Meet Jonathan Oberti and Christopher Villasante of Tejesta in Doral

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jonathan and Christopher. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve had my eye on the eyewear business since I was a little kid. I grew up watching my father work different facets of the industry from distributor, to retailer, to designer. Everyday after school I would get dropped at my dads office. To kill time I started digging through my fathers archives of vintage pieces he had stored from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I was inspired by all the design aspects, colors and components to these frames that were part of an eyewear revolution, when eyewear became less of a medical device, and more of a staple in fashion. It was then that I realized I could express my love for fashion and design through eyewear.In 2012 I was connected with Illesteva through artist and friend, Austyn Weiner. I began working as their distributor and took the companies wholesale business from not much to millions annually. I knew I had something and decided to start my own showroom specializing in independent eyewear brands. I signed brands Dita, Thom Browne, Linda Farrow, RVS, Ahlem, and Illesteva to name a few, and developed relationships with store buyers across the United States, Central and South America. These were some of the best times of my professional career because I was learning so much at such a rapid pace and from people whom I really respected in the industry.After reaching monetary goals for these independent brands, I realized this role was short lived. As I saw this trend taking shape, I switched my focus to developing as many relationships as I possibly could with store buyers because in the end, having my own eyewear brand was my goal, and when that time came, I would plug it into all the channels I have created over these pivotal years.

It was after this experience that I was ready to call on my creative counterpart, Chris Villasante. I presented him the vision and without any doubt, we formed our partnership to create what is now known as Tejesta. Chris comes from a background of design and operations for Peace Love World, a well known Miami brand. Helping his family grow Peace Love World to what it is today is one of the main reasons I wanted him a part of Tejesta. Aside from past work experience, Chris is an exceptional graphic designer, photographer and videographer. Chris and I had been working on a multitude of creative projects together in the past, and having him a part of Tejesta just made perfect sense.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
From the get go Tejesta has always been a quality focused brand. Finding a factory that was willing to produce small batch products with us was challenging, especially given the intricate manufacturing techniques, details and specifications we require in creating our spectacles.

2020 has been an especially challenging year for everyone. And like all small businesses, we have had our worries. However we are grateful to have been pushed more into an online space, and have found success in focusing our attention on our online identity and sales.

Please tell us about Tejesta.
We are a design-centered eyewear brand specializing in the micro-production of premier quality spectacles. Once sold out, these pieces are no longer produced, anticipating that one day these pieces will be a collector’s item.

We draw most of our inspiration from the American West and the Art-Deco architectural movement. Chris and I both come from very multi-cultural backgrounds, Native American being one of them, which even more so tied us to the aesthetic of the American West. Tejesta draws from these vanguards of style.

There is a story that goes along with every component of each frame name, frame color, etc… This creates an emotional experience between product and consumer, and that is important to us.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
NOTHING!

Pricing:

• Metal frames are $225
• Acetate frame prices vary from $200-$245

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TEJESTA.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @Tejesta
• Facebook: TEJESTA
• Twitter: TEJESTA