Céline Gaiardo is an Entrepreneur and Creative director with more than ten years of experience in the luxury and handmade sector, with expertise in artisan business development, project management, design and artisanal production, sourcing and partner management. Originally from France, Céline began her career as a junior textile designer at Louis Vuitton luxury house in Paris. A few years later, she relocated to Guatemala to develop textile collections for a weavers association, which inspired her to establish her own brand, COUTUME, in 2017. Over the past ten years, Céline collaborated closely with artisans from Guatemala and Mexico to craft artisanal home goods for North American and European markets.
Tradition. Art. Ethics. www.coutume.co Design studio. Modern home goods handcrafted in Mexico & and Guatemala • Ethical business development, management of multiple projects • Establishment and maintenance of artisan partnerships across Central America (15 groups, approx. 100 craftsmen, with 80% women) • Product design and development, coordination of on-site production, and quality control • International sales and management of customer relationships (B2B: shops & architects) • Showcasing collections at the Maison & Objet Paris trade show • Communication, content creation, storytelling, advertising, and web design • Purchasing, exports, pricing, logistics, and administrative tasks
Retail Store. Part-time. Luxury women’s RTW, made in the USA Part-time management of the Paris store while developing the COUTUME brand in a one-year incubator.
Association of Women Weavers. Handmade accessories and home goods . Design of handwoven textiles and finished products • Coordination of production with 35 Guatemalan traditional weavers (90% women) • Management of multiple projects and international client relationships • Implementation of social projects for the association • Sourcing of Fair Trade-certified and environmentally-friendly materials • Content creation, storytelling, and communication • Showcase of collections at NW CRAFT trade show in Guatemala
Design studio, Luxury Women’s RTW. Artistic Direction: Marc Jacobs . Textile design for the boutique, pre-collection, and fashion-show lines (mood boards, color palettes, collages, and pattern creation…) • Sourcing materials on PREMIÈRE VISION trade show, Paris (FR) • Coordination of samples and fabric production (jacquards, embroideries, laces & guipures, prints, etc.) • Fabric purchasing from international suppliers (France, UK, Italy, Japan) • Coordination of collections with all ready-to-wear departments (workshop, global production, bags, jewelry, knitwear…)
Design studio, Luxury Men’s RTW. Art Direction: Véronique Nichanian . Fabric development for the textile, sportswear, shirt, and knitwear departments. Coordination of the men’s fashion show.
Design studio, Luxury Men + Women’s RTW + Haute-Couture Art Direction: Gilles Rosier & Jean-Paul Gaultier • Coordination of the men’s fashion show, the women’s pre-collection, and the Haute-Couture show
Design studio, Luxury Men’s RTW Art Direction: Franck Boclet and NUMERO magazine • Casting, fittings, and coordination for the men's fashion show