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[title]Carla Di Sí is a hallmark of Palermo Soho. She set up shop on the cobbled Gurruchaga street when the area was transitioning from a residential neighborhood to the hub of fashion and design in Buenos Aires. The best part? This happened over 20 years ago. Today, Carla and her store remain as relevant as they were back then thanks to the quality and originality of "her Carlas" and the friendly, expert service of her team.
We chatted with Carla about her role as an entrepreneur, her goals for the upcoming year, and took the opportunity to ask her for tips on choosing the right eyeglasses.
What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur and businesswoman?
Well, being an entrepreneur is part of my DNA. It’s in me. I like to act, take action, and solve problems. As for being a businesswoman, what I love the most is the awareness of being part of a huge mechanism and being able to impact other people. Whether it's by providing jobs, making a product that people choose to consume, or maintaining good relationships with suppliers. In reality, the human aspect is what interests me most about being a businesswoman—being part of a big productive machine.
"Being an entrepreneur is part of my DNA"
What do you enjoy least?
The least enjoyable part is handling the mandatory and non-delegable operational tasks. But honestly, it’s a very small percentage of all my activities, and I see it as the price that entrepreneurs or independent people have to "pay" to have that autonomy. So, I take it well.
What are the main challenges of being an entrepreneur and businesswoman in Argentina?
I happen to be hopelessly and blindly in love with Argentina. Blindly, which is great for what I do! (laughs) So, I tolerate things about the country that can sometimes be hard to tolerate, knowing that I chose to live in Argentina many years ago with all that it entails. It has its difficulties and incredibly beautiful aspects, so I always try to see the positives. Although it can be tough, there’s always a way to work things out: Argentina has a particularity that I've noticed over the 20 years I’ve been in business. It's like being in an ocean, where you’re a surfer waiting for the next wave. When the bad waves come, you have to ride it out, but when the good waves come, if you know how to catch them, it’s fantastic. I think all Argentine entrepreneurs are used to this—surfing both good and bad waves. We never get bored in this country; there's always something to learn, and it’s incredibly challenging, which can also be enriching. I prefer to focus on the enriching aspects of this context.
"I'm hopelessly and blindly in love with Argentina"
What’s the secret to lasting successfully for so long in Argentina?
The secret is perseverance. And in order to fuel that perseverance, you have to love what you do. You have to be convinced that what you’re doing is worth it. For me, it’s very worth it to make beautiful glasses for people, and that’s my big motivation. The impact I mentioned earlier, how with a product you can make someone’s life better, that’s truly a huge motivator for me. It’s the engine that has kept me going all this time, even through tough moments when I’ve thought about closing the business because the numbers weren’t adding up… However, there was always a spark that kept me persevering and pushing forward. And here we are. I’m happy to have taken that path and I don’t regret it.
What is your role today at Carla Di Sí?
Carla Di Sí is still a micro business, a very small company, where many things come through me. Although it’s true that I struggle to delegate, over the years I’ve learned to build good teams. So, I have a great team that I can trust. This allows me to have a more strategic role, to focus more on creativity and business development, on how to see the brand and where I want to take it. I believe this is very enriching for everyone who works with me and for the customers as well because it helps us respond better and offer better products and new ideas.
"I have a great team I can trust"
How do you see yourself as a team leader?
You’d have to ask the team, but I can tell you how I think they see me and how I’d like them to see me. I think sometimes I can be a bit chaotic, and that’s why I rely on the order of the people who work with me. I think they see me as someone very energetic, always bringing new ideas or proposing things, and also asking for their input and listening to their proposals. I also think they see me as someone full of life and energy. On my end, I’d like them to see me as someone who gives them security, who inspires them, and as a person who respects their time and ways of doing things.
Additionally, it nourishes me to have people different from me in the team. It challenges me. It also nourishes me to interact with the team, especially because they’re all incredibly good people. That’s key because I always say that the rest can be learned. Going back to what I said earlier, I’d like them to see me as someone who listens to them, who gives them space, and I’d like them to know that they inspire me a lot. They truly nourish me by being close and sharing ideas.
What advice would you give to someone buying eyeglasses at your store?
I would tell them to set aside everything they’ve heard, to pause all the advice they’ve received, and to listen to what we have to offer. I have a very well-trained optical team, fully capable of advising on not only frames but also ophthalmic lenses and how they can improve a person’s vision. We bring a different perspective on how to relate to glasses, one that they may not have known before. So, it’s great to pause all the prejudices or information they’ve gotten elsewhere, listen to what we have to share, and then decide. Of course, the final decision is always theirs.
"We bring a different perspective on how to relate to glasses"
As for eyeglasses, our goal is to ensure that with our glasses, people see incredibly well. That’s only achieved by putting the right ophthalmic lenses in the frames. It’s not the same frame with lens X as it is with the right one. With the lenses we recommend, the user experience is completely different, and that’s what we aim for. We say we want “los Carla” to become super glasses, and for that, the choice of lenses is crucial. I can confidently say that we’ve become experts in this area.
What makes the right pair of glasses?
I have a simple criterion: if the person puts the glasses on, looks in the mirror, and unconsciously smiles, it’s the right pair! The glasses move something inside—they belong on the face. They’re part of our identity, even if we don’t think of them that way. But it’s inevitable; they’re an object that’s very present in people’s lives.
What are your plans for Carla Di Sí in 2025?
We’ve just launched a new brand called Tupé by Carla Di Sí. We launched it in October, and it’s brand new, so for 2025, the plan is to grow Tupé, and as for Carla, there will be many new things, surprises, and new designs. So, I’m very focused on that. I also hope that in 2025 we can expand, either within Argentina or internationally.
And for you?
As for me, I want to keep feeding and nourishing the immense happiness I get from doing what I do and keep passing on this passion to my daughter. She’s 17, and next year will be her last year of high school. After that, she’ll decide what to explore next, so I don’t know, I hope I can be an inspiration for her. And I want to keep being happy and spreading happiness to the people around me.
Where: Gurruchaga 1677, Palermo. Online store: carladisi.com