SHOPPING CART
Sigal De-Mayo
Founder, Director of Design & Creative Inspiration
I was born in Tel-Aviv, and grew up nurtured by the constant creativity of my mother who was an artist, and by the powerful European aesthetic of my father who is an architect. I have always felt inspired by the spaces surrounding me, and I am lucky to have been encouraged to respond to those spaces through my creativity.
I have always loved the cities of Israel and Europe and when I was growing up I dreamed of someday living in New York. After ten years as an Art Director for an Israeli advertising agency, I decided to go for it and moved to Brooklyn.
The incredible energy and spirit of my new home inspired me and I started giving ‘insider’ tours of New York,showing tourists the underground places that I had discovered, places that they might not find on their own. While the tours were very popular, I found real success with the promotional t-shirts I printed up with images from these places. People loved these images, images that I had created from from my own photos playing with the effects of light, color, tone and perspective so that the image reflected how a particular place had moved me, or what the space had inspired within me.
I began to experiment more with the photography and printing process and then with other items: printing the images onto leather and using them on bags, and all kinds of fantastic accessories. Before I knew it, I had developed a whole product line and people were stopping me on the street to ask where I got these things.
That was almost ten years ago. Looking back, I can see what a big moment that was for me. I thought I was promoting another business when I realized that what I really loved was creating something wearable inspired by the experience of being in a specific place. That’s when I founded Insiders1 and let my whole life change. Through Insiders1 I have been challenged to grow as an artist, I have met the people who have become my closest friends, and found the love of my life, my husband and business partner, Fabio Otalora.
Fabio and I are always talking about how even though we have this company, and there is a lot of work involved, it never feels like ‘work’ it really is our lifestyle. We get to explore the world and express the things we experience through our products. It is thrilling to create pieces that can make our customers feel happy, beautiful and sexy. That is how we like to feel too.
Sigal's Favorite Product
THE WORLDLY GOODS TOTE
This has been my everyday bag for 7 years now. It’s perfect for carrying a little or a lot. The padded handles keep it comfortably on my shoulder and there is always room for more. I’ll never get rid of it!
.