down from generation to generation and apply them to contemporary designs while using locally sourced sustainable exotic materials. In our efforts to reduce waste, environmental impact and to fulfill on our vision of creating one of a kind pieces, all of our furniture and home décor items are made to order and custom, so that all of our clients are able to create their piece based on their desired specifications.
Because we are who we are thanks to our artisans, we want to give back to these communities too often marginalized and forgotten. It is difficult to imagine some of their struggles. What is it like to live high in the Andes where the cold feels like it is chilling your very bones? When your child can only go to school if he or she has school supplies? We are committed that 10% of our profits go back to these artisan communities in the form of educational supplies, continued education and infrastructure development, so that artisans not only survive, but thrive thanks to their art.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
I started researching, traveling and reaching out to artisans all over the world. We started in Peru with alpaca fur cushions, that were treated differently than the average alpaca skin, completely removing the smell, and softening the skin with a German patented process. This is the perfect fur for all animal lovers since no animal is killed to provide the fur. My Italian Masters in Interior and Furniture Design came into play and I created numerous furniture pieces covered with alpaca furs. I continued my travel and in Brazil got connected with a very unique group of artisans that produced contemporary designs with luxurious details (parchment…) that looked breathtaking. In addition, I was fascinated by the treatment of rustic roots recreated into tables, chairs, etc… Similarly, I became connected with artisans in Laos, Nepal, Turkey, Cambodia, Uganda and Rwanda. I am continually looking to expand and reach artisans from around the world I am hoping as the years pass that more and more artisans from all parts of the world (my next destination being Asia) will join us, presenting these unique pieces with a soul and a story to the world.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I was about to go and sign up for a brand new showroom location in New York. It was March 2020. Do I need to say more? I quickly pivoted and decided to launch an e-commerce store with our best-selling items available to the public for purchase, with the added benefit of offering at a very low price interior design service for clients purchasing our products ( service for one room up to three rooms) . We also established a trade program exclusive to our interior designer clients where they would receive discounts and early access to new product launches. Now that life seems to return back to normal, the next step is again to open a +5,500 sqft fabulous showroom in the newest development in Houston- Autry Park. This new showroom will not only expose the furniture and home decor but we will expand our catalog to include fashion and accessories while also providing a place of gathering around unique coffees of the world, special international delicacies, and much much more making it a lifestyle flagship showroom that is unique in Houston.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.galiatea.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galiateacollection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galiateacollection
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/galiatea
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Galiatea1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPzkMh3N2Aec2DxXouBy2zg
- Other: https://anchor.fm/galiatea
Image Credits
Galiatea Inc