area . Many store regulars are hotel guests who shop while waiting for a spa treatment or when leaving a session .
“ We have built very strong relationships with them ,” Avellaneda says . “ We have a lot of returning customers .” Big Bang opened in February 2020 — a less-thanideal time given the COVID-19 pandemic closures that postponed her business from really taking off the following month . However , she was able to regain her footing by November 2020 when she could reopen .
Despite the protracted start due to the pandemic , Avellaneda said the store is breaking records each month . “ We learn the analytics of what people are liking ,” Avellaneda says . “ People find it a unique shopping experience . We double down on that uniqueness . Each time , we try to find even more hard-to-find items . Customers want to be surprised . They don ’ t want to shop for what everybody else has .”
Avellaneda ’ s goal is to have items from every country . She ’ s already off to a good start , with collections from Japan , India , Sri Lanka , Mongolia , Uzbekistan , Ukraine , Brazil , Argentina , Chile , Colombia , Mexico , Ecuador and much of Europe .
She discovers her items through extensive travel and research . In a phone interview from Argentina , Avellaneda noted that she is always searching , contacting designers , asking for recommendations and learning about others ’ design process .
“ I work to see if they ’ ll be a match for us ,” Avellaneda says . “ I sometimes find designers in markets . Many times , we are their only other point of sale , aside from wherever their own space is .”
One example of her handiwork and resourcefulness are the baskets and handbags she sells made of capim dourado , a fiber with a golden shine that ’ s exclusively from Brazil .
“ It ’ s very chic and durable , and it ’ s hard to find ,” Avellaneda explains . “ You really have to go and see it to appreciate it . This process puts everything in another context for all the hard work that goes into it .”
Avellaneda is a veteran of the retail and fashion industry . Her firm , Iridescent , specializes in creative brand strategy . Essentially , she and her team create a kind of “ universe bible ” by which a project has to live by .
“ We dream of ideas . We make them very solid and we bring them down to Earth ,” she says . “ We figure out how to deploy it and what our milestones are .”
Iridescent will envision the overall guest experience , concept , logo — everything .
Big Bang at Faena Miami Beach
Avellaneda has worked on stores for Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky , Montana ; Hotel Joaquin in Laguna Beach , California ; and Korakia Pensione in Palm Springs , California .
Currently , she ’ s working on another project but can ’ t reveal much detail just yet .
“ It ’ s a complete curation of a new way to experience a stay in a city ,” Avellaneda says . “ We are developing a new guest experience from the ground up .”
Her professional background has its roots in an eclectic upbringing with influences of world travel . Avellaneda ’ s mother , who she describes as gypsy-like , used to manufacture clothing in Bali .
So , a young Paula grew up spending time in Bali alongside her mother , as well as in Argentina , Brazil and Uruguay .
Avellaneda studied fashion design in Antwerp , Belgium , earning her bachelor ’ s in the subject and a master ’ s in visual arts . She described her educational experience as experimental and forward-thinking , not about traditional fashion .
She also moved to Paris to study management before relocating to London and starting a company that made outfits for musicians . Her work got shown in Paris .
Avellaneda also works in the bridal and couture industry , running business in both the U . S ., where she is based in the Miami area , and Argentina .
92 hotelsmag . com September 2022