Native New Yorker and handbag designer, Gida Batista, formally worked in the exciting field of entertainment before shifting gears into fashion.  Previously a songwriter and production professional for radio and television, Gida participated in the famed Lilith Fair Concert tour, and also worked alongside such talents as Johnny Depp and the Counting Crows.  However, it was actually during Gida's several years in San Francisco that the roots of Gida Bavari took hold.  Living in a community where independent design and start-ups were highly celebrated, Gida's quiet fantasy on launching a handbag collection began to look more realistic.  Soon she found herself sketching in-between songwriting sessions and entertaining the idea of taking it to the next level. 

After a few years in San Francisco, Gida's passion for her native city soon led her back to New York where she finally took the leap into fashion―a leap that seemed natural to the designer: "Fashion, like music, is so expressive," says Gida, "Both afford us the ability to be who we want to be and to make our own individual statement.  I like to say that we pour our lives into our handbag because a great bag carries us everywhere, much like we carry it."

Fueled by the New York woman's discriminating fashion sensibility, Gida focused on runway chic with streetwise savvy appeal.  Shortly after the launch of Gida Bavari, her sister Paula Sallaberry became a partner and together they formed G+P NYC Brands, Inc in 2009, the corporate umbrella for Gida Bavari. Named after Gida's family name "Batista" and her mother's maiden name "Varisimo," Bavari pays homage to her Portuguese parents' work ethic and love of life.