Paz and Marcel - Founders of Tarta Gelatina.What were your backgrounds before Tarta Gelatina?
Our backgrounds are a mix of experiences, but the common thread has always been our passion for design. We both come from a graphic design background, which is why our work has a strong graphic and geometric character. Alongside that, we’ve also explored fields like photography, filmmaking, and marketing, all of which helped us bring Tarta Gelatina to life without the significant investment that most brands require when starting out.
Even as our team has slowly grown, we still do all of the photography, graphic design, and communications ourselves. We really enjoy the process, and it’s important to us that everything we share has our personal touch.
How did you two meet, and what's the story behind Tarta Gelatina?
We’re a couple, so that part came first, haha! Then, when the lockdown hit in 2020, we suddenly had a lot more free time outside of our full-time jobs. Marcel gifted me (Paz) a sewing machine for my birthday, and we started experimenting, making things like cushions and quilted blankets at home. We didn’t have a specific plan or moodboard, our designs were a playful and weird mix of different styles and we thought it was fun.
As we kept creating, the idea of turning those designs into something bigger began to take shape, although at first, we just called it our “project” rather than thinking we were starting a business. This process made us realize how well we worked together and inspired us to keep going.
Eventually, we connected with a small family-run workshop that could help with sewing and screen-printing. This collaboration allowed us to create samples of different and more interesting textiles. Suddenly, we had all these pieces on our hands, and it felt natural to try selling them, at least to cover what we’d invested. So why not create a small brand and see what happened? We quickly put together a logo, photographed the products at home, and launched a simple online shop through Instagram.
On our first day, we were thrilled to receive six orders. That moment confirmed we had something special, and the best part was how much we enjoyed every step.
To give some context, this whole journey took about eight months (from getting the sewing machine to launching the brand) during which we never stopped overthinking or analyzing a bit too much.
Paz & Marcel Home studio
Are there products you'd like to create but haven't found the right producer for yet?
We’re proud to have built strong relationships with some great manufacturers who can bring almost any crazy idea we come up with to life. And if they can’t make it happen, they’ll point us in the right direction. That said, we did try designing everyday bags in the past, but for some reason, it just didn’t work out. Creating something more three-dimensional and functional is a bit different from our usual process, so, for now, we’ve stuck to what we know best. But we’re definitely excited to create some cool bags in the future!
Paseo Towel by Tarta GelatinaSustainability is key to Tarta Gelatina, can you share more about your approach?
We know it’s challenging to manufacture products, ship them worldwide, and still call yourself a ‘sustainable brand.’ That’s why, from day one, we’ve committed to minimizing our environmental impact in every way we can. We avoid using plastic in any of our packaging and shipping materials, use only organic fibers in our products, and offer carbon offset shipping on all orders from our online shop.
While these initiatives may sound simple, they have a real positive impact. However, making them happen is a challenge, especially since sustainable practices are far from standard in the industry. Finding suppliers who share our values takes time, and plastic-free alternatives are often more expensive. Still, we’re proud to have made it work :)
Rugs, Throws, Napkins! Which product you are the proudest of?
Merienda Placemants - Tarta GelatinaIt’s really difficult to choose a favorite among your ‘children,’ but if we have to, we’d say our Merienda placemats for a few reasons. First, and the one we’re most proud of as designers, is that we managed to make many different colors work together nicely across a set of four placemats. Secondly, this product has become a best seller, and we love seeing how it fits smoothly into so many different interior styles. And lastly, it’s probably the simplest design we’ve ever made, we just added a small twist to the classic gingham pattern, and it worked.
What are your goals for Tarta Gelatina?
This might be the toughest question because we have so many ideas! In the near future, one of our goals is to start collaborating with independent artists. We’d love to design products together and create fun pieces that bring in visual styles beyond our own. But managing these kinds of collaborations takes time, and as a very small team, we haven’t been able to make it happen just yet.
Paseo BathmatAny advice for aspiring creators?
The most common issue we see among creatives building their own projects is overthinking every small decision and searching for that 'perfect' way to do things. This paralysis by analysis can really hold you back, especially when creating something new. We’ve always tried to avoid it by trusting our intuition and moving quickly onto something else before we have time to change our minds, and it’s worked beautifully.
So, our advice would be: take action first and refine as you go. You might make mistakes, but at least you’re making progress. Comedians call this “writing on stage”.
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