The name of Ramya Giangola’s company tells you all you need to know about how she feels about the events of the last year. As the founder of the fashion retail consultancy Gogoluxe, Giangola was used to nonstop visits to clients in the U.S., Asia and South America between rounds of European fashion weeks. For upwards of 16 months she didn’t leave California, where she relocated her family from New York, renting places around Montecito for beachy remote-schooling. “At first there was a bit of novelty: I can be at home and slow down and not have to be packing a bag every other week!” she recalls. “Then I got stir crazy.”
Finally, in July, the family booked tickets for France, starting with five days in Paris, where “there were so few international tourists you could walk right up to the Mona Lisa in the Louvre,” Giangola says, eating at Le Duc, her favorite seafood restaurant in the 4th arrondissement, “where I always see someone crazy like Miuccia Prada.” Then they flew south for a few days at La Colombe d’Or in St. Paul de Vence, “one of our favorite places in the world, full of art, but so chill: you look up and you’re standing right next to a Picasso.” The family parked themselves in place, spending their days visiting the Fondation Maeght and the new Fondation CAB, and unwinding on the beach at Cap d’Antibes.
Of course, Giangola has continued to work most of the time. In June, she and friends from the fashion world launched the wine label El Vino. The wines are made by a female winemaker from Valle de Guadalupe, with labels and lifestyle accoutrements—from ceramics to sweatshirts—created by a rotating roster of international artists, starting with the Marrakesh studio Lrnce. And she’s now a partner in her former client Kika Vargas’ line, helping extend the brand of the Bogota-based designer, who was recently nominated for the LVMH prize.
Just as the travel industry has changed dramatically in the past year, Giangola says that retail is shifting in unexpected ways. “I do think people are craving a tactile experience since we’ve been home and shopping online. People want to shop again, but it has to be an experience: going into a department store and seeing a bunch of clothes on a rack isn’t going to do it. It could be centered around food or art — an experience where people can have an interesting, unique moment. And if they end up buying something, that’s great. It’s more about bringing people together versus just pushing product.” As to what they’re buying, she says that people “are over being pragmatic and practical – they want some fantasy in their shopping.” Her new motto? “Fun and less.” She shares a few thoughts on summer style.
Christine Muhlke: How has your summer style changed this year?
Ramya Giangola: I wouldn’t say that it’s changed much sartorially — I’ll still be packing my requisite dresses from Vita Kin, Pippa Holt and Natalie Martin.
What’s the one piece of clothing and one accessory you never travel without in summer?
Dresses from Vita Kin and my straw bag from Loewe.
How do you handle laundry when you travel?
Definitely hand-wash my Erès lingerie and swimwear!
Who is a designer or artisan you’ve discovered abroad that you’ve brought back?
I love this Chinese designer, Min—Miss Min. I’ve been to visit her atelier a few times in Xiamen—she has a huge footprint in China but hasn’t crossed over to the west.
Which city or country has the best summer style?
Mexico and Thailand
What’s your favorite summer hotel or rental?
The more obscure, the better! And Colombe d’Or, for sure.
What’s the taste of summer—the one you look forward to all year?
Small summer strawberries and rosé Champagne.
Which summer holiday are you most nostalgic for?
Snorkeling in Maui at any age.
THE TRUST QUESTIONNAIRE
Where will your next vacation be?
The big island of Hawaii, to visit my parents.
The thing you can’t travel without?
My family.
When were you happiest while traveling?
In Japan with my husband and daughter in the spring of 2019.
If you could live at any hotel, which would it be?
The Aman Tokyo.
The place/trip that challenged you most?
Backpacking around India with a girlfriend before business school.
The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling?
Home-cooked Indian dinner at family friends’ house in Malabar Hill in Mumbai.
The strangest place you’ve spent a night?
Thirupati Temple in Southern India in an extremely rustic room (read: no toilet), waking up at 3 a.m. to be ready for an intense 5-hour private puja ceremony.
What is your favorite market in the world?
I love the Hollywood farmer’s market on Sundays for the sheer variety of veggies and fruits presented from all up and down California. The bounty is exquisite!
What are your showoff spots in your hometown?
Hollywood farmer’s market (see above), Spellbound Sky for crystals and good vibes, The Brothers Sushi for the best omakase outside of Tokyo, RTH for the most soulful clothes-shopping experience (recently relocated to Palm Springs).
If you could travel to any place in any epoch, which would it be?
Rajasthan during the 1920s.
In which places would you happily spend a weekend, a week, a month, and a year and why?
Mauna Kea for the beach (a weekend) Puglia for food and sea (a month) Tokyo for food, shopping and art (a year)
Where are you embarrassed that you’ve never been?
Australia!
RAMYA GIANGOLA’S ESSENTIAL MONTECITO
Relocating to this Santa Barbara-area enclave during the pandemic, she added these addresses to her routine.
Our favorite beach is really called Fernald Point Beach, but we call it Posalipo. It’s a great little beach at the end of Posalipo Lane, just down the road from the Rosewood Miramar Hotel. There’s not a lot of parking, so there’s not a big crowd.
Summerland has become a fun little new area with a few great home stores, thanks to all the people who’ve been snapping up and renovating the homes originally built for offshore oil refinery workers. Garde just opened a beautiful branch, and Field + Fort also has a really yummy cafe that’s great for breakfast and lunch.
Montecito Country Mart is now home to Clic and Clare Vivier, as well as Bettina restaurant.
San Ysidro Ranch is so magical and beautiful for a meal or to walk around the grounds.
The Funk Zone near downtown Santa Barbara is really fun, with lots of wine-tasting rooms. Pierre Lafond is a great deli and market. They have their own wine, which they produce in the county. And we always stop by Mollusk surf shop.
