A powerhouse in her own right, Isabela Rangel Grutman is an incredibly busy woman. The 31-year-old influencer, founder, and entrepreneur from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, has a LinkedIn profile longer than a CVS receipt. After getting her start as a model with Wilhelmina at just 18, she’s steadily built out a robust portfolio of obligations. For starters, she works alongside her husband, David, as a concept designer at Groot. “We’re partners in everything, and it’s good to do things together,” Isabela said of their working relationship.
Outside of her work within the family business, she’s also the CEO, founder, and designer behind two namesake brands of her own, a clothing line called Rangel and a jewelry line called Isa Grutman. To top it off, she’s also the vice president of the Miami-based philanthropy Style Saves and a partner for IGK Hair, and she recently starred in a Prime Video docuseries called The CEO Club that followed female founders like herself, Serena Williams, and Winnie Harlow.
Boardroom caught up with Isabela in late April at her and David’s modern home in Miami to talk about juggling her various roles while making time for her family, what she loves about design, and her TV debut.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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Boardroom: There’s a lot on your plate! Can you walk me through what a typical day in your life is like right now?
Isabela Grutman: So, a typical day starts with taking the kids to school. I prep them breakfast. I wake up at 7:00 a.m., take them to school, and then I come back home, work out, and then I start my work. During the day, I’m in between the jewelry brand, the clothing brand, and the charity, but most of the time I’m designing new pieces for the jewelry brand because I feel like it’s the one that’s requiring the most out of me right now.
How did you become interested in jewelry design? Where do you find inspiration for your collections?
I always loved jewelry. I remember as a kid going through my grandmother’s jewelry and my mother’s as well. It was always a big passion of mine, and I studied fashion design. First, I opened my fashion line, which is Rangel. And I still felt like I needed to do more. So that’s how I started my jewelry brand. It started as just a small little passion project, but now it’s becoming bigger and bigger every day.
How is designing for your jewelry line different from designing apparel?
[With jewelry] I can design one special item, and the clothing I have to set up a whole collection. The jewelry is a little easier. I can launch separate items every week.
You recently worked with Aryna Sabalenka’s fiancé, Georgios Frangulis, to design her engagement ring. Can you tell me a little bit about that process?
So it started because Georgios called me and he was like, “I’m thinking to propose,” and I was so happy for them because they’re a great couple, and I really admire them. Georgios and I started talking about the way that she is—she loves bigger pieces, and she loves super-modern design, but then at the same time, a little bit classic. I wanted to design something that she’s going to wear and cherish for the rest of her life. So first we picked the 12-carat stone. Then I was like, The oval is so rounded. I didn’t want to put a band that’s super straight on the sides, like a typical engagement ring. So I started designing and sketching it, and I came back with the band that [curves] a little bit upwards. Then, Georgios was like, “We need to incorporate emeralds because that’s her favorite precious stone.” So we put the emeralds around the band, and they were both so happy with this result. ‘I’m so happy they’re happy.
You were a featured cast member on Prime Video’s eight-episode docuseries, Club CEO, alongside other women founders like Serena Williams and Winnie Harlow. One episode features your line being showcased at the CFDA Awards. What was that moment like?
The moment was very special. I got invited, and then, as well, I was dressing Whitney for that. Winnie gets so much attention at events like that. So when she came to me asking for pieces to wear at that event, I was so happy. She has so many options, and she still came to me. I felt very flattered. [It was great exposure] for me to participate in such a big event where all the biggest fashion designers are there. Plus, I just love to be around people that inspire me so much.
How did the opportunity to do the TV show come about?
The opportunity came initially through [fellow cast member and entrepreneur] Loren Ridinger. She came to me with the idea, and I met with the producers and the Amazon team, and I just loved the concept of showing people what we are really doing in our work and our daily life. It’s not something that I [previously] showed so much. I show my family, my modeling life, but I wanted to really show my work and what I’m building right now.
What was it like working with Serena and the other cast members?
We’ve all known each other for a long time, so I think that was the best part because we were just hanging out. It was a very organic thing to be working together, and then at the same time enjoying each other’s company.
What were your biggest takeaways from the show and working with these other career-driven women?
Personally, my biggest takeaway from the show is that I can do hard things. I never thought I would be on TV. I never thought I would have cameras around me the whole time. And at the same time, I think that people are very inspired by what I’m doing. So it keeps me even more driven to keep going and building the brand.
The nonprofit you work with, Style Saves, is aimed at empowering underserved youth through fashion and philanthropy. Can you elaborate more on your involvement with the project?
I joined Style Saves 10 years ago. I was interviewing charities to work with when I moved to Miami, and I met Rachael Russe Saigerl, who started it, and straight away, I loved everything she was doing. She was helping around 50 kids a year, giving them backpacks, school supplies, and everything they needed, but her main concept is to give kids [stylish pieces so they can] go back to school with confidence. Now, we are doing around 25,000 families through two days [of events], and it’s just getting bigger and bigger because we see how much need is out there. Every year, we try to make the experience for them better and also get to help more kids.
While Isabela is building her own empire from the ground up, her husband David Grutman has spent two decades turning Miami’s nightlife and restaurant scene into a national benchmark. Read his Cover Story here.
Interviewer – Stephanie Talmadge
VP, General Manager – Paul Beckles
VP, Content – Damien Scott
VP, Revenue & Brand Partnerships – Abigale Smith
VP, Partnership Strategy & Marketing – Bernadette Doykos
Art Director – Michelle Lukianovich
DP, Sr. Producer – Craig Newton
Director, Producer, Camera Op – Audrey Blackmore
Video Editor, Camera Op – Matt Strickland
VP, Social Media – Yoni Mernick
VP, Audience Development – Jonathan Wiener
Sr. Manager, Content Operations – Griffin Adams
Sr. Director, Marketing & Content Operations – Stephanie Talmadge
CMO – Sarah Flynn
Co-Founders – Rich Kleiman & Kevin Durant
Photographer – Erik Umphery
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