Silent Beauty
- Zoila Robledo
- Dec 16, 2015
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2021
In honor of IAPW Foundation's 10 Year Anniversary, here's an Exclusive Interview that I had with the gorgeous Manuela Testolini (Benet), from July, 2007...
Manuela Testolini is much more than just another beautiful face and the ex-wife of Prince. She is an intelligent and exceptionally creative woman who has spent the past few years evolving into a successful business savvy entrepreneur. Keeping mum on five year marriage to her famous petite former beau, she would rather discuss her new love than dish about her choice to leave the "purple kingdom". As one of the latest female entrepreneurs to rise and stake her claim, this serene and lovely 30 year old has stepped out on faith as a single woman and is also fulfilling her most creative aspirations in life as an artist, environmentalist and philanthropist.
The mysterious and soft-spoken Manuela recently took the time to chat with JOLIE to share some of her beauty secrets and to explain how she manages to connect her life's deepest passions with her emerging artistry.
Zoila: Manuela, thank you for taking the time to share your insights. Could you tell us about your unique company Gamillah, Inc.?
Manuela: Gamillah is a company that develops lifestyle brands linked to social causes. The word Gamillah means "beautiful" in Arabic. Part of my heritage is Egyptian and I chose the word "Gamillah" because I want my company to represent an appreciation of beauty in all things. Because I have a multi-cultural background, it has been important for me to incorporate the influences of many different cultures in my work. With the Altru line, for instance, the packaging is inspired by fabrics from different cultures around the world. The copper elements were purposely chosen to represent a love for old world artistry and hand-crafted goods. Some of the fragrances were inspired by different places that I've visited around the world. I'm also a big "eco-girl", and I believe we should recognize the beauty of the earth and seek to honor and protect it. So we work hard to include as many earth-friendly elements as possible in all of our products. When it comes to the over-arching paradigm for the company, it's really about being successful, yet socially responsible at the same time. For me, the two are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes people think if you are doing something socially responsible that it is going to be "granola-ish" (laugh) and not really something appealing. So I set out to prove that I could develop luxury goods that in some way have a positive social impact.
Zoila: When did you establish Gamillah?
Manuela: I started the company in 2004 and spent a great deal of time building my team and finding people who understood that this is not the regular type of business. I wanted to recruit people with business expertise, but also those sensitive to the social causes tied to the company's philosophy. Gamillah is a unique company and I have an incredible team that advances our unique platform of linking high-end products with social responsibility. Altru, my line of interior fragrances, is my most current project. We first launched in October 2006.
Zoila: How did you choose the name Altru for your product line?
Manuela: Altru comes from the word "altruism", which means to be concerned for the welfare of others. I chose that word because I wanted the social responsibility component to be overt. Meaning, that this is not only a beautiful high-end line of home fragrances, but also that it is altruistic in that it gives back to the "In a Perfect World" children's foundation.
Zoila: Your Altru product line is one of the most enchanting new collections of candles, incense and interior fragrance oils that I've recently discovered. It seems to me like you are such a spirited and harmonious person. Are these some of the qualities that inspired you to create your Altru product line?
Manuela: There are a couple of things that inspired the collection. First and foremost, I wanted to create a revenue stream for In a Perfect World. When I was deciding what type of product to create, I wanted it to be something that I myself would use. Because I travel extensively for my company and for my foundation, I like to take both tea and scented candles with me to make my surroundings feel more like home. Fragrance can be incredibly powerful at bringing a person "back to one". I'm glad that you got that impression about my inspiration for the product line because it was intentional that this was supposed to be calming and really just about centering yourself, reconnecting with the earth, being at peace.
Zoila: Where can consumers purchase your Altru product line?
Manuela: We initially launched the product in New York at ABC Carpet & Home. It is one of my favorite stores because they are incredible at showing an appreciation for culture, Old World techniques and beauty by bringing it to a luxury level. They have a huge social responsibility component to what they do. They are actually one of the first retailers that I went to, because I thought this would be the "perfect marriage" between Altru and ABC Carpet & Home. Since our launch in October of last year, Altru has expanded its presence to Bergdorf Goodman, select Nordstrom stores, Nordstrom.com, and Anthropologie. You can visit www.altrubygamillah.com for a full list of stores.
Zoila: You're also the Founder of a national, non-profit children's organization called "In a Perfect World" (www.iapw.org)
Manuela: I started the organization at the end of 2005. I have been doing work in this realm for about eight years now. I was working with other foundations and connecting them with homeless shelters, abuse treatment and transitional housing facilities. I found that when I worked with these different places through other organizations, sometimes what I would like to do was a little bit limited. So I started doing programs on my own with different shelters. That's when I decided that I should just go ahead and formalize this process and that's how "In a Perfect World" was born. You know it's funny because everything I do is very organic and I didn't deliberately think "O.k. I'm going to have a foundation and now let's just do it." It just kind of evolved into that. The name "In a Perfect World" comes from a desire to inspire and empower children to contemplate their "perfect world"… to have them think about how they can participate in changing the world for the better… to the assume leadership roles in their communities, etc. For a kid, their world could be their household, the shelter that they're living in, their school, or their community. Just letting the kids know that we want to hear from them and then hearing their incredible insight and being able to act on it; it's just such a blessing.
Zoila: Is there any other extension of Gamillah, Inc. that you could enlighten Jolie Magazine readers about?
Manuela: Yes, I also have "Art of Life Productions" which is the media division of Gamillah, and it's something that we're just now developing. I produced this DVD series which I hope will air soon, perhaps on PBS. It's based on a book called "The Artist's Way". I worked with one of the authors of the book and we developed a three-part series. It's about how you don't have to be a painter to be considered an artist or creative being. We all have some element of creativity and artistry in us. On my MySpace page I describe myself as an artist, among other things. I believe that art takes many different forms. If you look at the packaging for my candles, you can certainly see the art in that. I also do interior design as a hobby. I find cooking to be an art form because my dad is a restaurateur. At the same time, I consider myself a "corporate creative" because I understand that there is an art to business, but also that creativity itself is essential to success. The DVD series is great because it focuses on how we're all artists, how to inspire and release that creativity, and how it can help you in whatever job or situation that you're in. Some people consider themselves either creative or corporate. I think that I bridge both. I think we can all bridge both if we understand how to tap into that.
Zoila: What can consumers expect to see in the coming year from Gamillah?
Manuela: I have a great new project with Victoria Rowell that will launch towards the end of June. She has recently released her memoir entitled "The Women Who Raised Me" and we've designed a special candle to support the work that she does with foster children. Our website will have more information on that. We also have some new products coming out in September 2007 that will launch with our current retailers. We will have three different "experience kits" and each of them is based on a different mood or experience for the consumer. The kits will have a travel candle, tea, music and some stationary. It's about creating the moment that you want – meditative, sensual, or rejuvenating. We also have an "eco" bath and body product line coming in the Spring of 2008. I'll also be introducing my product line in Canada, which is great because I am from Toronto originally.
Zoila: Manuela, you exude such a beautiful radiance on both the outside and inside. Your skin is flawless! Do you use any particular skin-care or cosmetic product lines?
Manuela: I'm more partial to skin-care than I am to make-up. The skin-care line that I use is called "Darphin". It's an essential oil-based product line. I am also a Pescetarian, which means that I don't eat red meat or poultry, but I do eat fish and lots of vegetables. I also drink a lot of water, which I think is important to one's health and beauty from the inside out.
Zoila: What do you do for exercise? Do you enjoy sports of any kind?
Manuela: I like sports. I ride my mountain bike and I like to play soccer. I really love the outdoors.
Zoila: Do you use any specific hair-care product line?
Manuela: I use a hair-care line called Kerastase. Their products are great for my type of hair.
Zoila: Is there anything you do for meditation?
Manuela: Yes, I love going for walks. It's probably something I could do more of. Reconnecting with the earth is very meditative.
Zoila: We tend to find music to be very therapeutic. Is music something that also helps you to relax?
Manuela: Absolutely. I listen to a lot of world music from different cultures. There's a line called "Putumayo World Music" that I really enjoy. Gamillah is actually launching a music series in the future that will be ambient and meditative, as well as influenced by world rhythms.
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